Fontanesi successfully defends World Championship as two-strokes continue to purr
On the day where Shaun Simpson blazed to an emotional MX1-GP victory in Holland, Yamaha also had good cause for celebration with Kiara Fontanesi riding to third position in the first moto of the final round of the FIM Women’s World Championship and securing her second title on the YRRD-powered YZ250F.
The Italian was nursing a painful ankle injury after a midweek accident but bore the discomfort at Senkvice in Slovakia to bank the points she needed to mathematically start the party. •Fonta’ had done the hard work through the previous five meetings by winning four of them – with double moto triumphs no less – for an undisputed claim to be the world’s fastest female off-road racer once more.
‘I’ve worked all year for this world title and I knew that doing it again would be almost tougher than winning it the first year,’ she said. ‘I could not win all the races but that’s okay. I was worried on the eve of this meeting. My ankle was hurting and I could not ride how I wanted. Then in the race with every passing lap the pain started to fade and I began to recover.’
‘It is so nice to win again!’ she added. ‘I’d like to dedicate this world title to my family that does so much for me, Michele Rinaldi and Yamaha, to all the sponsors and those who love me. It was nice to get to the finish line and then scream away all the tension and feel the moment. I wanted so much to win this world championship and I did it.’
In other news the Grand Prix of Benelux was not only notable for Yamaha success in the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship. In the final event of the European EMX125 Championship Frederik Van Der Vlist comfortably won by ten seconds on his YZ125 two-stroke to enjoy a podium ceremony for the second time in 2013. The Dutchman finished 6th in the series that is part of the development ladder between 85cc European racing and EMX250 (the feeder contest to Grand Prix). Somewhat surprisingly his Kemea Reytec van der Laar Yamaha team-mate Cyril Genot was third in his very first outing on the 125 after shining on the smaller bike on the European stage this season.
‘I’m really excited with this win,’ said the teenager who will now aim to wrap up the Dutch national title. ‘I came into this race with the goal of ending up on the podium but taking the win is fantastic. It’s definitely a confidence boost and a good way to end the European season. I especially want to thank my father for the amount of work and money he has put into supporting me. It’s nice to give something back for all that dedication. Also a big thanks to the team and everyone supporting me through the season. Now I want to stay focused for another two weeks, clinch the Dutch championship and after that it’s time for a little party.’
In the overall standings Nicolas Dercourt was 2013 runner-up with five rostrum appearances from eight furiously contested events.
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