Motocross

Nancy Van de Ven Victorious WMX Opener in Indonesia

Posted:

Saturday, March 4th, 2017

10:26 PM

Nancy Van de Ven Victorious WMX Opener in Indonesia

The 2017 FIM Women's Motocross World Championship will traverse six rounds this season and it all started today on an all new track, at an all new location in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia.

NoFear Yamaha Official WMX's Nancy Van de Ven took the first victory of the season onboard her YZ250F in a race of attrition and drama that saw the four-time WMX world champion Kiara Fontanesi forced back to thirteenth after her bike got swallowed up by a mud hole, while Kiwi sensation Courtney Duncan had to grind her way back to fifth after going down hard at turn one.

With the grand prix taking place in the middle of Indonesia's wet season, the world's fastest females had to battle some gruelling conditions, sludgy mud, sea deep ruts, and extreme heat. Momentum, throttle control and balance were the keys to the race, and those keys were in firm grip of Nancy Van de Ven as she sat in the driver's seat from start to finish to win by a mind-blowing 1 minute and 27 seconds over fellow Yamaha rider and compatriot Nicky Van Wordragen. Third was Germany Anne Borchers.

"The race was really good, I was just a little bit stressed because I couldn't read the pit-board so I didn't know I had such a big gap, but I am happy that I won," Van de Ven said.

Kiwi Courtney Duncan had a rough start but still finished with good points in 5th

Altherm Yamaha Official WMX rider, and fastest rider in qualifying, Courtney Duncan tucked the front and crashed on the first turn which meant she had to spend the rest of the race pulling tear-off's and eating roost as she diced her way through the pack. Despite the circumstances, the determined Kiwi battled her way from dead last all the way back to a commendable fifth.

""I went down on the start, I got a little bit of whiskey and ended up tucking the front on the first turn," Duncan explained, "You can' t win a championship at the first round, but you can lose it so I just didn't give up and fought all the way to the finish. I still got some reasonably good points so for a bad race, I think I did alright."

The four-time WMX world champion Kiara Fontanesi had the speed and the stamina as she danced in perfect time with her YZ250F out on the soft and slippery mud of Pangkal Pinang. Looking relaxed and comfortable, the MXFonta Yamaha Official WMX rider made light work of the reigning world champion, Livia Lancelot, with a text book pass up the inside for second place.

Thanks to the constant and heavy rain, certain parts of the track were like quicksand. No one knows better than Fontanesi who after clawing her way back to second place found herself waist-deep in a mud hole and going nowhere. Despite not finishing the race, she was still awarded thirteenth place.

"I am so frustrated," Fontanesi lamented, "I did every day, everything perfect. I'm in perfect condition, it's all there. I am there, my bike is there, everything is perfect and I can't even finish the race because I was stuck."

Australian Maddy Brown finished in 14th place after qualifying an impressive 8th fastest.

Main Photo: Nancy Van De Ven

WMX Race 1 Top 10:
1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 26:31.788;
2. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.993;
3. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), -1 lap(s);
4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s);
5. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Yamaha), -1 lap(s);
6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), -1 lap(s);
7. Elaine MacEachern (GBR, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s);
8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KTM), -2 lap(s);
9. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), -2 lap(s);
10. Virginie Germond (SUI, Yamaha), -2 lap(s).