This weekend, Maria Herrera is embarking on her MotoE race weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Building off of her successful run in France, Maria has high hopes for this MotoE season. In her other campaign in WorldWCR, Maria is leading the championship by nine points. During the summer break, we had the chance to catch up with Maria. It’s been almost six years since we last talked to Maria. Here’s her reflection on her double campaign in MotoE and WorldWCR.
All photos © Maria Herrera
Last year, when the inaugural season of WorldWCR kicked off, Maria’s participation was announced quite late. But it wasn’t because she was hesitant to join the history-making championship; she was simply trying to put together a team. “I wanted to join the WorldWCR since October 2023. But I didn’t have a team that could start the championship for me. In the end, I talked to my MotoE team – Klint Forward Team – and they agreed to join the WorldWCR and support me in this championship. Because it was a bit late, I only tried the bike once. But I still won the first two races in Misano.”
Maria started the season strong, as anticipated. As two of the championship’s highest-profile riders, many expected Maria and Ana Carrasco, the 2018 WorldSSP300 World Champion, to dominate the competition. However, the rivalry extended beyond them. “The first season was a little bit difficult for me. I knew I was strong, but with this kind of bike, with less power, it is difficult, as you can’t show your full potential, and everyone can get to your level if they train enough. I knew Beatriz (Neila) would be fast, as she spent many years on the SSP300 bike, which is more similar to the R7 than what I’ve been racing on. I spent the past 10 years riding SSP or MotoE bikes; it’s more difficult for me to adapt to the WCR bike. I won several races, but the crash in Cremona race 2 was the problem of the season for me. I had an injury in my neck as a result, and I had to battle for the rest of the season with this injury.”
Finishing the 2024 WorldWCR season as the runner-up, Maria opened the 2025 season strong, winning four out of the first eight races, and finishing all the others on the podium. Beatriz Neila remains a fierce pursuer in the standings, while teammate Roberta Ponziani, last season’s rival Sara Sanchez, and newcomer Chloe Jones are all challenging for podium spots. “Beatriz is strong again, she’s in the official team now, she has to push even harder than last year, and she has potential. Chloe is also quite fast. Lucie Boudesseul is improving a lot. My teammate is quite fast in some races as well. I don’t think Sara can battle us this season; she’s strong in some races, but not very consistent. Step by step, everyone is improving, so I have to work hard.”
The championship is very interesting this way, if I’m alone on the top, it’ll be a bit boring. It’s good for the fans.
While battling for the world championship in WorldWCR, Maria is also making significant strides in MotoE. Joining MotoE since its inaugural season in 2019, Maria has grown together with the championship. As the MotoE bike becomes lighter and lighter, Maria becomes more competitive. “The category is very difficult, but the bike is improving. Since 2023, we have switched to Ducati as the single manufacturer. The bike used to weigh 260kg, now it’s at 225kg. It also comes with all the electronics like the GP bikes. You have to pick up early, which is difficult for me as my arms are very short. But step by step, we are getting closer to the top. I finished eighth and fourth in France this year. When the bike is down to 200kg, I think I can be really competitive.”
When the bike was at 260kg, I thought I couldn’t ride it. But my father encouraged me to believe in myself and to work hard. Even in my first season, with such a heavy bike, I was battling for podium positions in Misano. You have to believe in yourself in this category.
Switching between two championships with two drastically different bikes can be challenging. But so far, Maria has managed it adeptly. “It’s challenging, but I train to adapt to the next race and the riding style for the bike. It’s also helpful for me to ride different bikes. It was more difficult at the beginning of last year. WCR bike is smaller than SSP and SBK. I cannot really push the WCR bike to the limit. The MotoE bike is a big bike with a lot of weight in the front part. When I switch to MotoE mode, I have to brake harder. But for this type of things, you can’t think too much.”
Both WorldWCR and MotoE feature single-make machinery, leveling the field to prioritize rider and team capability. Maria is very talented and experienced, and she also has great support from her team. “In the WorldWCR, we don’t change too much the bike. I like what we had in the Cremona test, and I stayed with the setting more or less. It’s only in Donington Park and Balaton Park where I don’t know the track very well, then I changed my settings a little bit throughout the weekend. Most of the time, I adapt myself to the track. With MotoE, we can play with it a little bit more. If the bike doesn’t enter the corners like you want, it’ll be a very difficult weekend. We can work more with the suspension based on the telemetry.”
Throughout Maria’s career, she’s mostly been battling with men in mixed championships. She attributes performance gaps on larger bikes not to gender but to physique, leveraging technique to overcome size limitations. “For example, Pedrosa is a guy, but he’s so small, so they had to adjust the hand lever, the foot peg, and the tank on the GP bike for him. I’m also small, so we have to adapt our riding style for the bike. In MotoE, many of the riders are as tall as 1.8m. For women, even though we have less strength, we can still train our technique on the bike to overcome this. I think we can do well in Moto3, Moto2, and SSP. I don’t know about SBK and MotoGP yet, because I’ve never tested a competitive bike.”
I’m realistic, I know I can do well in the intermediate class.
As one of the more experienced and accomplished riders in the WorldWCR, Maria is the idol and point of reference for many riders who are coming to the world championship level for the first time. She has been a great help to all the girls in the WorldWCR paddock. “I speak to all of them, and I say if you need help, you can always come to me. Sometimes it’s for a specific corner, or that they don’t know the track, and I tell them how to do it. Sometimes they are just nervous because they are in the world championship but have not enough previous training. I just tell them to relax and enjoy the race, and find their potential. I’ve had so many years of experience in the MotoGP paddock, but it’s not always about what I tell them. They have to train more, and my advice is to relax and enjoy. If you need me, I’m here.”
Besides professional riders, Maria also dedicates a lot of time to helping grow the general motorcycling community. “I want to do something for the amateur riders. For the Spanish Federation, I’m coaching riders from 5 years old to 50 years old. Our group got bigger and bigger each year. They love spending time with me. In the future, I also want to do this around the world, for example, in Mexico, Columbia. I would like to pass my experience to all of them.”
Speaking about her future, Maria is still committed to the WorldWCR and MotoE, but also open to other categories if sponsorship allows. “I used to race in WorldSSP and I was battling for the top 10. To go to any other categories, I need the sponsor and support. I’m happy in the WorldWCR, I want to continue in this championship and push us to higher levels. If one day they create another category for us, it’s also good to move from here to there.”
Last season, Maria finished the two MotoE races in Austria 10th and 12th. Let’s see what she can do this weekend! In the longer term, hopefully, we will see Maria race in her favourite circuit, Phillip Island, once again!
Paddock Sorority 
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