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Ana Carrasco, when the last one gets all the attention

2022-08-06T04:18:47.266Z


The woman with the most Grand Prix contested with men, seeks to recover the rhythm in the Moto3 championship


When Ana Carrasco and José Ángel Gutiérrez met to rejoin their paths, they both knew that the challenge was going to present many difficulties.

The first world champion in a universe shaped by and for men has returned this year to Moto3, the category that she abandoned in 2015 to triumph in the SSP300 World Championship.

Seven years later, adaptation to the mount, some physical problems and the speed of the new generations are not making things easy for the only woman who participates in one of the three traditional motorcycling categories.

“The bike is more rigid, the chassis is different, the tires too.

With so many different things, on a weekend you always have the feeling that you have a day to go before you can do it well”, explains the Murcian rider from Silverstone, the race that marks the resumption of the championship after a prolonged summer break.

"Five weeks seems like a lot, but I had three or four days of vacation and then I went back to full training."

During the summer, Carrasco has been infiltrated again, as in the month of March, to minimize the back pain that she has suffered since a fracture of the dorsal column occurred in September 2020.

"Perhaps it is costing me more than expected, but I am happy, because in each race, although it is not reflected in the final result, we have been improving things," she says in an optimistic tone and without apologizing for physical discomfort.

The BOE Motorsports driver, a native of Cehegín, in the northwest of Murcia, is 29th in the World Championship and has not yet managed to score points in her return to the category.

That lack of pace has generated unusual media attention in the rear group, and her crew chief is in no doubt why.

“If he was a boy and he wasn't getting results, people wouldn't pay so much attention.

Being her, she stands out quite a bit, but she is just another pilot”, points out her team leader, José Ángel Gutiérrez, who opted for her convinced of her ability to perform in the small category.

"I don't see her as a girl who rides a motorcycle,

More information

Ana Carrasco: "Driving like a woman is winning"

Carrasco, who in Mugello surpassed María Herrera as the woman with the most participations in the World Championship – she will add 58 GPs this weekend in the United Kingdom – and practically did not even notice it, adds other reasons to explain the attention that her figure generates: “I am an experienced driver and the only world champion on the grid, albeit in another category.

Normally, people notice.

Having been very competitive in recent years, I guess most people expected better results.”

The 25-year-old pilot insists on the idea that being the only reference on the track does not add difficulty to her work.

“Obviously, I know I'm the only one, but for me it's not something that stands out for better or for worse and I don't think about it.

When I arrive at the circuit, my work is the same as that of the others”, emphasizes the Murcian.

The BOÉ team is not going through its best moment after losing its main sponsor during the summer, a fact that has forced Gutiérrez to put money out of his pocket to save the season.

David Muñoz, a 16-year-old talent from Seville and second place in his second race in the small category at Montmeló, fueled even more comparisons between Carrasco and the rest of the grid with his fantastic and sudden appearance.

“The comparison is not by sex, but by generations.

It's not just David, this generation is a hurricane, the speed they have is amazing.

This raises the bar, and if you come from being out since 2015…”, points out the head of both talents.

“Anne tries.

Her desire and motivation are incredible, and it's very hard to be back there and stay motivated.

Another one would have already left, ”he adds.

Carrasco, 1.56 meters and 53 kilos, competes with a ballast of 9 kilos on the bike to meet the minimum weight of the category and knows that without results he could be left without a mount next year: "Being behind is difficult being champion of the world or not.

It's hard for all of us.

If you come from being competitive, it is difficult to manage not being able to be.

I try to do the best I can."

From his team they also recognize these moments of difficulty, with setbacks such as his posture problems on the motorcycle from the back or a partial rupture of the tendon in one hand that have also impaired the ability to gain time in a discipline that is disputed against the clock.

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Source: elparis

All sports articles on 2022-08-06

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