Yamaha Wins EMX250 Red Plate as Van de Ven Clinches WMX Championship Lead

SM Action M.C. Migliori’s Hakon Fredrikson kept his cool during two thrilling EMX250 races to celebrate the sixth round of the EMX250 Championship in Mantova, Italy, from second step of the podium for the second consecutive time. Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250’s Thibault Benistant tied for third overall and has maintained his momentum as the EMX250 Championship leader. Fredriksen went 3-2 in the races while Benistant went 2-7 for fourth overall.

In classic EMX250 style, the Timed Practice session was another tight affair. Fredriksen was the best placed Yamaha rider going Pole in Group 1 with a 1:51.944 ahead of Benistant in second position with 1:52.351. Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250’s Gianluca Facchetti was second fastest in Group 2 with a 1:51.940, 1-second off the pace of the eventual round winner Mattia Guadagnini who posted a 1:50.835

In the opening race, Benistant pulled a massive holeshot and led the first two-laps before being chased down and passed by the local hero, Guadagnini. The Frenchman did his best to challenge for the lead but had to back off due to an unusual pain in his stomach. He finished second ahead of Fredriksen who put in a strong ride for third.

Out of four starts here in Mantova, Fredriksen has finished inside of the top-three on three occasions. Clearly reveling the Città di Mantova circuit, the Norwegian followed the Race 1 winner, Guadagnini, around turn-one and shadowed the ’101’ all the way to the flag.

Less fortunate off the gate, Benistant had to bounce back from two costly errors on his way from outside of the top-15 to seventh. The ‘198’ tied for third but was classified fourth in the EMX250 round standings based on the result of the final race – when two riders finish on the same points the better position is awarded to the best placed rider in the final race, which on this occasion was Lorenzo Locurcio who finished third in Race 2.

After qualifying second fastest, Facchetti’s races were spoiled by errors. He finished 22nd in Race 1 and 11th in Race 2 for 17th overall.

Benistant still leads the EMX250 Championship by 43-points over Guadagnini. A second consecutive podium finish sees Fredriksen leap to fourth in the overall standings, while Facchetti drops to 14th.

The seventh round of the EMX250 Championship will take place here in Mantova, Italy, in three days’ time, on Saturday 3rd October.

 

The penultimate round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship was hotly contested. With only 14-points separating the top-four in the championship, the title contenders had to lay it all on the line.

The opening race was an absolute thriller. Nancy van de Ven pulled a trademark holeshot and led all but two laps as the other three WMX protagonists swapped positions throughout the race.

After an intense 11 lap wheel-to-wheel battle it was Kiara Fontanesi that crossed the line first, but the Italian six-time world champion faced with a penalty for jumping on waved yellow flags and was docked two positions. Van de Ven then inherited the race win, while the initial Championship Leader, Yamaha Germany’s Larissa Papenmeier, finished fourth.

With everything to play for in the final race, van de Ven chased the defending champion Courtney Duncan around turn-one and managed to hold off a hard charging Fontanesi for second position. Papenmeier fell from fourth and eventually recovered for eighth.

Despite finishing on the same points as the Grand Prix winner, the overall victory is awarded to the rider that has the best result in the final race. In this case, it was the Race 2 winner, Duncan.

Nevertheless, it was a fantastic day in the office for van de Ven with the 22-year-old talent taking over the championship lead for the first time this season.

Van de Ven now leads Duncan by 4-points while Papenmeier rounded out the top-five and has dropped back to third in the Championship Standings.

The next and final round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will take place in Pietramurata on Saturday 3rd November.

 

Thibault Benistant
4th EMX250 round of Città di Mantova, 36-points
EMX250 Championship Leader, 251-points
“The first race was not so bad, I took the holeshot but was not feeling too good on the first few laps and Mattia Guadagnini passed me. I tried to keep on his wheel but then I started to feel pain on my stomach, I think it is because I waited too late to eat before the race, but it’s nothing I finished second which is still good. In the second race I came back from far, then I made one small mistake again and had to fight hard to come back sixth. It was not such a bad day and we still lead the championship, so it is okay.”

Nancy van de Ven
2nd WMX round of Città di Mantova, 47-points
WMX Championship Leader, 166-points
“It was a really good day. I was feeling good on the track both GP’s here and I could win the second moto in the last race and then again in the first race I ended up winning because Kiara was penalized. It was really close racing today and even in the second race we had to fight, but I ended up holding on for second and now I have the red plate. Really, this is what we are working for. I want to thank my team and my team manager who can’t be here. Can’t wait for the next one.”

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