In the first race, current vice-world champion Nancy van de Ven who had the advantage onboard her Nofear Yamaha YZ250F, but she quickly came unstuck with the Red Plate holder Courtney Duncan hot on her heels. Ducan nipped up the inside of the Dutch lady, van de Ven, only two turns in and pulled a comfortable lead which she later threw away when she lost traction, hit an edge and was catapulted from her bike.
Fontanesi was beaming confidence having never been beaten in the overall classification on home soil. The Italian had to work hard to get around van de Ven, but eventually made a pass stick and put in a solid ride for her first race win of the season. Meanwhile, Duncan was extra fired up after her crash and managed to claw her way back to second place. Van de Ven held on for third, making it a ‘blue-wash’ affair with three Yamaha’s inside the top three.
The second race of the weekend was an emotionally charged one to say the least. All three girls had a slight encounter with the ground at some point during the 25 minute plus two lap race duration. Fontanesi was the first to fall after van de Ven passed her for the lead. The Italian ran wide and was caught out by the berm collapsing. She lost the front and fell.
Soon after, Duncan and Van de Ven were relentless in their bar-to-bar battle for the lead. The pair took turns fronting the field before Duncan withdrew herself from the challenge with a crash that dropped her back to fourth.
Van de Ven charged away to the tune of 6 seconds before having a small, but heart-breaking tip-off with two laps to go. The reigning WMX World Champion Livia Lancelot was the only rider inside the top four to keep her bike rubber-side down this weekend and as a result, she won the final race ahead of Fontanesi, Duncan and Van de Ven.
With Fontanesi coming home in second place in the final race, the Italian added to the already electric atmosphere here in Trentino, Italy, by standing on the top step of the podium as the Grand Prix winner. She also moved from fifth place in the championship standings to second place.
“I feel really good because I honestly worked so hard for this,” said Fontanesi “My condition is perfect at the moment and I knew coming to this race that it would be the best test if the work I have put in has paid off. I am really happy to win my home GP, of course I wanted to win both races, but I made a mistake trying to pass and finally I found my rhythm and I finished second thanks to some mistakes from the other girls and I won the GP which was important for me, and to be back on top and it’s even more important for the championship.”
Duncan set the fastest lap-time in both races and was frustrated to finish second overall, yet happy to retain the Red Plate as the championship leader.
“Really frustrating weekend for me,” expressed Duncan. “I made two mistakes that were no one’s fault but my own, so I need to fix them. Otherwise, the speed is there so I look forward to France.”
Last but not least, van de Ven wrapped up her weekend in fourth with the most impressive factor being her jump from tenth place in the championship standings, to fourth.
The third round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will take place on the weekend of May 28th in Ernee, France.
