Fontanesi clean sweeps Czech WMX contest, Rutledge third
Monster Energy Yamaha's Chiara Fontanesi swept both races to claim overall victory at round five of the FIM Women's Motocross (WMX) World Championship at Pacov in the Czech Republic, with Aussie Meghan Rutledge a solid third.
Meghan Rutledge was a credible third in the Czech Republic, the penultimate round of the Women’s World Motocross Championship battle.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Chiara Fontanesi swept both races to claim overall victory at round five of the FIM Women’s Motocross (WMX) World Championship at Pacov in the Czech Republic, with Aussie Meghan Rutledge a solid third.
Rookie riders Genette Vage and Nancy Van de Ven were quick out of the gates in the opening race, setting the pace over the opening laps, but Fontanesi was quickly on their tail after recovering from a sluggish start.
She quickly took over the lead and set about building a buffer which strung out to 8.239 seconds over German rider Stephanie Laier at the wave of the chequered flag.
Third place went to KTM-mounted Van de Ven, while Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Rutledge came home in fifth after going down in the opening turn of the race.
The second race saw a thrilling battle between Fontanesi and Rutledge play out. The pair were first and second into the first turn and were locked together for the entire 11-lap duration, with Rutledge close but unable to find a way past.
Fontanesi’s winning margin was just 0.522 seconds from Rutledge, with the pair in a league of their own as third-placed rider Natalie Kane languished close to a minute behind.
1-1 finishes saw Fontanesi the clear victor, with Laier going 2-4 for second outright. Rutledge rounded out the podium with her hard-fought 5-2 finishes.
Just one round remains in the closely-contested WMX title race. Fontanesi has a steady advantage having won 9 of the 10 motos contested thus far, with Kane 43 points in arrears.
Rutledge sits a strong third, just four points off Kane, and is six points clear of Laier.
FIM Women’s Motocross (WMX) World Championship
Round five – Czech Republic
Overall results:
1. Chiara Fontanesi 50
2. Stephanie Laier 40
3. Meghan Rutledge 38
4. Natalie Kane 38
5. Nancy Van De Ven 36
6. Anne Borchers 29
7. Genette Vage 28
8. Justine Charroux 24
9. Marianne Veenstra 24
10. Kimberley Braam 22
Championship standings (after five of six rounds):
1. Chiara Fontanesi 245
2. Natalie Kane 202
3. Meghan Rutledge 198
4. Stephanie Laier 192
5. Nancy Van De Ven 149
6. Anne Borchers 122
7. Britt van der Wekken 114
8. Justine Charroux 107
9. Marianne Veenstra 88
10. Francesca Nocera 81
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