The only female rider in the MotoGP paddock for 2017: Maria Herrera

Maria Herrera will be the only female rider in the MotoGP paddock for 2017 with Team AGR, who will be running a single bike in both Moto3 and Moto2 series. She will be taking part in the Moto3 category in 2017. She raced in the same last year as Owner-Rider on a KTM with team MH6 and in 2015 with Husqvarna Factory Laglisse.

Maria did have a few wild card races in 2013 and 2014 when she rode the Spanish races but only managed to get a full season ride in 2015. She wasn’t the only female rider in 2015 though. Ana Carrasco also rode that year but didn’t manage to get a ride for 2016. Maria finished 29 in the championship in 2015 and 31 last year. But she did show a lot of promise in the Spanish National Championships when she beat her team mate Fabio Quartararo multiple times but finished 13 points behind him. She has a lot of potential but hasn’t managed to adapt very well to the Grands Prix level.

Here’s a video where Maria talks about her journey and her father’s role in her success.

The 20 year old finished 11 at Phillip Island last year, her best finish in Moto3. She also missed the last race of the season after crashing out at Sepang from 8 place and breaking her collarbone. Maria is said to have recovered fully and is excited to ride with the new team in 2017.

2016 wasn’t the luckiest for Maria and she’d be looking to turn the tables around in 2017. Maybe someday she could race in the premier category which no female has done since 1982. The future looks promising for Maria and I’m sure she’ll put up a good battle against the boys this year. All the best Maria!