Kiara Fontanesi took the holeshot and led from the opening corner. Competing on home soil, Lucy Barker immediately settled into second place behind the six-time WMX World Champion, with Daniela Guillen and Courtney Duncan close behind. After a blistering start, the Brit made a few costly mistakes that dropped her down the order. At the front, however, the leading positions remained largely unchanged. Lotte van Drunen recovered from a mediocre start to work her way into fourth place.
Duncan brought the race to life in the closing laps. After passing the championship leader, she rapidly closed the gap to Fontanesi and was right on the Italian’s rear wheel as they entered the final lap while negotiating lapped traffic. In the end, Fontanesi held on to take victory, producing a superb final lap under pressure. Duncan crossed the line in second and looked closer than ever to her best. Guillen, who never looked quite as comfortable as usual, secured third despite late pressure from van Drunen.
Further back, Shana van der Vlist rounded out the top five after an entertaining battle with Malou Jakobsen throughout the race. The Dane, who arrived at Foxhill fourth in the championship standings, has clearly taken another step forward since the winter break and rewarded herself with sixth place. Amandine Verstappen battled with the pair in the early stages but gradually lost ground, eventually finishing seventh.
April Franzoni crossed the line in eighth after an impressive comeback ride. The French rider crashed on the finish-line jump at the start of the race and rejoined at the back of the field. She never gave up, carving her way back through the pack to secure eighth place. Lucy Barker eventually finished ninth. After an outstanding opening to the race, several costly mistakes dropped the Brit down the order, but she undoubtedly enjoyed the support of the home crowd every lap. Alexandra Massury completed the top ten after one of her strongest rides of the season. A solid start allowed her to settle into the pace immediately and deliver a very impressive performance.
Danée Gelissen struggled to find her rhythm around Foxhill. Hampered by a poor start, the reigning European Champion fought her way through the field to finish eleventh ahead of Nellie Fransson. The Swede once again made an excellent start, allowing her to run at a strong pace from the opening laps. Although she lost a few positions towards the end, there were plenty of positives to take away from her race.
Mathea Selebø continued her consistent run of form by finishing thirteenth. She was involved in several battles during the opening laps before ending the race just behind Fransson. Amber Simons finished fourteenth after a strong start but struggled to maintain her rhythm as the race progressed. Tyra Bäckström rounded out the top fifteen. Despite not being at 100% this weekend, the Swede dug deep to collect valuable championship points. Luanna Neves also finished in the points once again after battling with the group throughout the race.
Lilly-Ann Pettus enjoyed a good start before a mistake in one of the corners cost her several positions. Nevertheless, the American claimed her first championship points of the year. Hilda Sjöberg salvaged eighteenth place. Although she looked less comfortable than in previous rounds, the young Swede continues to demonstrate impressive consistency. Elena Kapsamer finished nineteenth ahead of Elsa Andersson Lof. Neither rider enjoyed the start they had hoped for, and both appeared to lack confidence around the demanding Foxhill circuit. They will have another opportunity to bounce back in Race 2 tomorrow at 9:45 local time.
Kiara Fontanesi dominates the first race at Foxhill
