This Saturday marked the first round of the fourth round of the WMX Championship in Arnhem, Netherlands.
Lotte van Drunen took the holeshot, and the Baets MX Team Yamaha rider was never seen again by her rivals. With this result, she now has a 13-point lead in the championship heading into the second race tomorrow. Shana van der Vlist held second place for a long time but couldn’t resist Daniela Guillen’s comeback late in the race and had to settle for third place. The Mequitec GasGas Racing Team rider made a strong comeback after a flawed start to secure second place.
Kiara Fontanesi was battling for second place with van der Vlist before Guillen passed her. The Italian conceded points to van Drunen in the championship, but everything was still to play for. Fourth at the start of the race, Danée Gelissen had one of her best races. Despite pressure from Papenmeier and Barker, the Baets MX rider held onto fifth place. After a poor start, Lucy Barker managed to overtake several riders. The British rider got the better of Papenmeier midway through the race before attempting several attacks on Gelissen without success. A good result.
Larissa Papenmeier bounced back well after a disappointing practice session. Sixth at the start of the race, the SYE 423 Racing Team rider tried everything she could to cling to the top five but could only do seventh. These are good results to be confirmed tomorrow. At the end of the sighting lap, Sara Andersen raised her arms for her mechanic to spot her. Experiencing a problem with her bike, she finally set off on her second bike, which is different from her race bike. The Wozniak MX Yamaha Racing Team rider did her best and initially fought to hold onto eighth place before putting pressure on Papenmeier. Amandine Verstappen had a very good start to the race. Battling with Papenmeier and other riders, she ultimately lost a few places towards the end of the race. A ninth-place finish for the Team New Bike Yamaha rider. April Franzoni completed the top 10 of the day. The Frenchwoman from Team Honda SR was less comfortable in the sand but rode a very good race, demonstrating consistency.
After an early mistake, Martine Hughes made a strong comeback, gaining several positions and just missing the top 10. After suffering a problem at the start of the sighting lap, Mathea Selebø once again showed her consistency to claim twelfth place. Although not at 100%, Tyra Bäckström still had an excellent race. After starting in the top 15, the Swede gained several positions.
Battling for the top 10 at the start of the race, Amber Simons made a small mistake that caused her to fall back in the standings. The Dutchwoman will be keen to do better tomorrow, even though it’s still a good result. Malou Jakobsen secured a top 15 finish. The KL Racing Team driver broke her collarbone less than two weeks ago. After a first session where she took no risks, the Dane gave it her all in the race. Respect. Elena Kapsamer is sixteenth today. The Austrian had another poor start but managed to fight her way back. A very good result.
Laura Raunkjaer, SYE 423 Racing Team driver, performed well. A good start, some great battles. She’ll confirm this tomorrow with another good result. Alexandra Massury had a difficult start to the race. But the German champion didn’t give up and finished 18th in the group battling for the Top 15. A good race for Fiona Hoppe. After her injury at the MXGP of Germany, the Triumph rider scored two points that will do her good. Mara Benecke completed the day’s Top 20. In the battle for points, there were several mistakes, notably by Elsa Andersson Löf, Adrija Skudutyte, and Barbara Aagaard Andersen. Kyshara Das came close to scoring her first point in her debut GP. Lynn Valk unfortunately sustained an injury and will have to undergo a long recovery period. Aneta Cepeláková has an elbow injury, but tests have not revealed any injury.
The second race will be held tomorrow.