Lotte Van Drunen of the Beursfoon KTM team came desperately close to overall victory at the EMX65 European Championship selection event in Slagelse, Denmark. A second in the first heat was followed by another second place finish in the final race, after she had lead for most of the race distance.
Under optimal weather conditions, the track at Slagelse looked good. It is a hard-pack track with a loose sand covering and many jumps, testing the riders’skills to the optimum. Lotte set the third fasted time during free training and improved to second during time training,. After starting fifth in the qualifying heat, she marched forward, eventually finishing second.
In the first race on Sunday, Lotte again slotted into an initial fifth. She passed a few riders to get to second, but by then the leader was too far away for her to launch an attack.
During the break, Lotte explored the track with her brother to look at lines and discuss starting techniques. This helped a lot, evidently, for she claimed the holeshot and rode into the lead. She held this for the most of the race, but with two laps to go, she was passed. She immediately regained the lead, but eventually had to yield, losing by a mere second.
With two second place finishes, Lotte was second overall. She is also second in the general standings, and looking set to qualify for the final round of the series in Loket, Czech Republic, with ease. The qualification series continues in two weeks’time at Reutlingen, Germany