The current leader of the FIM CEV Repsol yesterday completed her second appearance in the World Championship. She finished seventeenth at Jerez, after a weekend she will never forget.
Step by step, Maria Herrera is making a name for herself in the world of motorcycle racing. After shining in the CEV Repsol last season and only missing out on the title at the last race, this year she has already won one of the two races in the series. This past weekend she was one of the riders invited to participate in the fourth round of the Moto3 Championship, something that did not go unnoticed by the media. Her first Grand Prix finish saw her placing just two positions out of the points.
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Spanish Grand Prix pre-event
On the pre-race Thursday, Maria was one of the riders chosen to promote the Grand Prix. She participated in an event at Jerez’ Jose Estevez bodega, trying out two activities typical of the region: wine pouring and horse riding.
Preparing for practice
The day prior to the first practice sessions of a Grand Prix is the time to make sure everything is ready for the first encounter with the bike.
Track reconnaissance
Although Maria knows the Circuito de Jerez well ‒and won the most recent race in the FIM CEV Repsol there‒ on Thursday she undertook a final inspection of the track.
Meeting friends in the paddock
On a hot afternoon on Thursday, Maria Herrera met up with another rider from Toledo at the circuit: Julian Simon.
Repsol Honda Team 20th anniversary
At the Repsol hospitality, Maria signed her name on a commemorative mural celebrating 20 years of Repsol Honda, along with signatures of Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, amongst others.
Dani Pedrosa’s adviceDani Pedrosa’s advice
Maria meet with fellow Repsol rider Dani Pedrosa in the hospitality area, and he gave her advice on a track that he knows like the back of his hand. Pedrosa has always finished on the podium in his MotoGP appearances at Jerez.
First practice
The Spanish GP action began on Friday and Maria began working on setting up her bike, alongside her usual team from the FIM CEV Repsol.
Debriefing
The first thing Maria does after getting off her Moto3 bike is reconvene with David Cabau, Technical Director of her team in the FIM CEV Repsol. They discuss the feel of the bike. It is an important step in choosing the way to go when setting up the bike for the race.
Media interviews
Once the day of practice has finished, it’s time to meet the media. In this case, she does so along with one of her fellow Repsol riders, Alex Marquez.
Telemetry review
Maria works with Miguel Gomez, the technician in charge of telemetry, to see which aspects of her riding can be modified –be it acceleration or braking‒ to take a few tenths off her lap times.
Meet and greet
Throughout the weekend many fans requested a photo with the Repsol rider as a souvenir of the Spanish GP.
Eating with her father
As he does whenever his daughter competes, Antonio Herrera accompanied Maria at the GP of Spain to provide his support.
Grid
David Cabau and Miguel Gomez worked with Maria right up until the start of her second ever Grand Prix.
Moto3 Race
During the Spanish GP, Maria was part of a large group of riders with more experience in the World Championship, finishing in 17th position –just two places off the points.
Maria thanks the fans
With the race over, Maria showed her gratitude for the support of the fans that filled the grandstands at Jerez, and congratulated her other Repsol teammate for the weekend, Alex Rins –who finished third.
Parental pride
Maria’s parents, Antonio and Marisa, waited in pit lane for their daughter and embraced her as she got off her bike.
Heading home
With the Spanish GP over, new challenges await the Repsol rider. In a fortnight’s time she will be back in action at the FIM CEV Repsol race at Le Mans, which takes place alongside the French GP. Her next World Championship appearance will be on the 15th of June at the Catalan GP.
