Her story: Meet Isis Carreno

Carreno’s rise to WorldWCR
Isis Carreno is a 24 year-old rider from Santiago de Chile, proudly representing her country and the wider region with AD78 FIM LatinoAmerica By Team GP3 in the historic first ever season of the WorldWCR. Carreno has been competing and steadily making progress for many years, racing in her native Chile, as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Mexico and Spain, before making it to the world stage this year. Her season has been somewhat impacted by injury but she is a determined character, pursuing a dream of becoming a World Champion in the sport she so clearly loves.
 
Carreno’s career in her own words
Carreno provides a detailed history of how she’s risen from regional and junior champions to now compete with the best female riders on the planet, saying, “My first motorcycle was a 140cc minimotard, I was 12 years old by then. I had my first race on that bike in a national championship which was a very important step because I was just learning how to use a geared bike. Then at the age of 13 I changed categories to a TM450cc supermotard and I also tried a 250cc at that time. In 2014 I had the opportunity to compete in Spain in the pre-Moto3 category. I spent a year competing in Spain, then in 2015 I returned to Chile and participated in Latin American and Pan American championships in Mexico and Argentina which I won.”
 
“From 2017 to 2019 I was racing in Mexico in a women’s championship and also in 2019 I participated in a Latin American championship in a category similar to WorldSSP300, racing with a 400cc Kawasaki. I won that Latin American championship, then in 2021 I returned to Europe, specifically to Italy where I competed that year in the Women’s European Cup with a 400cc Kawasaki with TEAM GP3 AD11. In 2022 and 2023 I achieved podiums in that championship, in Croatia and Valencia. I have also managed to win the national championship in my country in the GP3 Super Expert category, which some years have been with the Yamaha R3 and another with the Kawasaki 400cc. They have been years of a lot of sacrifice and learning for me.”
 
An early crash and a return to riding
Before becoming a competitive rider Carreno went for several years without riding a motorcycle as a youngster, having had an initial scare as a small child. Finally though, she got back on two-wheels under the guidance of her father, an absolutely key figure in her career. “When I was about three years old, my father put me on a Yamaha PW 50cc, to teach me how to accelerate and brake,” she explains. “But it didn’t go as we expected and I had a small crash, which scared my mother a lot and she didn’t let me get on a motorcycle again until I was 12.”
 
She continues, “My father is the main character in this story of my racing life. He also raced motorcycles when he was young. His last race was in 2013, it was a race we did together in supermotard which I won! From there on he preferred to dedicate himself 100% to supporting me in my career as a rider. My father always took me to races and I shared that with him, until that day he finally bought me my first motorcycle and began to teach me.”
 
Other sports just don’t compare to racing motorcycles for Isis
Although Carreno tried a variety of sporting pursuits as a child it would eventually be motorcycle racing that she dedicated herself to, even if she still had to convince her mother of the merits of the sport! She reveals, “Before choosing motorcycles 100%, I tried many sports such as speed skating, figure skating, roller hockey and cheerleading, but I didn’t feel as happy doing those activities as I did with motorcycles. I chose motorcycling because it is the sport that I liked the most and I’m passionate about it. I love speed, adrenaline, I like to learn from my mistakes and improve myself.” Once she decided on racing motorcycles there were still some family conversations to work through. Carreno acknowledges, “My father was the happiest of all because I was going to do a sport and pursue a passion that he loved. My mother was not so happy but I managed to convince her to let me race. Now she knows what my happiness comes from and what I am passionate about. The rest of my family is also a little scared but happy about the things I have achieved and how brave I am, more so because of how hard it is to get to Europe being Latin American, which really is very difficult.”

Proud to represent Chile in WorldWCR
On the topic of making across the Atlantic Ocean to race in the European circuits visited by WorldWCR and to fly the flag of her country in the inaugural season of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, Carreno comments, “Representing my country and Latin America is very important to me, I feel proud of everything I have achieved over the years, the level I have reached, especially as in Latin America it’s very difficult to be able to travel to Europe and get to good circuits or places where you can train, to be able to reach a high level and be competitive. You need to have a lot of determination, heart and courage to get to where we are now, so for me it’s a dream and an emotion I can’t explain, being able to represent Chile and Latin America in Europe. I think my time in Europe will open many doors for future generations who want to get there.” She also takes inspiration from the top riders in the WorldWCR against whom she now does battle, adding, “My role models have always been Ana Carrasco and María Herrera, they are great women and athletes, so it is a dream for me to be competing with them today.”
 
A very busy 2024 schedule
Providing an insight into how busy she is keeping herself in this historic first season of WorldWCR competition, Carreno describes her weekly routines and the other racing activity she is currently involved with. “This year I am participating in the Chilean championship and also racing in the Brazilian championship in the Yamaha R3 Cup category,” she says. “My goal for this season is to be in the top five and achieve a podium in the last races. I am currently doing physical therapy three times a week due to my recent injury, and I go to the gym three times a week. On the other days I cycle at home and train on the motorcycle on the weekends. I also work with my father at the moment and I’m finishing college, studying construction engineering.”
 
A word of inspiration for other young female riders
With regard to the challenges of battling her way to the top in what has traditionally been a male-dominated sport Carreno, has some words of inspiration for all young aspiring female riders, stating, “I hope they never give up, always fight for what they love and the sport they are passionate about. I think we’ve waited many years for a championship like this to exist and for women to be given more visibility in motorcycling, but I hope the young riders always fight and strive for what they want to achieve. Always give everything and more of yourselves on the track, never let obstacles or crashes stop you, each fall is a learning experience to later get better.”

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