Ana Carrasco has revealed she is considering entering the inaugural FIM Women’s World Motorcycling Championship this season after failing to secure a seat on the 2024 Moto3 grid.
The Spaniard is currently without a confirmed ride for this season after her latest stint competing in the grand prix quarter-litre class came to an abrupt halt when she sustained injuries in an accident in Indonesia.
Ruling her out of the remaining five events of the year, the incident brought about an early end to both her relationship with BOE Motorsports and a difficult two years in Moto3 during which she failed to break into the points’ paying positions.
With no options forthcoming in the grand prix arena, Carrasco is set to join Maria Herrera - the only other woman competing at GP level last season in MotoE - in dropping out of the World Championship.
While a return to the WorldSSP 300 Championship, the series from which she made history by becoming the first woman to win a short circuit FIM World Championship in 2018, is an option, Carrasco told Spanish publication Marca that she is fully supportive of the new FIM Women’s World Motorcycling Championship and isn’t against the prospect of entering herself.
“I'm evaluating it,” she revealed. “It is a positive initiative for the motor world and for women's sport.
“It was necessary for there to be a women's world championship, since in the rest of the disciplines such as motocross or trial there is.
“It is totally favourable that this option exists for girls who want to compete and have the level.
“At the moment I'm evaluating options, this is one of them, especially since I see it as a good initiative, but at the moment I can't say yes or no.
When asked whether a standalone female-only series could potentially diminish the progress of women competing on a level-playing field in a series’ as Moto3, Moto2 and WorldSSP/300, Carrasco is positive about the new championship giving more visibility to female talent
“In the end, another new championship appears that is an easier or more feasible option for girls compared to reaching other categories such as Moto3 or Moto2 two.
“Which in the end we have seen that from time to time some case appears, but it is not normal that there are girls competing there. I've been in Moto3 for two seasons and I've been the only one.
“So, the fact that this door is opened makes women go a little more in that direction, but I think that in the end it also depends on each of your personality and above all also on the level you can achieve within motorcycling.”
What is the Women's World Motorcycling Championship?
The inaugural Women’s World Motorcycling Championship will take place on the support programme of the 2024 WorldSBK Championship. The six-round, 12-race season kicks off with Round 1 at Misano, followed by events at Donington Park, Portimao, the new Balaton Park Circuit, Cremona and Jerez.
The single-make series will see the riders racing identical GYTR-specification Yamaha R7 sportbikes. As a comparison to the performance of WorldSSP/300-spec Yamaha equivalents, the standard roadgoing twin-cylinder Yamaha R7 generates 73.4bhp.
The four-cylinder WorldSSP Yamaha R6 generates 118.4bhp, while the Yamaha R3 used in the WorldSSP 300 Championship has 41bhp.
