Teka Suzuki Europe World MX2‰Ûªs Larissa Papenmeier took her first ever round victory in the FIM Women‰Ûªs World Championship in Germany over the weekend.
Italian Chiara Fontanesi finished second, after achieving second moto‰Ûªs victory, and Livia Lancelot completed the podium with a pair of third place. Championship leader Stephanie Laier did not have an easy weekend at home but she still managed fourth overall.
Larissa Papenmeier had a perfect weekend in Teutschenthal winning the first race on Saturday and being second in the last moto on Sunday. The German rider starred in a close second moto finale and crossed the finish line less than a second behind Fontanesi without realising she was already the virtual round winner with that second position.
"It was an amazing weekend and I did not know I had won when I crossed the line in the second moto," Papenmeier enthused.
"I was chasing Chiara hard and wasn't aware Steffi had crashed. I couldn't believe it when I was told as I was sure I had second but to win was fantastic. The weekend had started well on Saturday and I took a bit of confidence from that pole position. I rode well and felt good on the track. I am third in the championship now and close to Livia so my goal for the final two rounds is to make sure of a top three finish and maybe challenge for second."
Chiara Fontanesi was eighth on Saturday but she managed to get a good start in the second moto behind Stephanie Laier.
KTM HDI MX‰Ûªs Lancelot made it to the third step of the podium. The Frenchwoman rider was able to get two good starts in both races and she managed to keep her rhythm throughout the two motos. However, she is still not 100% satisfied with her results with her goal in riding for the victories and closing the gap to Laier in the championship‰Ûªs standings.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‰Ûªs Laier had an unfortunate weekend at home suffering from two painful crashes in the qualifying practice and hitting a lapped rider in the second moto were she recieved a blow to the head. She was fourth overall.
"I am a little disappointed that I didn't win today," Laier said. Yesterday was not so good. I crashed twice in the qualifying race. I had a bit of concussion and didn't feel that good for the first race.
"I was happy in the second because I had a good start but one of the riders fell in the right line and I had to go in the soft sand. I went over the handlebars but that wasn't my biggest problem. Three riders went past me and hit me on the helmet. I felt dizzy and I think I had a bit of concussion again. But I tried to stay cool for the rest of the race. There's only two GPs left and I have a lead of 40 points so I don't think its going to be a problem for me."
Stephanie Laier still leads FIM WMX Championship 40 points ahead of Lancelot, who is now followed by this weekend‰Ûªs winner Larissa Papenmeier. Fourth is Chiara Fontanesi and fifth is Diga KTM‰Ûªs Maria Franke, who took an overall fifth position after finishing fourth in both heats.
Main Photo: Winner Larissa Papenmeier dues with Chiara Fontanesi
WMX Race 1 top ten:
1. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), 26:23.984
2. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), +0:04.145
3. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KTM), +0:22.511
4. Maria Franke (GER, KTM), +0:41.284
5. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:50.967
6. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), +1:01.804
7. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), +1:10.459
8. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), +1:14.198
9. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Honda), +1:23.617
10. Elien De Winter (BEL, KTM), +1:38.374
WMX Race 2 top ten:
1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 25:52.390
2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:00.092
3. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KTM), +0:23.574
4. Maria Franke (GER, KTM), +0:36.021
5. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), +0:46.799
6. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), +1:14.068
7. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), +1:14.969
8. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), +2:10.843
9. Elien De Winter (BEL, KTM), +2:29.965
10. Brenda Wagemans (BEL, KTM), +2:34.323
WMX Overall top ten:
1. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), 47 points
2. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 41 p.
3. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KTM), 40 p.
4. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), 38 p.
5. Maria Franke (GER, KTM), 36 p.
6. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), 30 p.
7. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), 28 p.
8. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), 26 p.
9. Elien De Winter (BEL, KTM), 23 p.
10. Sara Petterson (SWE, KTM), 19 p.
WMX Championship top ten:
1. Stephanie Laier (GER, KTM), 230 points
2. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KTM), 190 p.
3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), 184 p.
4. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 178 p.
5. Maria Franke (GER, KTM), 177 p.
6. Natalie Kane (GBR, KTM), 158 p.
7. Marielle De Mol (NED, Yamaha), 134 p.
8. Elin Mann (SWE, KTM), 121 p.
9. Elien De Winter (BEL, KTM), 111 p.
10. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Honda), 78 p.
