Kiara Fontanesi will make her MX2 debut in the sand of Valkenswaard this weekend as she steps in for the injured Jorge Zaragoza.
The four-time world champion is all set to make history in the sand of Valkenswaard this weekend as the first ever female to race the FIM MX2 World Championship on Dutch soil.
Fresh from winning her home grand prix in Trentino, Italy, she is ready to go up against the best men in the world on the gnarly sand of Valkenswaard. “After the race in Arco di Trento, I got the opportunity from Aussio Yamaha to replace Jorge Zaragoza at the MXGP of Europe in Valkenswaard,”.says Fontanesi.
But she is not satisfied with being the most successful WMX rider of all time, incredible as the achievement is. Like all great champions, she continues to push herself and with the age ceiling in the MX2 class, it was this year or never for the 23-year-old Italian. “For me, it was an easy decision to race because it’s the last year I can race in MX2 because of my age,” she explains. “I love the track in Valkenswaard – it’s one of my favourites, so everything is perfect. I am really happy to race MX2 this weekend, it has always been a dream of mine.”
Fontanesi is ready to add to her impressive resume and will attempt to become the first ever female to secure world championship points at the MXGP of Europe.
Yamaha Motor Europe Off-road Racing Manager, Erik Eggens, said: “This is a positive that can be taken from an unfortunate situation for the Aussio team who are missing a rider due to injury. For Kiara, it will be an amazing experience, she is already at an elite level in women’s racing and is one of the most successful WMX riders ever, so it makes sense for her to try and race the best men in the world.
“It is definitely not going to be easy, it will be tough and a big challenge, but I think it is something exciting and it will be interesting.”
