Lotte van Drunen wins WMX Round 5 at Arnhem – Courtney Duncan holds Championship lead heading into Final Round in Turkey on September 3. At just 16 years of age, Lotte delivered exceptional performance on the Dutch sand track, not only posting impeccable 1-1 victory, but also toasting GP win on debut season.
Qualifying on pole, the Kawasaki rider showcased her talent on sand, spearheading results on speed, posting best lap time of 1.51.075. Fellow Dutch rider Lynn Valk claimed second gate pick with 1.52.700 and Italian WMX Champion 6x Kiara Fontanesi took 3rd in Q with 1.53.168.
Notwithstanding the pressure and enjoyment of racing in front of her home crowd, Lotte made quick work in Race 1, charging through field to cross the finish line 9 seconds ahead of Valk, then perfected Race 2 start to lead from hole-shot to chequered flag with a massive 40 second gap back to 2nd place of Daniela Guillen.
What was astounding to those watching was Lotte’s expertise at skimming sand whoops, her smoothness on nailing ruts, and her confidence for remaining as competitive as her counter-parts, who have many years experience and knowledge of competing in WMX.
Definitely, results send strong message that Van Drunen, Guillen, and Valk who rounded out top 3 on podium have professional and personal goals to achieve on the World Motocross stage. Just as the first Women Motocross World Cup Champion Steffi Laier did in 2005, followed by Katherine Prumm, Livia Lancelot, Kiara Fontanesi, Courtney Duncan, and Nancy van de Ven, these women vie to carve their own names in WMX history.
Heading into WMX Final Round in Turkey in 2 weeks, NZ’s Courtney Duncan will focus specifically at bringing the Championship trophy home. Leading the points table, 18 points in front of Guillen, Duncan can rest assured that the switch to hard pack will be to her liking, as she has won there in 2022, 2021 and 2019.
All of which emphasizes the importance of race strategy competing in WMX 6 Round Series. Knocking out the wins remains priority, so to does knowing when to push above a rider’s limits, and when to race within safeguard of banking valuable points when there are only 12 motos in the entire Championship. As Duncan, Fontanesi, and Nancy van de Ven know, such planning can go along way to securing overall victory, which undoubtedly Van Drunen, Guillen, and Valk have experienced over their racing campaigns.
WMX Round 6, MXGP of Turkey, September 3. Header photo: Lotte van Drunen Image: shotbybavo
Words: Sharon Cox.
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