Larissa Papenemier raced with pure conviction at Women MX World Championship Round One over the weekend finishing Race 1 in 4th followed by all out hunt of WMX leader in Race 2 crossing the finish in 2nd- for Overall 2nd step of podium.
With newly formed Yamaha Racing #423 Team, Larissa took all challenges on board given Saturday’s re-schedule of Free Practice, Qualifying and Race 1 til the afternoon. Facing tough, muddy track conditions, as well as delayed start, Papenmeier set bench-mark from R1 and then ramped up result the following day.
#423: ‘First Race I came out of the gate well but lost some metres on the straight. I was around 5th in the first lap. Unfortunately I pulled off all my tear offs in the first corner which made it really difficult through-out the race to see’.
‘So more than a 4th place in Race One was not possible. Second Race my start was not really good and I was around top 5 again. Quickly I found a good rhythm and caught up to second’.
‘I did the fastest lap of the race and was straight behind the leader Courtney Duncan. I ran out of time and couldn’t pass her anymore. So a second place in the second Race for second Overall’.
What made impressive waves amongst fans watching was the pressure Larissa sustained on Courtney racing in front. At one point in Race 2, Papenmeier closed the gap to 1 second, really nice going given the 2019 defending WMX Champion had sights firmly fixed that the win was in the bag.
2nd place aside, Larissa knows she has all that is needed to contest 2020 WMX Title. Adaptability to track conditions is Lare’s biggest asset, along with seasoned race experience and her mind-set. Papenmeier never shies away from the ‘all too hard basket’ when it comes to racing. You all remember, Lare raced debut MXGP of China 2019 in MX2 class and was up around hole-shot corner with the guys!
#423: ‘I actually like muddy conditions…it was just a really long day on Saturday as we woke up pretty early. So with the delayed start the day was tough and we only raced at night’.
‘Second Race was really good…found my rhythm quickly. Got some bad luck with the lapped riders but I guess that was the same for everybody. So I focused to stay on the bike to bring home some good points’.
With WMX Round 2 this coming weekend at Valkenswaard, Larissa and Team crew are more than ready to put in top performance on the track before heading back home to prepare for the remaining 4 WMX rounds.
#423: We work together really well and we train together as well. For sure it was difficult conditions but we were well prepared. So for now we will keep everything like it was’.
WMX Round 2 MXGP of Netherlands March 8th. Header Photo Larsissa Papenmeier Photo Credit: MXGP.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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