Shana van der Vlist pulled off stunning victory in WMX Round 3 at MXGP of Sardegna at the weekend going 1-2 over fellow Dutch rider Nancy van de Ven’s 6-3 result with Daniela Guillen putting in super performance finishing 3-3 to complete top 3 Overall standings. With plenty of twists and unanticipated incidents marking the half-way point of the 5 Round Series, Vlist set blistering pace up front on the tricky sand track making most of opportunities presented to bank valuable points heading into Round 4 in Spain, in 2 weeks time.
For Van der Vlist, winning WMX Round 3 Overall not only boosts her standings on Championship table- to 3rd- but also adds momentum in what can be described as new era of WMX racing. Without 2 notable protagonists- defending WMX Champion Courtney Duncan and WMX 6x Champion Kiara Fontanesi– windows of opportunities for younger riders to emerge through the ranks remains possible as well as doable.
With Shana nailing her 2nd WMX Round victory- her first was in 2021 WMX Round 2 at Lommel- Spanish rider Daniele Guillen displayed talent on track nailing her very first podium of her career. Solid performances were achieved by Larissa Papenmeier consolidating her Championship standings of 4th along with Martine Hughes (Honda 114 Motorsports) and KTM rider Britt Jans-Beken standing Overall 5th and 9th respectively.
Most certainly, managing the pressure to maximize performance on track, each and every 5 Rounds remains key to gain upward movement on Championship table. Not least, riders who have adaptability traits – of the next level- manage best when incidents occur during racing or track-side.
Standing 2nd Overall post WMX Round 3, Lynn Valk will be hankering for the next Round after coming into contact with French WMX Champion Amandine Verstappen. Both ending up retiring from Race 2- Amandine nursing knock to head and Lynn commandeering bike back to pits.
For Nancy Van de Ven- tenacity is certainly her biggest asset. From having to make quick exit during Race 1 to pits to try sort mechanical problem, Nancy dug deep- perhaps deeper than even she expected to finish 6th before Race 2 on Sunday. On spec, #85 took the holesot, led from start to finish with Shana Van der Vlist reasonably close behind. A great win for Nancy, and more importantly taking the Red Plate. Van de Ven leads the Championship on 131 points, Lynn Valk on 119 and Shana van der Vlist on 115.
WMX Round 4 at MXGP of Spain, May 29. Header photo: WMX podium Round 3, MXGP of Sardegna.
Words: Sharon Cox.
Comments are closed.