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If there is one rider who needs no introduction, this is undoubtedly Ana Carrasco. A pioneer in women's motorcycling, the 27-year-old Murcian was the first woman to win a World Championship title against the males, imposing herself in Supersport 300 in 2018.
Not everyone, however, may know that Carrasco began to take up motorcycling at the tender age of three, encouraged by her father. A mechanic with a racing background, Ana's father in fact had a great influence on her career, standing by her when she began to take her first steps at the competitive level.
A path started in the Spanish junior categories, which soon brought victories and satisfaction to the young Murcian, 125cc champion of the Extremadura championship in 2009 and winner, that same year, also of the Murcia 125cc 2T championship and the Cup of Spain. Continuing to hone her talent on the national stage, Carrasco became the first girl to score points in the 125cc class of the CEV in 2011. This feat was repeated the following season, in the first year of CEV Moto3, and then again in 2013, when she scored an 8th place finish in Valencia in her debut year in the Moto3 World Championship.
"Who have I learned the most from in my career?My father. I spent a lot of time with him until I was 14 years old when I came for the first time to work with a team. I was racing always with him as a mechanic so I think he taught me almost everything that I had to know about racing," Ana recounted, " Then I surely had the opportunity to work with a lot of people with a lot of experience in the World Championship. Sharing a box with riders like Maverick Vinales and Jonathan Rea, I had the chance to learn from the top riders and this helped me a lot, to try to understand how to be a champion."
Goal achieved in her second year in Supersport 300. A championship in which the Spaniard landed in 2017 after three years in the lightest class of MotoGP, to which she then returned in the two-year period 2022-2023, and which has so far been the most fruitful chapter of her career, thanks to the title she won in 2018 and her 3rd place finish the following year.
Although she has espoused the cause of the newly formed Women's World Championship this year, where she defends the colors of the Evan Bros team and is in full fight for the title, it has never been a problem for the 27-year-old to compete against the men either.
"For me it was just normal to be the only woman, or one of a few women. I was in the same situation as when I was 3 years old, all my life it was the same. Inside the circuit I’m a rider so I don’t see any difference between the others and me. I felt always that everyone respected me a lot. If people see that you are focussed on your work, that you’re trying to be professional and especially you are fast, everyone respects you," she explained.
"Honestly I always felt really supported by the fans since the first day I arrived into the world championship. There are always a few people that don’t like you, but maybe they don’t like me, or they don’t like Marc Marquez, they don’t like anyone. I’m happy because I always felt good, people were always supporting me, in the good moments and especially in the bad ones. I always felt like people respect me and support me."
Automatic Translation by DeepL
