WMX 2024 ready to race the Opening Round in Spain on March 23 – 24: Preview. Such, long anticipated wait until the best women rider’s in the world compete in MXGP of Spain, racing will be fiercely competitive from Qualifying to Race 1 and 2 on the hard pack track of intu Xanadu-Arroyomolinos.
With 7 Rounds – 14 races – from March through to the final Round in Turkey on September 8, all women will make each race and points count on tracks varying in terrain, familiar and new. In fact, rider’s have the comfort of racing on tracks at MXGP of Spain, Sardinia, Arnhem, and Turkey in 2023 season, which corresponds to Rounds 1, 2, 6, and 7 for 2024 – with Round 3 at newly appointed Lugo in Spain, Round 4 at Teutschenthal, Germany, and Round 6 at Maggiora, Italy.
Expectations of racing are waged on who will perform at their peak from the get go, who has the capabilities to mix standings based on sheer talent, skill, and determination, and who masters the switch from the red hard pack tracks in Spain, to the sandy loams of Sardinia and the Netherlands, back to the rutty hard pack tracks in Germany and Turkey.
Taking a peak at results from 2023 WMX season and defending WMX Champion Courtney Duncan nailed double moto wins at MXGP of Spain completing a total of 6 wins from 12 for the season, winning the Championship with a moto to spare. The kiwi has since switched Teams to F @ H Racing Team based in the Netherlands, meaning CD has closer access to training on sand compared to her previous base in Britain for the past 4 seasons.
2023 WMX runner-up Daniela Guillen has much to look forward to heading into the Opening Round this weekend – namely racing on her home track, supported by fans, and knowing that consistency of results was key to her success in 2023 nailing 1 win, 2 seconds, and 7 third placings.
The line-up of Dutch rider’s certainly stands out amongst a total of 29 rider’s from 11 Nationalities for Round 1 with Lotte van Drunen, Lynn Valk, and Shana van der Vlist determined to push their rankings higher having finished P3, P4, and P10 in 2023 WMX respectively.
16 year old Van Drunen has undergone sea-change of decisions post 2023 WMX – most notably switching Brands and Teams to race with De Baets Yamaha, coupled with gaining experience competing in America’s Mini O’s and more recently racing the Dutch MX Season Opener in Lierop.
With 2022 WMX Champion Nancy van de Ven now retired from WMX, and WMX 6x Champion Kiara Fontanesi missing from the entry list, windows of opportunities await aspiring rider’s whose mandate has been to stamp their mark on the pointy end of results – at least just once.
Will Germany’s Larissa Papenmeier carve out top finishes through-out the season, or will Danish rider Sara Andersen push for improved standings having finished 2023 WMX in P5 overall? And, will track-side fans and followers witness boost of performances for rider’s whose capabilities on track require financial backing to race 7 Rounds in Spain, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, and Turkey from March through to September.
For sure, the most exciting aspect of WMX lies in the anticipation on what will happen on track, who will take top step of the podium, and when will points determine the final WMX Champion of 2024?
WMX Opening Round March 23 – 24 in Spain. Header photo and graphics: MXLink.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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