Challenges, falls and victories: Ana Carrasco’s journey in motorcycling

Today’s plan is training and rehabilitation in the swimming pool. Yesterday, manual physiotherapy and magnetotherapy, and every day, elastic bands, machines, and weights in the gym to strengthen and keep the muscles active. Slowly, with confidence, one step at a time, until she is back on the track, without fear and with the same desire to win, despite everything and everyone. The violent fall at the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia, resulting in a double fracture of the tibia and fibula, is a harsh blow that puts an end to an already challenging season, with zero points and many difficulties.

But Ana is proud of her progress, that she shares with her followers almost every day on her Facebook and Instagram channels. She always smiles, despite the fatigue and pain. She arrives walking with crutches, but her gaze is determined because, even though there are uncertainties about future performances, Ana is an athlete fully conscious of her abilities. Because she has been through this before; it’s déjà vu, unfortunately.

In 2020, when she was just 24 years old, after tasting world glory, the rider  from Murcia had to start over, facing a trauma that jeopardized her career and could have completely changed her life. During a test session at the Estoril circuit in Portugal, a terrible accident caused her to fracture vertebrae D4 and D6. A complex surgical intervention, nine months of rehabilitation with ups and downs, intense training, but above all, the determination that has always characterized the Spanish rider, allowed her to return to the track the following season, in 2021. But she wasn’t at 100%. The cervical injury affected everything, from training to on-track performance. Before the injury, the struggle was for victory, but after returning, Ana faced new battles, with physical pain, uncertainty, and the inevitable fear of getting hurt again after a major trauma. But then came that astonishing, memorable victory in the first race in Misano, thanks to which Ana felt competitive again and confident in her ability to overcome difficulties and regenerate. A victory in a race is undoubtedly a confidence boost for riders, and for those who follow this sport and perhaps want to try competing, it’s also a demonstration that motivation and constant effort are the right ingredients to achieve one’s goals. But all the work that precedes the return to the track after an injury has the same taste as a victory. The challenge is different, the goal is to return to being as good as before or even better.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is the tattoo that the rider has next to her cervical scar, which she proudly displays because both are part of her story and symbolize her willpower. This determination and the process of returning to competitiveness that the rider shares without taboos, showing motorcycling as it is, are additional reasons to look at Ana Carrasco’s career from a different perspective and learn from her what it means to fight for one’s dreams, to do what we love even if life sometimes makes the path difficult, presenting challenges that initially seem impossible.

Recently, there was also the announcement of the non-renewal by the BOÉ SKX Motorsports team, which replaces Ana with the Australian rider Joel Kelso. That’s how the world of motorcycles and high-level sports goes; if you don’t bring in results, you get replaced, and after an injury, there are always too many uncertain points to afford to wait.

But Ana lives in the moment and never loses her smile, which we love and exudes that optimism typical of those who never give up and know how to face the challenges of life and their sports career. For us, Ana is an extraordinary athlete who wins every time she gets on the bike because, with her work, she has shown young girls that the doors of the world of motorcycling are open, and obstacles of all kinds can be overcome. Go Ana!

ph. Ana Carrasco Facebook Page