WMX

Kiara Fontanesi showed amazing speed last weekend to win the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship, held in Thailand. Going 1-1 and totally dominating her opposition was the perfect way for the three times WMX champion to show her plans for 2015.

We caught up with Fontanesi and asked her about the weekend and also about the opening round in Qatar.

Q: Kiara, can you explain Qatar for me?

Fontanesi: In Qatar it went good for me, same as last year I did well there, but I was taking too many risks last year. I knew winning in Qatar didn’t mean winning the championship. I rode smart in Qatar and it was ok to get second.

Q: And what about the second round in Thailand?

Fontanesi: In Thailand I felt good like 100% and the track was better for me. I had to do what I am capable of, and I won on the Saturday. It was really tough with the weather because back home it was cold and we prepared in that weather. Sunday I tried to get a good start and to win two in a row is good for the points and I was really happy to have the win.

Q: Why did you prefer the track in Thailand?

Fontanesi: The track is so different from Qatar, in Thailand the track was more technical and in Qatar it was more table top, corner, table top and corner, so everyone took the same lines. The ground was also strange in Qatar and easy to crash.

Q: You looked really strong in Thailand, seems like you had bad luck in Qatar and Livia (Lancelot) bad luck in Thailand.

Fontanesi: In Qatar I could win because I was faster but I wasn’t looking at crashing like I did last year, so Qatar for me was more about being consistent and that meant finishing second. In Thailand, I started bad, but I was faster than Livia and I passed her and she crashed. I hope it will be like this for all the rounds. Now we wait for England, because we have to wait a couple of months.

Q: How will you prepare for the next round in England?

Fontanesi: We changed a lot of things from last year. We will do more races in Italy, the 125 Italian championship and for sure some other races in Europe.

Q: That opening moto on Saturday you were on another level from your opposition with the hot weather and coming back so well. Was that one of your best races in your career?

Fontanesi: It is difficult to say, because winning three world titles I had a lot of good races, so it is difficult to say if that was one of my best races. What is good for me is to know that if I get a bad start, I can still win.

NAKHONCHAISRI (Thailand), 08 March 2015 – Yamaha MXfontaracing’s Kiara Fontanesi brought the heat this weekend in Thailand for round two of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship riding a solid and fierce pace in each and every moto to claim her first WMX round win of the year as well as the coveted red plate. 

Race 1

On Saturday, when the gates fell it was Genette Vaage who got the jump and stretched out half a bike length on the approach to turn one before locking it up and crashing causing a bit of carnage which caught out the likes of young Dutch speedster Nancy Van de Ven and the defending champion Yamaha MXFontaracing’s Kiara Fontanesi. With the two Yamaha’s of Fontanesi and Van de Ven down on turn one it was the Kawasaki girls, Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot and Monster Energy Kawasaki Bud Racing’s Meghan Rutledge who shot past the early race leader, Japanese wildcard Juri Hatao, to lead lap one.

While both Lancelot and Rutledge were setting a good pace up front, they soon found themselves in trouble when Fontanesi started laying down laps four seconds a lap faster than anyone else. With Fontanesi impressively erasing the space between herself and the leaders, it wasn’t long before she made light work of the Kawasaki duo and swiftly took over the lead.

Pure speed wasn’t a problem for the Italian who was clearly in her element out on the jumpy circuit here in Nakhonchaisri, which meant it was up to Lancelot to up her game if she was to challenge the reigning champ. While Lancelot did manage to rise to the challenge, she ended up biting the dust a couple of laps later.

While Lancelot still managed to recover in second she allowed Rutledge to put in a last minute charge for second but managed to hold strong forcing Rutledge to settle for third.

Meanwhile Yamaha’s Nancy Van de Ven made an amazing recovery after her first turn mishap, to come home in fourth while Twenty Suspension Suzuki’s Larissa Papenmeier rounded out the top five. 

WMX Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 24:04.783; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.963; 3. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:06.190; 4. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +1:02.427; 5. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +1:09.620; 6. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:16.905; 7. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), +1:19.157; 8. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +1:29.841; 9. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +2:00.082; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +2:01.998.

Race two

Race two was a run-away performance for Yamaha MXfontaracing’s Kiara Fontanesi after she snuck up the inside of the holeshotter Nancy Van De Ven to take the early lead.

It wasn’t long before Fontanesi knuckled down and checked out leaving Van de Ven and Lancelot to vie for second. With Lancelot going to work on the eager young Dutch rider, Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge was slicing her way through the field after a shocking start left her well outside the top ten.

Rutledge had her life made a little easier when Lancelot hit the deck and handed her third but that was short lived with Lancelot bouncing back fast. After finding her way back around Rutledge, Lancelot dropped the hammer and went around the outside of Van de Ven past pitlane for second. Jumping in her slip stream, ‘Mad Meg’ also barged her way through dropping the Dutch girl back to fourth.

After battling through the intense heat here in Thailand it was Kiara Fontanesi who was on form today, taking yet another convincing victory for the round win and the championship points lead. Meanwhile Lancelot took another second with Rutledge rounding out her weekend with a pair of thirds. Van de Ven and Papenmeier kept the pattern going with their pairs of fourths and fifths.

WMX Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:33.131; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:08.888; 3. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:13.374; 4. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:41.855; 5. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +1:12.649; 6. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:23.847; 7. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +1:36.415; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), +1:46.642; 9. Juri Hatao (JPN, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), -1 lap(s)

WMX Overall: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 50 points; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 3. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 40 p.; 4. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 32 p.; 6. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 30 p.; 7. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 23 p.; 10. Marianne Veenstra (NED, HUS), 20 p.

WMX Championship: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 94 points; 2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 94 p; 3. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 78 p.; 4. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 63 p; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 61 p.; 6. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), 57 p.; 7. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 52 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 51 p.; 9. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 44 p.; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 41 p.

WMX Manufacturer: 1. Yamaha, 94 points; 2. Kawasaki, 94 p.; 3. Suzuki, 66 p.; 4. KTM, 58 p.; 5. Honda, 32 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 20 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Thailand will be available here

MXGP THAILAND – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1500m

Type of ground: Intermediate to hard

Temperature: 36°C

Weather conditions: sunny

MXGP was available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

NEXT ROUND

The FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will now take a break with the third round taking place on the weekend of May 24 in Matterley Basin, England

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Thailand

Go on-board as Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing's Todd Waters and Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe's Glenn Coldenhoff take us for a GoPro lap around MXGP of Thailand's circuit here in Nakhonchaisri.

Round two of the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship has commenced, check out the race highlights from race one.

NAKHONCHAISRI (Thailand), 07 March 2015 – It was a scorching start to the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, no pun intended, for Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Ryan Villopoto and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings as they both dominated their qualifying race heats in scintillating fashion.

Meanwhile, Yamaha MXFontaracing’s Kiara Fontanesi banked her first twenty-five points this year, after bouncing back from a first turn pile-up to dominate the first race of the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship.

The show was well and truly stolen today when Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Ryan Villopoto held a tight line around turn one, nabbed the holeshot and went on to obliterate the field for one of the most convincing qualifying heat victories we’ve seen in a while. Rockstar Energy Suzuki World’s Clement Desalle rode cool, calm and collective for an unchallenged second while the battle for third was where the real race shaped up.

In the early stages Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tommy Searle bashed about with teammate Ken De Dycker and the MXGP red plate holder Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl for third but ended up crashing a few laps in which dropped him back to tenth.

While De Dycker and Nagl bickered over third they found themselves welcoming Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin to the party around mid-moto. Paulin was absolutely hauling after a less than mediocre start left him well outside of the top ten on the opening lap. After slicing through the field at a rate of knots, Paulin made light work of both Nagl and De Dycker to take over third. With Paulin opening the door in the race against the giant Belgian De Dycker, Nagl followed him through to take over and finish fourth. De Dycker managed to finish fifth while Villopoto’s Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tyla Rattray rounded out the top six.

As for the eight-time FIM Motocross World Champion, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli managed to bounce back to eighth after going down on turn one.

MXGP Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Ryan Villopoto (USA, Kawasaki), 23:41.909; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:33.419; 3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:39.764; 4. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:45.150; 5. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), +0:53.571; 6. Tyla Rattray (RSA, Kawasaki), +0:57.761; 7. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +1:03.839; 8. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +1:08.477; 9. Steven Frossard (FRA, KTM), +1:13.457; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KTM), +1:14.376

When the gates slammed to the ground it was The Bullet Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings who shot out of the gate and nailed the holeshot ahead of his raging MX2 counterparts, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass, Rockstar Energy Suzuki Europe’s Jeremy Seewer, Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser and the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s duo of Dylan Ferrandis and Jordi Tixier.

As Herlings went on to dominate, effortlessly controlling the race for his second consecutive qualifying heat victory this year, the freight-train of riders behind him went bar to bar for second. As one of the most improved riders this season, Jonass had a firm grip on second despite an early race challenge from Seewer who ended up stacking it on lap three and dropping back to sixth.

With Seewer down, the Kawasaki boys Ferrandis and Tixier were able to take advantage and move up into third and fourth with only a flicker of red in the form of Gajser breaking up the green. With third place up for grabs the trio Ferrandis, Tixier and Gajser impressively threw their supercross skills on the table when they started tripling in to the rhythm section, a jump that not even the MXGP riders were doing.

After tossing third about between themselves for the majority of the race, when the checkered flag was waved it was Gariboldi Honda’s Tim Gajser who managed to secure third behind the hauling Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonass.  Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis finished up in fourth while his teammate, the defending MX2 world champion Jordi Tixier recovered from a small crash at the end of pit lane for fifth.

MX2 Qualifying Race Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:22.323; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:15.751; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:17.694; 4. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.623; 5. Jordi Tixier (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:31.415; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:35.128; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:40.125; 8. Julien Lieber (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.505; 9. Mel Pocock (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:56.238; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, KTM), +1:01.487

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Thailand will be available here

MXGP THAILAND – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1500m

Type of ground: Intermediate soil to hard

Temperature: 36°C

Weather conditions: sunny and humide

MXGP will be available across the board in high definition and is also globally available to view live and in HD on MXGP-TV.com. Click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

TIMETABLE

Sunday: WMX Warm up 10:00; MX2 Warm up 10:20; MXGP Warm up 10:40; WMX Race 2 11:25; MX2 Race 1 12:15; MXGP Race 1 13:15; MX2 Race 2 15:10; MXGP Race 2 16:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Thailand

NAKHONCHAISRI (Thailand), 05 March 2015 – The second round of the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship will take place this weekend at an all new track and location in Nakhonchaisri, Thailand.

In Thailand, True Vision broadcasts the entire FIM Motocross World Championship while FOX Sports covers all of Asia. This weekend, True Vision will broadcast all races from MXGP of Thailand LIVE while the rest of Asia can view both MXGP races LIVE on FOX Sports 3. 

MXGP of Thailand can also be viewed LIVE and OnDemand on www.MXGP-TV.com. MXGP-TV will stream to any computer, laptop or portable device. All you have to do is click HERE to sign-up or log-in.

Also, don’t forget to check out the 26mn Magazine, which is a filmed production that covers all the action, both on and off the track, with highlights from racing in MXGP and MX2, a GoPro on-board lap of the track, as well as the inside scoop from the pits at each round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. The 26mn Magazine covering MXGP of Thailand will be screened on Tuesday March 10^th at 23:30 (CET) on Eurosport International.

Check the guides below to find out how you can watch MXGP of Thailand and click here for the complete list of countries and cooperating MXGP broadcasting networks.

Local time here in Thailand is GMT+7.

THAILAND 

TRUE VISION – LIVE 

Sunday 8 March - 12:00 local time (5:00 GMT – 6:00 CET) - MX2 Race 1 

Sunday 8 March - 13:00 local time (6:00 GMT – 7:00 CET)- MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March - 15:00 local time (8:00 GMT – 9:00 CET) - MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March - 16:00 local time (9:00 GMT – 10:00 CET) -MXGP Race 2 

ASIA 

FOX Sports Asia – LIVE 

Sunday 8 March - 13:00 local time (6:00 GMT – 7:00 CET)  - MXGP Race 1  

Sunday 8 March - 16:00 local time (9:00 GMT – 10:00 CET) - MXGP Race 2 

USA

CBS Sports Network - DELAYED

Sunday 8 March: MXGP Race 2 - 07.00 pm EST (4.00 pm PST)

Sunday 8 March: MX2   Race 2 - 11.00pm EST (8.00 pm PST)

MIDDLE EAST – AFRICA 

BeIn Sports – LIVE 

Sunday 8 March – 06:00 CET – MX2 Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 07:00 CET – MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 09:00 CET – MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March – 10:00 CET – MXGP Race 2 

EUROPE 

EUROSPORT INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday 10 March - 23:30 CET - 26mn magazine 

MOTORS TV – LIVE 

Sunday 8 March – 06:00 CET – MX2 Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 07:00 CET – MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 09:00 CET – MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March – 10:00 CET – MXGP Race 2 

ITALY 

ITALIA 2- LIVE  

Sunday 8 March – 07:00 CET – MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 09:00 CET – MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March – 10:00 CET – MXGP Race 2 

FRANCE

EUROSPORT INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday 10 March - 23:30 CET – 26mn magazine 

MOTORS TV- LIVE 

Sunday 8 March – 06:00 CET – MX2 Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 07:00 CET – MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 09:00 CET – MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March – 10:00 CET – MXGP Race 2 

BeIn SPORTS - LIVE 

Sunday 8 March – 06:00 CET – MX2 Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 07:00 CET – MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 09:00 CET – MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March – 10:00 CET – MXGP Race 2 

PORTUGAL

Sport TV- LIVE  

Sunday 8 March – 06:00 CET – MX2 Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 07:00 CET – MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 09:00 CET – MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March – 10:00 CET – MXGP Race 2 

SLOVENIA 

Sport TV- LIVE 

Sunday 8 March – 06:00 CET – MX2 Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 07:00 CET – MXGP Race 1 

Sunday 8 March – 09:00 CET – MX2 Race 2 

Sunday 8 March – 10:00 CET – MXGP Race 2 

All the photos of the MXGP of Thailand will be available here

TIMETABLE

Saturday: WMX Free Practice 10:15; MX2 Free Practice 10:45; MXGP Free Practice 11:15; WMX Time Practice 12:25; MX2 Time Practice 13:00; MXGP Time Practice 13:35; WMX Race 1 14:50; MX2 Qualifying Race 15:40; MXGP Qualifying Race 16:30.

Sunday: WMX Warm up 10:00; MX2 Warm up 10:20; MXGP Warm up 10:40; WMX Race 2 11:25; MX2 Race 1 12:15; MXGP Race 1 13:15; MX2 Race 2 15:10; MXGP Race 2 16:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Thailand

NAKHONCHAISRI (Thailand), 04 March 2015 - Last weekend the season opener of MXGP took place in Losail, Qatar, where Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings made perfect starts to their 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship campaigns with double race victories.

This weekend round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place at the all new track and location in Nakhonchaisri, Thailand, where intense heat and humidity will be a factor in the overall performances of the riders.

Built on a small road race circuit MXGP’s in-house track builder has said the track is different to most other tracks he works with on the calendar, it will be tight and technical yet relatively fast. Meanwhile also taking place this weekend, and for the first time ever within Asia, the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will commence where Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot will be looking to remain unbeaten.

Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Max Nagl will want to continue his streak of domination. Nagl is confident, his team told us that he has the fastest bike on the line, which can’t really be questioned after he pulled off two FOX Holeshots last weekend, followed by total domination of both MXGP races. Life will be made difficult for the rest of the MXGP contenders if the German is not beaten to the FOX Holeshot line this weekend.

Meanwhile a bogging engine robbed Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MXGP’s title threat Clement Desalle of a race win on Thai soil last year. This year, given everything runs fine and dandy, Desalle could quite easily land on the top step of the podium.

Team HRC’s Gautier Paulin is on a mission to uncork as many bottles of bubbles as he can this year. The Frenchman is not shy in admitting he definitely prefers life on the top step and as always, he stands a good chance.

As for Antonio Cairoli, heat has never been an issue in the past for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider who has won four from four FIM MXGP World Championship races out here in Thailand. With the track being described as ‘tight’ it may just work in favor of the eight-time FIM Motocross World Champion who is one of a handful of riders opting to race a 350cc engine over the typical 450cc.

Thailand was the start of a chain of back-to-back podiums for Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube’s Jeremy Van Horebeek last year. The Belgian finished third overall at MXGP of Thailand in 2014 and is determined to perform just as good, if not better, this time round, so keep an eye on that number 89 blue machine.

This weekend will be very interesting for Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Ryan Villopoto who was clearly disappointed with his performance last weekend. The track here in Nakhonchaisri is 100% new, which means it will be a completely even playing field for everyone racing. The American star should, technically, feel at home in terms of heat and humidity this weekend, which could also work in his favor.

2014 MXGP of Thailand MXGP Top 3

1. Antonio Cairoli

2. Clement Desalle

3. Jeremy Van Horebeek

It’s hard to bet against Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings who has a 100% strike rate in Thailand. The Bullet is still unbeaten on Asian soil and even though he claims he is only riding to 60% of his ability, he is still mega fast and will be hard to top.

Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Dylan Ferrandis looked super quick last weekend. The Frenchman is riding strong at the moment and if he can keep his bike rubber side down, as in stay on it, he is probably the man closest to the speed of Jeffrey Herlings.

Meanwhile, last weekend’s most impressive performer Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube’s Julien Lieber will be out to prove he’s got the goods to be there every weekend. In the press conference last Saturday, the Belgian was very modest in saying “It will be difficult to do the same again in Thailand, but I will try my best”. It will be cool to see him do well.

Another guy capable of footing it up front is Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser. Gajser hauls around the track and like Ferrandis, if he can remain mistake free, will also be a firm podium contender.

Last weekend’s fifth place finisher in MX2, Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Aleksandr Tonkov can also run the pace when he is fit and healthy. Unfortunately, we ran into the Russian at the airport in Bangkok where he told us he is struggling with a shoulder injury.

Lastly, it was not an ideal start to the season for Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jordi Tixier who more or less missed his opportunity to capitalize on Jeffrey Herlings’ lack of preparation last weekend in Qatar. The defending champion is already 23 points down on the red plate holder, Herlings, as we approach the second round of the championship, so he will definitely need to be pulling something out of the bag this weekend if he is to stand a chance at retaining his MX2 crown.

2014 MXGP of Thailand MX2 Top 3

1. Jeffrey Herlings

2. Glenn Coldenhoff

3. Max Anstie

All the photos of the MXGP of Thailand will be available here

TIMETABLE

Saturday: WMX Free Practice 10:15; MX2 Free Practice 10:45; MXGP Free Practice 11:15; WMX Time Practice 12:25; MX2 Time Practice 13:00; MXGP Time Practice 13:35; WMX Race 1 14:50; MX2 Qualifying Race 15:40; MXGP Qualifying Race 16:30.

Sunday: WMX Warm up 10:00; MX2 Warm up 10:20; MXGP Warm up 10:40; WMX Race 2 11:25; MX2 Race 1 12:15; MXGP Race 1 13:15; MX2 Race 2 15:10; MXGP Race 2 16:10.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Thailand

LOSAIL (Qatar), 28 February 2015 - Amidst the darkness of what was a spectacular evening in Losail, Qatar, where round one of the 2015 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship took place, the spotlight was on Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot as she made a perfect start to her 2015 world championship campaign.

Race 1

When the gates dropped for the first WMX race of the season it was the young Dutch sensation Nancy Van de Ven who had her Yamaha YZ250F pinned stretching out a couple of bike lengths to take a very convincing holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Bud Racing’s Meghan Rutledge and Yamaha MXFontaracing’s Kiara Fontanesi.

After making quick work of Rutledge, Fontanesi went on to make a run at Van de Ven for the lead. While the little Dutch rider did an amazing job at holding off the three-times FIM WMX World Champion Kiara Fontanesi for at least quarter of the race, it ended devastatingly when she was pitched off her bike in spectacular fashion through the wave section.

With Van de Ven going in one direction, and her bike in another, Fontanesi was forced off the track to avoid the carnage which allowed last year’s WMX round of Qatar dominator Meghan Rutledge and the 2008 FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion Livia Lancelot to take over the top two positions.

While racing the remainder of the race in the thick of a three-way battle for the lead, it was Lancelot and Fontanesi who were able to take advantage of Rutledge, who was struggling with suspension, to go one - two with only a couple of laps to go.

After making the passes, it was down to the former WMX champion and the defending champion to vie for the first twenty-five points of the season. While it was a well fought race, it was Lancelot who held strong to take a narrow win over Fontanesi. Rutledge rode a smart remainder of the race for third while Italian Francesca Nocera finished fourth and Norwegian Genette Vaage rounded out the top five. 

Race 2

When the gates dropped for WMX race two it was Rutledge who was fired up leading the way around turn one ahead of Van de Ven, Larissa Papenmeier, Fontanesi and Lancelot.

Apparently, Fontanesi was in no mood to mess around and in one fell swoop she charged passed both Van de Ven and Rutledge to take over the lead. While Van de Ven was lucky to even walk away from her massive crash in race one, it was obvious her confidence hadn’t been knocked as she found a way around Rutledge for second.

The next to give Rutledge a hard time was none other than the super stylish Livia Lancelot who appeared to be in her groove as she styled it up around the jumpy circuit of Losail and launched her way into second.

With Fontanesi toting that same aggressive style she had back when she dominated the 2013 WMX championship, it seemed she had the race under control. Lancelot, on the other hand, had different ideas and was determined to redeem last year’s third place performance with a double victory here tonight.

Sure enough, Lancelot dropped the hammer, caught Fontanesi and forced the Italian into an error. With Fontanesi crashing, Lancelot took over the lead and stormed her way to the finish to wrap up a great night’s racing with a red plate and a perfect fifty point score.

Meanwhile Fontanesi made a quick recovery and managed to come home in second ahead of Van de Ven who rode impressive considering… Rutledge rode clever for fourth while the speedy German Larissa Papenmeier managed to round out the top five.

With the combination of points from both races, Team One One Four’s Livia Lancelot took the first WMX round overall of 2015. Yamaha MXFontaracing’s Kiara Fontanesi took second with Monster Energy Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Meghan Rutledge rounding off the podium in third.

WMX Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 24:34.777; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:01.858; 3. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:05.572; 4. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:57.201; 5. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +1:04.584; 6. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:18.051; 7. Jessica Moore (AUS, KTM), +1:42.408; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), +1:47.528; 9. Virginie Germond (SUI, Suzuki), +1:53.647; 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:56.775

WMX Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 25:00.222; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:17.119; 3. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:26.372; 4. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:32.876; 5. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:38.996; 6. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:04.795; 7. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +1:31.552; 8. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:41.352; 9. Stefany Serrao (BRA, Honda), +1:44.415; 10. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), +1:47.323

WMX Overall: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 50 points; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 33 p.; 5. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), 30 p.; 6. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 28 p.; 7. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 25 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Jessica Moore (AUS, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Justine Charroux (FRA, YAM), 21 p.

WMX Manufacturer: 1. Kawasaki, 50 points; 2. Yamaha, 44 p.; 3. Suzuki, 34 p.; 4. KTM, 30 p.; 5. Honda, 20 p.

Click here to obtain the complete results.

All the photos of the MXGP of Qatar are available here

MXGP QATAR – QUICK FACTS

Circuit length: 1595m

Type of ground: hard pack

Temperature: 21°C

Weather conditions: clear

Crowd Attendance: 9000

The next round of the FIM Women's Motocross World Championship will take place next weekend, March 08, in Nakhonchaisri, Thailand.

LINKS

Youthstream

FIM

MXGP of Qatar