Lierop will crown first ever Women's Motocross World Champion

Only one round is left to decide who will be the first ever Women’s Motocross World Champion in history to be crowned in Lierop, The Netherlands, this weekend at the end of the fifth round of the Championship.

Livia Lancelot is currently leading the points standings from Steffi Laier, who worked her way up to second despite having missed the opening round in Bulgaria. Maria Franke is third, level in points with Laier, as Larissa Papenmeier is fourth and still holds a slight chance for the Title.

On the other hand two time World Cup Winner Katherine Prumm has pulled out of the series due to the left collarbone injury which prevented her from racing in Germany.

GPKR’s Livia Lancelot enters the final round of the WMX series being on top of the points standings. It has been a fantastic season for the French rider who took her first ever overall win in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, and lost the red plate just once in St. Jean d’Angely, France, to take it back at the following round in Teutschenthal, Germany.

Though Lancelot has bittersweet memories from Lierop last year; the Dutch venue ended the last edition of the Women’s World Cup and that was where Lancelot lost her lead to eventual Cup winner Prumm.

This year it is KTM Germany’s Steffi Laier following in second place; the German missed the opening round but worked her way up to second courtesy of five impressive heat wins out of the six moto’s she entered. She will be extremely motivated to clinch this title and become the first ever Women’s World Champion as she was the first ever World Cup winner in 2005.

Kawasaki Elf Pfeil’s Maria Franke sits third in the Championship, level in points with Laier, while German compatriot Larissa Papenmeier of Suzuki Inotec rounds off the top four.

Yamaha Van Beers’ Katherine Prumm is fifth but will not be in Lierop.

American Ashley Fiolek, who was recently nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year Award, will look for a strong final result after missing the latest round in Germany.

After Valkenswaard and Lommel, the De Herselse Bossen track is another sandy venue in the World Motocross calendar. The venue hosted its first Grand Prix back in 1996 (500cc class) and it is more than a classical Dutch sandy course; the start straight is always covered in grass while there is a part of the track going into a forest.

The whole layout and the ground are very demanding as a good physical challenge will add to the mounting mental pressure of the final round of the series. Among last year’s winners are Kevin Strijbos (MX1), Antonio Cairoli (MX2) and Katherine Prumm (Women).

Lierop is one of four community villages that form the municipality of Someren, a sort of natural paradise with its 1.615 hectares of woods, natural grounds and plantation landscape on which windmills, chapels and several other monuments are part of the beautiful Dutch scenery. Lierop is a quiet town at 20 kilometres from Eindhoven and 150 kilometres North of lively Amsterdam.

Saturday September 6: Women’s World Championship Free Practice 1 at 9:00 am; MX2 Free Practice at 10:00 am; MX1 Free Practice 1 at 11:00 am; MX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice at 12:00 am; Women’s World Championship Free Practice 2 at 1:15 pm; MX1 Free Practice 2 at 2:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 1 at 3:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 2 at 3:45 pm; MX1 Time Practice at 4:30 pm; MX2 Last Chance Qualifying Practice at 5:15 pm; Women’s World Championship Time Practice at 6:00 pm (local time).

Sunday September 7: Women’s World Championship Warm-up at 9:00 am; MX2 Warm-up at 9:30 am; MX1 Warm-up at 10:00 am; Women’s World Championship Race 1 at 11:10 am; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 at 12:10 am; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 at 1:10 pm; Women’s World Championship Race 2 at 2:10 pm; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 at 3:03 pm; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 at 4:03 pm (local time).

Information, photos and results are online at http://www.motocrossMX1.com,  the official website of the FIM Motocross World Championships.

MediaZone Moto is the leading global online broadcaster of Motocross and SuperMoto events. Fans worldwide can watch the thrills from this and every race of the 2008 FIM Motocross & SuperMoto World Championships LIVE and On Demand exclusively at www.MediaZoneMoto.com.

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- Daniele RIZZI -