Lotte van Drunen of the Beurspro KTM team had a strong outing during the first round of the Open Dutch 85cc championship series at Delfzijl. In the first heat, she recovered from sixth to second, and in the second race she finished sixth after some problems.
After a long preparation period, the big day finally arrived, and the Open Dutch Championship series kicked off. Lotte was keen to measure her skills against new opposition. The planned qualifying training session was red flagged after an on-track incident. The riders finally got going, but again there were problems, this time with the transponder system. Finally, all was sorted, and at the third try, Lotte claimed pole position in a field of 43 riders.
Lotte got away in eighth position in race one, but again a red flag came out after a multi-rider crash. Lotte launched a bit better at the second start, and soon found herself in sixth position. She soon moved into fourth, and a few laps later, third place was hers. She needed a few laps to chase down the second-placed rider, and by then the leader had opened up an unassailable gap. Lotte got closer, but eventually finished second.
Lotte and her advisors opted for another start gate for race two. Her RK-Tuned KTM claimed the holeshot this time. She was a bit overanxious to extend her lead, and landed in a ditch next to the track. Another mistake on the same lap dropped her to 18th. She buckled down, and stormed forward. Within a lap, she was in tenth position. With time running out, she kept battling, and finished sixth. With this ride, she proved that she never gives up. Despite having top-level speed, Lotte was disappointed with the results, but still managed third overall.
Lotte and her team wish the injured riders a quick recovery.