Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team) turned the final weekend of the 2026 FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship into an absolute masterclass. After making a stellar wildcard appearance at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia in 2025 with a debut P4 and a Race 2 win, the rookie raised the bar completely at the Pirelli Spanish Round. She claimed pole position, set the fastest laps of the races, and took victory in both category encounters to cap off a wild year.
That dominance started right away with a 1'50.911s Tissot Superpole time that set an all-new WorldWCR circuit record, leaving Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) behind by nearly six tenths of a second. Race 1 then threw a massive obstacle at the rookie when FIM WorldSBK Stewards slapped her with a penalty for a jump start. Ramos had to serve the first of two long laps on Lap 6, which dropped her down to second place while Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) and she had already pulled nearly six seconds clear of the #6 at the front.
Taking her second long lap on Lap 7 left her a vast 3.455s behind the Madrid native. But the machine was hooked up, and Ramos responded in style. She laid down a race lap record of 1'50.998s on Lap 9, running seven tenths faster overall and 1.2s quicker than Neila to slash the gap to 1.3s. On the final lap, Ramos seized P1 at Turn 6 and held it to the flag. Farther back, Herrera claimed P6, which was enough to secure her the 2026 Riders’ title.
Race 2 brought a different kind of pressure. Ramos launched from pole and led into Turn 1, but Herrera hunted her down by Lap 2 to briefly snatch P1. Refusing to let the victory slip, Ramos fought back immediately to retake the lead on Lap 3. Neila tailed the #58 relentlessly, staying within half a second for the rest of the distance, but Ramos defended brilliantly over the final lap to seal the season’s final win.
Reflecting on the finale at Jerez, Ramos said: “It was the perfect weekend after the pole and both victories, including winning on Saturday despite the Long Lap penalties. I’m super happy to close the season like this. In Race 2, I tried to put a gap. I saw Bea behind me, and I had to close the door in many turns to secure the race win.”
That speed makes her third-place finish in the Riders’ Championship all the more fascinating. She won only two fewer races than Herrera, who took six victories across the 12-race season. Yet Ramos had to overcome missing Race 2 at Assen with injury, unfortunate crashes, and a total of four races where she scored zero points. Overcoming her Italian teammate Roberta Ponziani to salvage third place in the standings was a proper salvage job.
Looking back on the campaign, Ramos said: “I’m happy to have finished third; it could have been better, and I’m glad to have pulled off a little comeback, but I’m happy to have finished third despite having four races in which I scored zero points. I’ll train a lot for next season to be strong.”
