At just 23, Beatriz Neila is already very accomplished, both on and off the racetrack. The four-time Women’s European Champion was, until last year, combining her racing with full-time university studies in the field of law. No easy feat, as Beatriz herself admits…




"I graduated last year, just after the first WorldWCR round at Misano. I'm so proud because it's super difficult to do the sport and study at the same time. It took me four years, and I now have a law degree plus a master’s in international law. It was tough, especially at first because it was a new stage for me. But then I started to enjoy the process, and it all became a little easier. When it came to the final year of my university studies, I knew it would be particularly hard because it would coincide with the first year of the WorldWCR championship. And I was right - at the beginning of 2024, it was pretty difficult with all my classes, exams, presentations, and at the same time I needed to train with a new bike, the R7, very different to the 300 I had been riding before. It was a challenge but I did it - I graduated and also finished fourth in WorldWCR."

"I’m a person who finds it difficult to be ‘tranquilla’, I like to be busy, doing many things. And I think that’s how I was able to juggle it all. I'm a person who just works, works, works. I never really felt like I was missing out on university life at all, because I just prefer to be studying or training to be honest!"
All in, on and off track

Now that her university studies are complete, Beatriz can fully focus on the 2025 WorldWCR season. But this doesn’t mean that she hasn’t considered her long-term plans for a career off track.

"The goal this year is to win. I'm 23 years old, while Maria, Roberta, Sara, they are 28 or 29 and with a lot of experience, in Moto3 or MotoE, with great teams, with telemetry, everything, and so for me a top three finish would already be positive."

"Before WorldWCR was launched, I thought that law was my plan A and sport my plan B, because it's difficult to reach a high level with the racing. But now, with this championship, my plan B has become my plan A because it means so much to me. I think the championship provides women with a good opportunity to show the world what we can do on a bike, and so I’m fully focused on this right now."

"As for the future, I would like to work as a lawyer, but as a lawyer in sport. My plan has changed because when I started studying, I was thinking of becoming a state attorney, as I also really like politics. I think the fields of sport and law are similar because when a lawyer is in court, they have advisors yes, but it's the lawyer who takes the stage and is the linchpin. And here it’s the same, because I have the team but when I put my helmet on, it’s just me and my bike."
Her ‘tribe’

Away from the track, Beatriz acknowledges the role that her family has played in her success. She has a very close relationship with her parents and siblings, all of whom are there for her every step of the way.

"My family supports me a lot. If I decide to be a lawyer, they are going to give me the best support, and if I decide to focus on this sport and work to be the best, my family is going to support me a lot with training camps, two days in Valencia, two days in Motorland, my father saying, ok, we are going to organize this, or we are going to train like that."

"I have two younger siblings, sister Carla and brother Raul. We’re super close, also in age, as I’m 23 and they’re 21 and 20. My brother and I started riding at the same time, but my father originally bought a bike for my brother, not for me, as he considered this a sport for boys, not for girls. My brother found it difficult to juggle riding and school, so in the end my family focused on me. I worked hard, both training in the gym but also with my studies. They basically said, ok, if you pass your exams at school, you can ride, but if you start getting low grades…"

"My brother doesn’t really come to see me at the tracks, but he does a lot of motocross. He's really good and is like a teacher to me, giving me tips and advice, which is so nice. The three of us – my brother, my sister and I – are like a “piña”, a tribe. My sister is my everything and we are together every hour of every day."

"I don’t have much down time but when I do, I like to spend time with family, doing simple things like watching a film or playing games together."

Collaboration is key

There appears to be a collaborative spirit among the WorldWCR competitors, something that Beatriz appreciates and contributes to wherever she can. She is also keen to see this series develop into something bigger and better.

"I'm a person who wants to help everyone. So, if a rider comes to me and asks me about strategy - what will you do at the first corner – or about gearing, I’ll tell them. I have a good relationship with everyone. It's true that there’s a bit of fighting among the Spanish riders, but for my part, it's not like this."

"In the future, it would be nice to see WorldWCR looking more like MotoGP or WorldSBK, with a small category, middle category and maximum category, like that. But it's difficult. It's difficult because there are a lot of us now, but we only have this world championship. I won the European championship four consecutive times, but for example this year the level is a little bit low there because I think that it needs more support from Dorna and the FIM, so that girls can start there before moving up to the world championship."

An all-round athlete

It is no understatement when Beatriz says she likes to keep busy. As if the commitments of WorldWCR were not enough, the Spaniard aims to compete in additional sports competitions this year.

"I just love sport. Triathlon for example. Two years ago, I did my first triathlon, and it was amazing. I want to do two more this year, after Donington and also after Jerez. I like to do mini triathlons just for myself, as part of my training, I did one last week! I’m also doing a lot of Hyrox, a type of CrossFit, and would like to compete in the big Hyrox competition in November in Madrid