Lotte van Drunen of the Beurspro KTM team scored a podium finish during the first EMX85 European Championship regional selection event in Denmark. Van Drunen finished third in both heats, but the results of the first race were scrapped, which resulted in only the second heat counting.
With more than 40 riders entered in the 85cc class, it was split into two groups for qualifying. Lotte was listed in the A group, and used the free training session to get to know the track, posting the fifth fastest time along the way. She went better during time practice, posting the third fastest time.
Lotte launched well into her qualifying heat, rounding the first corner in second position. Her RK Service – tuned KTM gave its best, and she took the lead on a big double jump. She kept it tidy, and won her qualifying heat, posting the fastest lap time of the two heats in the process.
Lotte got a good start in race one, joining the leading group. She held second spot initially, but immediately had some pressure from riders behing her. After a few laps, she lost a spot, but that was the sum total of her losses, and she finished third. A medical flag came out early in the race, and another soon after, and there were also a number of yellow flags on display. A lot of riders ignored the flags, and the race jury decided to scrap the entirely of the first race.
Lotte swallowed her disappointment and readied herself for race two. Another good reaction got her off the gate well again. In a virtual carbon copy of race one, she kept the leader in check, but again she lost a spot. She kept her calm, and finished third in the race, which also counted as the overall result.
Lotte will be in action at the next EMX85 selection event in Slovakia next weekend.