Americans Mallory Dobbs and Sonya Lloyd each represented their country and MotoAmerica this past weekend at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as they competed for their respective teams in the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR). For both riders, it was a memorable round.
Dobbs Dabbles In The Top 10
Diva Racing’s Dobbs has had a challenging season, which has served to steel her determination even more. So, while she put in extra preparation for the French round to ensure she arrived ready to perform, her Diva Racing team also made key adjustments to the bike’s front-end, which gave her much more confidence and feel.
The effort paid off immediately in Free Practice where she spent the majority of the session inside the top-five fastest riders. She qualified 12th but improved on her starting grid position in Saturday’s Race 1 with a top-10 finish that included her running the ninth-fastest lap of the race. The result earned her an improved starting position for Race 2 on the third row of the grid.
In Sunday’s Race 2, Dobbs ran as high as eighth-place during the opening laps, and she was able to battle within the lead pack. A few small mistakes cost her positions, but she still secured another top-10 finish, this time just 17 seconds behind the leaders and significantly closer to the front than her result had been earlier in the season.
A pair of top-10 results was a major confidence boost for Dobbs, and she is eager to carry that momentum into the season finale at Jerez. The Spanish circuit is a familiar one for her. She has previously raced there twice, including this past November when she finished as the top woman in Supersport at the FIM Intercontinental Games that were held at Jerez.
“I just want to say, thank you to my team for always putting in the work and believing in me,” Dobbs said. “It feels so good to finally have an all-around positive weekend! This season has been incredibly tough, and I am so happy to prove that I still belong in that top-10 group. Now, to keep working and do even better at the season finale in Spain!”
Dobbs and Diva Racing extend their gratitude to the fans, friends, and supporters who continue to believe in the team and her. Special thanks go to Doreen, OnlyFans, KYT, REV’IT!, Support Moto Racing, Five Gloves, Motostine, SBKUNDG, Mad Vinyl Works, 2 Fast Track Days, Raven Hammer Research, Ken Dawson Kustoms, YVS Sabadell, Motorsports of Olympia, Southern Pride Performance, Lieto Factory, and JP43.
Lloyd Learns More Lap After Lap
Although the results on paper don’t tell the whole story for Team Trasimeno’s Sonya Lloyd, she produced one of the best WorldWCR performances of her career this past weekend at Magny-Cours.
Lloyd got off to a solid start in Friday’s Free Practice despite the fact that she had never been to Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours before, which is a testament to her development as a rider. In Qualifying, she lowered her lap times even more and, despite tipping over during the session, she still managed to qualify 22nd on the grid.
In Saturday afternoon’s Race 1, Lloyd got one of the best starts of her career, which quickly put her inside the top-18 after just a few turns on the opening lap. She was in a fierce, multi-rider battle, but on the second lap, she unfortunately made contact with another rider and fell down, which ended her race.
Going into Sunday’s Race 2, Lloyd knew it was going to be tough, especially since she was issued a long-lap penalty for her part in Saturday’s Race 1 incident. Regardless, she made another strong start, moved up a few positions, and completed the long lap without incident. She crossed the finish line in 21st position, but there’s most to her story than just where she finished. Throughout the weekend, Lloyd successfully showcased her ability to mix it up with the world’s best female riders, and she produced lap times that were as fast as those riders who were running in the lead pack.
“Race one did not go how I wanted it to,” commented Lloyd. “I had confidence and was determined to stay with the group, and I felt fantastic when Race 1 got underway. I carried a lot of speed on the opening lap, and I found myself in the middle of the pack. There were riders banging into each other and riders blowing corners. I even got pushed off the track at one point. It was a bit crazy to say the least. All weekend, I was strong in sector one, so I knew I would be able to make some overtakes at that part of the track. The two riders in front of me went a little wide at the start of lap two around turn two, and I went for the move. I held a tight line and then felt a big hit on my left side. The next thing I knew I was on the ground. Looking back at the video, you can see that one of the riders and I crossed paths in what was to me a racing incident and, unfortunately, we both went down. I was given a penalty as I was the rider on the inside. These things happen but it wasn’t my intention to take out another rider.
“The team did a good job rebuilding the bike, and I was optimistic that, even with the penalty, we could show our speed. I made a good start in Race 2 and felt good going into turn one. I was given a long-lap penalty for my part in the crash on Saturday, and I had practiced it during Sunday warm up so that I wouldn’t lose more time. I slotted in at the back of the field and ended up making a pass. I lost the draft from the group ahead, and the harder I pushed the worse it got. I put my head down and started to make some inroads but, in the end, the group was just too far ahead. Overall, it was not the best weekend in terms of race results, but it was a weekend full of new experiences. I will keep putting into practice everything that I am learning, and the results will come. The next race is in Jerez, and I am feeling good about racing in Spain again. The target is points, and I am going to come out swinging. Thank you to everyone who supports me and see you all in October.”
The final two races of the 2025 WorldWCR season will take place at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in southern Spain in the middle of October. Jerez is where Lloyd made her WorldWCR debut last year. So, like Dobbs, Lloyd will go there buoyed by her performance in France and the fact that she is familiar with the Jerez track.
