Ana Carrasco savours first win since serious injury that almost ended career

Ana Carrasco says stepping back on top of the podium during round two of the 2021 WorldSSP 300 Championship is the ‘perfect present’, nine months after the accident that doctors say almost paralysed her.

The 24-year old has been embarking on her racing return after missing most of the 2020 season with a back injury sustained in an accident while testing in Portugal.

Though she says the accident wasn’t any more dramatic than other falls she has experienced, the angle of the fall left her with injuries that doctors initially feared could leave her with limited or paralysed movement in her legs.

However, after an operation on her spine, Carrasco embarked on months of rehabilitation and physiotherapy to ensure full fitness before the start of the year, culminating in a dramatic win over the weekend when Tom Booth-Amos fell from the lead at the final corner. 

An impressive turnaround after a troubled opening race of the weekend consigned her to 15th, Carrasco - the first woman to win a short circuit FIM World Championship - was thrilled to be back on top of the podium after so long.

“I don’t know how I won because today’s race was so crazy. I started well but when I was sixth or seventh it was difficult to pass the top riders because they had been faster all weekend, and I was a little bit on the limit. Today it was very hot and I was losing the front a little bit. 

“This class is crazy… yesterday I was 15th and today I could win. I am happy for sure because the first round in Aragon was difficult and the weekend here was really difficult for me. But the team worked well and I tried not to give up. To get back to the podium, winning, is the perfect present for me.”

The win lifts the Kawasaki Racing Team racer to third in the overall standings behind Adrian Huertas and Booth-Amos.