De Baets AIT Yamaha Supported MX Team’s Lotte van Drunen has won the WMX class at the MXGP of The Netherlands. Racing on home soil in Arnhem, the defending champion delivered a perfect weekend, winning both races after posting the fastest time in Free Practice and qualifying first. The exceptional performance moves Lotte up to third in the championship with one round remaining.
Following a challenging season so far in 2026, van Drunen was fully focused on turning her campaign around at the penultimate Grand Prix of the year. With plenty of practice laps in the sand in recent weeks, together with a wildcard appearance in MX2 at the MXGP of Flanders in Lommel three weeks ago, the two-time champion was full of confidence before the weekend began.
In the opening race, van Drunen started up front and moved into the lead within half a lap. From there, the Dutch sensation began to pull away from the field aboard her GYTR-kitted YZ250F and won the race with a comfortable 28-second lead.
Race Two was even more impressive. After claiming the holeshot, van Drunen once again controlled the race and pulled clear to win by over 21 seconds. The result marks the first Grand Prix victory of the season for the 18-year-old, with the points secured moving her from seventh to third in the championship standings.
Rounding out a strong day in the sand for Yamaha-mounted riders in the WMX class, Shana van der Vlist placed fourth, with Amandine Verstappen eighth and Nellie Fransson 10th.
The EMX250 Championship continued in The Netherlands for its 11th and penultimate round. The VHR Yamaha Official EMX250 Team of Jarne Bervoets and Mano Faure performed well with Bervoets claiming 11th overall with Faure close behind in 14th.
The best-performing rider aboard Yamaha machinery in Arnhem was JK Racing Yamaha’s Jekabs Kubulins who placed ninth overall. Making his EMX250 debut, MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 Team’s Levi Townley claimed 19th.
With one round of the EMX250 Championship remaining, Bervoets sits 20th, Faure 23rd, and Kubulins ninth, while Frenchman Tom Brunet is the leading Yamaha rider in seventh.
The WMX World Championship concludes in four weeks’ time in Australia, while the EMX250 campaign heads to Turkiye on September 5-6 for its 12th and final round.
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