ITS TWO IN A ROW FOR RED PLATE LOTTE VAN DRUNEN IN WMX IN GALICIA.
The Round of Galicia in the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship in Lugo delivered a thrilling display of talent, with the lively atmosphere of the forest setting the stage for an unforgettable race. With the crowd spread out all around the woody terrain, fans could follow the race as close as possible and immerse themselves in the races.
It was the red plate De Baets Yamaha MX-Team’s Lotte Van Drunen who came out victorious after serious and thrilling battles over the weekend.
The race began with F&H Racing Team’s Courtney Duncan getting the best start while De Baets Yamaha MX-Team’s Lotte Van Drunen facing an uphill battle, starting in 6th position, while RFME
Spain National Team’s Daniela Guillen found herself trailing in 12th after a poor start. At the front, behind Duncan it was MXFONTA RACING’s Kiara Fontanesi and Schmicker Racing’s Lynn Valk who surged at the front of the pack with impressive starts, setting the pace for the intense competition to come.
Despite their initial setbacks, both Guillen and Van Drunen quickly made their presence felt. During the opening lap, Guillen displayed a stunning comeback, eventually finding herself in 4th position behind one of her main rivals in the Championship, Van Drunen. Meanwhile, Valk, who had started strong, unfortunately fell back to 8th place.
While Duncan was pacing upfront, one of the highlights of the race came between lap 1 and 3, as Guillen and Van Drunen engaged in a monumental battle for 2nd position. Guillen attempted to overtake Van Drunen, but the red plate showcased exceptional technique to maintain her rank.
As the race progressed, Van Drunen’s speed paid off, as she closed the gap on the leaders, Duncan and Fontanesi. In lap 4, Van Drunen executed a brilliant manoeuvre to pass Fontanesi, with Guillen hot on her heels.
However, Guillen’s pursuit was cut short when she lost control and crashed out of 3rd position. This setback allowed Van Drunen to solely focused on the race leader Duncan.
Throughout the race, Duncan showcased her skill and resilience, fending off Van Drunen’s relentless attacks. Making sure to show why she is the defending champion, Duncan pulled off a stunning triple jump with few laps to go to maintain her lead and gap on Van Druenen and clinch her first race win of the season
Meanwhile, Papenmeier raced strongly to climb to 5th place in the end. Despite her best efforts, Guillen struggled to pass Fontanesi and ultimately finished outside the podium positions in 4th place with Fontanesi getting a good option for the final podium.
In the end, it was Duncan who emerged victorious, proving once again that she possesses all the qualities of a defending champion.
In race 2, Duncan once again came out of the first turn leading the race with Valk just behind her. Van Drunen emerged right behind Valk and passed her straight away to chase after Duncan.
Meanwhile, home rider Guillen quickly passed Ceres 71 Racing’s Danee Gelissen on the opening lap to go 4th.
Duncan’s leading gap with Van Drunen was 2,2 seconds with Van Drunen reducing that margin quickly! It took until lap 3 to Guillen to overtake Valk with a nice inside pass for third but was 7 seconds behind leader Duncan.
Sara Andersen and Fontanesi engaged in a great scrap and tough battle for the 4th place over multiple laps with a give and take with the Italian coming on top of that challenge.
At the front end, Duncan managed to keep her distance with the red plate Van Drunen until lap 8 when Van Drunen gained momentum and went wheel to wheel with Duncan. Van Drunen was wearing down Duncan with her relentless rhythm.
Getting to the waves section, Van Drunen jumped better and put too much pressure on the Kiwi who was pushed to the limit, and nearly fell, leaving Van Drunen taking the lead. No one could match her pace and she won the race to get on top of the podium and keeping a firm grasp on her red plate!
Duncan finished second and level on points in the overall with a 1-2 finished 2nd overall even if the Kiwi definitely wanted more.
Guillen in the end stayed in 3rd for the remaining of the race to get the 3rd overall place while Fontanesi greatly closes down on Valk for 4th in the last few laps and managed to pass her to finish 4th overall with 3-4.
Lotte Van Drunen: “Wow this is amazing, my rhythm was okay but fighting with Courtney (Duncan) was really tough! I’m so happy and I love this track. So that’s maybe why I rode this good. I can tell that I’m really happy now with this victory”
WMX – Race 1 – Classification: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:30.269; 2. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), +0:02.052; 3. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +0:11.357; 4. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:13.363; 5. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Honda), +0:58.506; 6. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:03.916; 7. Shana van der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +1:11.803; 8. Lynn Valk (NED, KTM), +1:44.572; 9. April Franzoni (FRA, Honda), +2:01.381; 10. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +2:10.494;
WMX – Race 2 – Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), 24:31.523; 2. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:09.491; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:21.603; 4. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +0:27.391; 5. Lynn Valk (NED, KTM), +0:30.897; 6. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:47.192; 7. Shana van der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +0:52.097; 8. Danee Gelissen (NED, Yamaha), +1:00.129; 9. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Honda), +1:05.179; 10. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +1:25.832
WMX – Overall Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 47 points; 2. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 47 p.; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 38 p.; 4. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 38 p.; 5. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 30 p.; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Shana van der Vlist (NED, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, HON), 28 p.; 9. Danee Gelissen (NED, YAM), 23 p.; 10. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 22 p
WMX – Championship Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 141 points; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 132 p.; 3. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 106 p.; 4. Lynn Valk (NED, KTM), 105 p.; 5. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 101 p.; 6. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 93 p.; 7. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, HON), 79 p.; 8. Shana van der Vlist (NED, YAM), 77 p.; 9. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 67 p.; 10. Martine Hughes (NOR, KAW), 55 p
WMX – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 141 points; 2. GASGAS, 134 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 113 p.; 4. KTM, 109 p.; 5. Honda, 79 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 26 p.;
Text/Bild: Infront