Lotte van Drunen, from The Netherlands, and New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan made it a double podium for Kawasaki in the opening round of the FIM World WMX Women’s Motocross Championships at Riola Sardo on the island of Sardinia.
Following her sensational start-to-finish victory in Saturday’s first race, the 15-year-old Dutch girl had to fight hard in race two after rounding turn one mid-pack but she was already into the top-10 on the opening lap and continued the forward momentum all moto with a series of exhilarating passes and the fastest laps in the field throughout the second half of the race.
When she moved into third after 13 minutes the leaders were already eight seconds down the track, but her speed and commitment took the teenager to within less than a second of runner-up in the moto at the end of the 20-minute-plus-two-laps race and secured second overall on the weekend.
Big Van World MTX Kawasaki team rider Duncan, from Otago, already a three-times world champion on the green bikes, knew that this series opener would be tough against the Dutch sand experts but her commitment and resilience paid dividends as she battled her way to the 27th GP podium of her career.
She followed up a first moto third after a collision at the start with another determined ride to fourth in race two; seventh after two laps she gritted her teeth to grind down the opposition, sweeping into her eventual fourth place just over one lap from the finish to clinch third overall over the weekend.
Courtney Duncan: “I’m pretty proud of this weekend’s performance to have taken the podium with two solid results in the sand. We know sand is not my strength so to come away with 4-3 motos and a podium is like a win.
“I just didn’t have my rhythm at the start of the second race this morning but we pulled it back to take fourth on the second-last lap. It’s a solid start to the season and has put us on the front foot for Switzerland in two weeks’ time; it’s all looking upwards from here on in.”
The WMX series resumes over the Easter weekend at Frauenfeld in Switzerland.
Photo courtesy Kawasaki
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RESULTS & STANDINGS AFTER ROUND ONE:
WMX – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Kawasaki), 24:48.974; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:30.688; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:44.851; 4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +1:06.030; 5. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, Yamaha), +1:09.487; 6. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:12.824; 7. Charli Cannon (AUS, Yamaha), +1:13.411; 8. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:18.310; 9. Lynn Valk (NED, Fantic), +1:55.333; 10. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +2:12.051.
WMX – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), 25:24.663; 2. Nancy van de Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:03.918; 3. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Kawasaki), +0:04.712; 4. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:23.234; 5. Lynn Valk (NED, Fantic), +0:25.572; 6. Martine Hughes (NOR, Husqvarna), +0:48.838; 7. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, Yamaha), +0:58.545; 8. Charli Cannon (AUS, Yamaha), +1:14.174; 9. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +1:20.883; 10. Shana van der Vlist (NED, Yamaha) +1:24.858.
WMX – Overall Top 10 Classification:
1. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 47 points; 2. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KAW), 45 p.; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, YAM), 29 p.; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, FAN), 28 p.; 7. Charli Cannon (AUS, YAM), 27 p.; 8. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 23 p.; 9. Nancy van de Ven (NED, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 22 p.
WMX – Championship Top 10 Classification:
1. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 47 points; 2. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KAW), 45 p.; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, YAM), 29 p.; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, FAN), 28 p.; 7. Charli Cannon (AUS, YAM), 27 p.; 8. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 23 p.; 9. Nancy van de Ven (NED, YAM), 22 p.; 10. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 22 p.