Nancy van de Ven Second at WMX GP of France

Nancy van der Ven of the No Fear Energy Yamaha team claimed a podium spot at the third round of the Women’s Motocross World Championship series at Ernee in France. In the first heat, Van de Ven held the lead until the closing stages of the race, but had to surrender it at the end to finish second. In the second race she finished fourth after battling to find her rhythm.

The track at Ernee is a technical challenge with many elevation changes and off-camber corners. The rutty track was particularly challenging, but Nancy rode a composed session to qualify third.

After a good start in the first race, Nancy soon shot into the lead. Courtney Duncan challenged her, and a fierce battle erupted. The pressure counted on Duncan, who crashed, and Nancy could build up a small lead. A mistake from her allowed Kiara Fontanesi and Livia Lancelot to close the gap. Nancy had to yield the lead and finished second.

Another great start launched Nancy into the lead again in race two. Lancelot and Duncan again started nipping at her heels, with Fontanesi also joining the fray. Nancy lost her rhythm somewhat, and dropped to fourth. Even though she would have preferred higher placing, she did take home a bagful of points, and her efforts for the day were enough for second overall.

“After the disappointment of my disqualification in Indonesia and my crash at Trentino, I am happy to be on the podium,” she said. “I battled with my rhythm in the second race, but it was a good points haul and I look forward to the next race at Loket. I scored my first GP victory there and I love the track. The leading four riders are within 12 points of each other, and anything can still happen in the championship.”

Van der Ven is currently fourth in the championship with a deficit of only 12 points to championship leader Kiara Fontanesi. The next round of the series is on 23 – 24 July at Loket, Czech Republic.

Overall Grand Prix of France:
1 Livia Lancelot 47 Pnt
2 Nancy van de Ven 40 Pnt
3 Kiara Fontanesi 38 Pnt
4 Larissa Papenmeijer 36 Pnt
5 Sara Andersen 28 Pnt

World Championship standings:
1 Kiara Fontanesi 115 Pnt
2 Livia Lancelot 114 Pnt
3 Courtney Duncan 108 Pnt
4 Nancy van de Ven 103 Pnt
5 Larissa Papenmeijer 99 Pnt

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