Riding a YZF-R1, Prinz won the opening round of the European Championship Road Racing Women’s 1000cc series in Misano Adriatico, Italy.

Prinz signed with Team Yamaha Motor Germany in March following a championship season with team Ducati Y2K.

“This first race was really perfect,” says Prinz. “The bike worked great and we had no problems at all during any of the sessions. In qualifying it was quite difficult to put in a fast lap as it was busy on the track with 36 riders, of which only 10 were reasonably competitive. It was a nice experience to be the fastest one out there, even faster than the men in the open class.”

Prinz, from Mannheim, Germany, started from the pole and led the entire way, winning the 10-lap race with ease by a 32 second margin over her former teammate, Letizia Marchetti of Ducati Y2K, who was riding a 1098 S. Susie Grayson finished third for team Feisty Racing, also on an R1.

Prinz’s next race is for the International German Motorcycle (IDM) Superbike championship series, April 27 at Lausitz, Germany, against a field of 58 male riders.

“The woman’s championship is nice but the real challenge for me will be the IDM. I think I will be able to learn a lot there,” says Prinz. “I hope to score some points in IDM but it will not be easy.”

The next stop in the European Championship is June 15 at Assen, Netherlands.