Kiara Fontanesi wins WMX Round 5 at MXGP of Turkey going 2-1 with Spanish rider – Daniela Guillen taking 1-2 for P2 overall. French rider – Martine Hughes claimed her first WMX podium in P3 rounding out the overall classification. Red Plate holder – Lotte van Drunen – held her #1 position finishing 3-4, making for a right-royal battle for the coveted Title heading into the final Round in Darwin in 2 weeks time.
From gate-drop in Race 1 to the chequered flag in Race 2, Fontanesi and Guillen went full gas on the hard-pack track of Afyonkarahisar pushing best lap times to 2:08.228 and 2:08.575 respectively. Daniela’s smart race strategy of making the pass stick on Fontanesi in R1 was carefully and successfully executed while Kiara remained determined to nail the hole-shot and lead every lap for 25:58.767 in Race 2 on Sunday.
For Van Drunen, the switch from winning on the sand in Arnhem to racing the ripped dirt in Turkey pushed the Dutch rider to strengthen her resolve, retaining her lead with 218 points with Guillen in P2 on 206 and Fontanesi rounding out the top 3 on 202 pts. Stand-out performances of Hughes, British rider – Lucy Barker – Larissa Papenmeier, and Amandine Verstappen posted P3, P5, P6, and P7 respectively, narrowing the gap in overall classification.
With such a tight battle up front, the final Round in Darwin, Australia on September 21 will test the nerves and mental tenacity of WMX rider’s on the newly built clay/sand track. Will defending WMX Champion – Lotte van Drunen – claim her second Title or will Daniela or Kiara take top honours for 2025? We wait with baited breath.
Header photo: Kiara Fontanesi taking WMX Round 5 win at MXGP of Turkey. Image: MXGP.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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