History maker
Ana Carrasco bids to be first woman world champ
‘Women think more when they are on the bike!’
She’s 21, stands five-foot-one, and weighs eight stone. But don’t let that fool you. Ana Carrasco is one tough little Spaniard. She’s the first woman in the 100-years-plus history of the sport to lead a motorcycle road racing world championship. She was also the first woman to set pole and the first to win a race. Now, with just one round remaining of the World Supersport 300 Championship, she has a ten point advantage against an entire field of men. Oh, and she’s also half way through a four-year law degree and trains six hours every day. Are you starting to feel a bit inadequate? You should be. Meet Ana Carrasco – the fastest female motorcycle racer of them all.
On the brink
After finishing the 2017 season in eighth place, Carrasco came out of the traps ready for the fight in 2018, setting pole at Imola and winning the race to become the first woman to lead a motorcycle racing world championship. This achievement has been a long time in the making. “My family was involved in biking,” she says. “My dad was a race mechanic so when I was three I started riding my big sister’s minimoto.” Carrasco cuts a diminutive figure in the racing paddock. While this would normally give her an edge under acceleration, the constantly-changing rules in WSS300 mean that even this advantage has been removed. Because she is so light, Carrasco is forced to carry a weight penalty on her Kawasaki Ninja 400. “I now have to carry 13kg so I think it’s actually worse to be small,” she says. “I have to move more kilos than the other riders through the corners and yet the overall weight of rider and bike is the same (because of the combined bikeand-rider minimum weight rule) so I don’t have any advantage on acceleration.”
Experience counts
Carrasco at least has a competitive bike and team, which is a relatively new thing after battling with poorly-funded rides in Moto3 where she was once Maverick Viñales’s team-mate.
With WSS300 running as a support series in WSB, it means she has operated out of the two biggest paddocks in racing. “I didn’t notice any difference between the paddocks in their attitudes towards female riders. My job is the same and the people are good with me, always. But in the World Supersport 300 Championship it was easier for me to find a good team so that I can be fighting at the top. In the past it has been difficult because I never had the machine I needed to fight for the victory.”
Tough nut
Like every racer, Carrasco needs to have the mental capacity to accept the inherent dangers of bike sport. “I broke my elbow in 2007 and I broke my collarbone in 2015 and also my shoulder. I’m OK with pain – I can handle it. For my mother it’s more difficult! I think this sport is difficult for all the mothers!” In addition to her commitment to racing, Carrasco is also studying for a law degree. Mid-way through a four-year course, she must balance adrenalin with diligence. “I don’t know for sure if I will be a lawyer after racing but this is my Plan B! I want to be a racer and be riding for many years but, if not, then at least I have another plan.”
100% commitment
Perhaps even more impressive is her brutal training regime. “I go to the gym for about three or four hours and then ride dirt bikes for another few hours.”
It’s this kind of commitment that sees Carrasco regularly beating an entire field full of men. “Yes, for me it’s good!” she laughs. “This is a motivation to show the people that women can do the same. This is what I want, I want to win in a world championship so I can show that I can beat the best WSS300 riders in the world.” It’s perhaps not easy for every male psyche to handle being beaten by a woman. So how do her rivals treat her?
“They respect me because if you are fast, everybody respects you! I’ve shown them that I can win and fight for the championship. Sometimes it helps to be a woman. Women think more when they are on the bike! The men are brave but they sometimes make dangerous moves without thinking! I think I have a slight advantage because I always stay calm.”
In demand
As to the future, Carrasco already has some options on the table, but for now, she’s concentrating on the job in hand. “I want to continue with Kawasaki because I am very happy with them and they are supporting me to be at the top. I have some options in Moto3 and also from WSS600 and WSS300. At the moment, I don’t know, I just want to concentrate on winning the championship.”