MOUNT MORRIS, Pennsylvania: Feeling she had nothing to lose, Lotte van Drunen packed up her racing kit and came to America to compete in the Women’s Pro Motocross Series, powered by Synchrony (WMX). On a stock bike bought only days before her debut last week in Colorado, she has made her presence known.
Two weeks ago, van Drunen was cross-jumped in a MXGP race and crashed hard. She finished a distant 18th in Moto 2 of the German GP and was scored 10th overall. That misfortune dropped her to ninth in the MXGP Pro Women’s standings, 44 points behind leader Daniela Guillen, and while not officially prohibiting her from defending her championship, the hill looked steep.
“Last weekend was, let’s say overall big risk,” van Drunen told NBC Sports after finishing second in Moto 1 of the High Point National. “Coming here on a completely stock bike, brand new ... I honestly don’t really like to ride a new frame and stuff, so it was a big risk and we saw that last weekend with the high elevation we had, I just couldn’t catch up. I didn’t have the power.”
Van Drunen knows about power. She is the two-time defending champion of the MXGP WMX Series.
“Now without the elevation it works out a lot better,” van Drunen continued. “I was able to get a really good start this morning, and in both timed practices, I was the fastest. So that’s really good.”
On a bike limited in potential, van Drunen nevertheless finished fourth in her debut race, Moto 1 of Thunder Valley. She was sixth in Moto 2 and claimed a respectable fifth overall.
There was so much more that she wanted to show, however, and van Drunen rode out of the back of the pits in High Point with determination. She was the fastest rider in both morning sessions on Friday, posting lap times that were nearly a second faster than the two points leaders, Charli Cannon in the first qualification and Lachlan Turner in the second.
“We were able to figure it out a little bit better to fit me, let’s say, to fit my riding style,” van Drunen said. “I felt a lot better this morning.”
Van Drunen finished second in the first of two motos in the High Point National. When a rider lost traction in Turn 2 of Lap 1 in that race, it stalled her moment and allowed the holeshot winner, Mayla Herrick, to gain a four-second advantage.
Under pressure from Turner, van Drunen closed the gap on Herrick and believes she had a shot at the victory.
“I think if the motos were a bit longer, I would have a little bit of advantage because I’m really fit,” van Drunen said. “Twelve minutes, that’s really nothing. We used to ride that on a 65. So yeah, I just feel good being able to battle up front with the package and the setup that we have now, that gives me a lot of confidence.”
Coming to America was not only because she had nothing to lose. Van Drunen also had a lot to gain. Once she saw her chance to defend the championship begin to fade, van Drunen made some calls, found a sponsor, and quickly put a deal together.
MORE WMX: van Drunen joins WMX for Thunder Valley, High Point
She announced the deal less than a week before Round 2 of the WMX season.
“Well, I know one thing and it’s, that the WMX here right now is growing way faster than the FIM,” van Drunen said. “So I definitely want to come and race here more, but we need to see with the calendars. Because I am from Europe, so it’s a lot easier (to race there). I live there and just the traveling is a lot less.
Van Drunen is still considering how to balance the remainder of the year. She may return for one or two of the final three rounds, which will be held at the end of the Pro Motocross season beginning with the Unadilla National. At least one race will be prohibited because of a conflict with the MXGP WMX series.
“This year we have one race that is together with GP, so then I have to choose, maybe then I can decide for next year which one I want to do. But I would love to, if I have a good team, a good bike, a good offer, then who knows.”
