VAN DRUNEN PERFECT IN THE SAND AT HOME AS GUILLEN RECLAIMS THE RED PLATE IN ARNHEM

he penultimate round of the 2026 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship in the Dutch sand of Arnhem produced a flawless weekend for De Baets-AIT Yamaha Supported Team’s Lotte Van Drunen, who led every single lap of both races in front of her home crowd for a dominant 1-1 and maximum 50 points. RFME Spain National Team’s Daniela Guillen was the other big winner, backing up two second places with the championship red plate, which she takes back from Kiara Fontanesi with one round to go. Lucy Barker was the revelation of the weekend with her best race result of the season in Race 2.

Fontanesi arrived in the Netherlands two points clear at the top of the standings and leaves it six behind, having ridden all weekend while ill and sore following a heavy crash in time practice. The title will now be settled at the final round in Australia.

Main Photo: Lotte van Drunen
Top Photo: WMX Start Arnhem 2026

In Race 1, it was Shana Van Der Vlist who led the way into the first corner, diving up the inside with JK Racing Yamaha’s Nellie Fransson alongside her on the outside, while Danee Gelissen and Van Drunen forced their way to the front of the chasing group within the opening corners. Fontanesi ran fifth in the early exchanges, and Guillen had the biggest job of all after slipping back to 13th.

The lead did not last long. Van Der Vlist made a mistake and ran wide at turn seven, and Van Drunen was through at the start of the following straight and clear by the end of it. The opening lap took a heavy toll elsewhere: Fontanesi went down from fifth and remounted eighth, and Gelissen crashed over the jump at turn six while running inside the top five, a fall that eventually left her 12th.

From that moment Race 1 belonged to Van Drunen. The reigning World Champion set the fastest lap of the race on lap two, a 1:59.573 at an average of 49.978km/h, and simply pulled away, controlling all 12 laps and taking the chequered flag 28.498 seconds clear for a maximum 25 points.

The charge of the race came from Guillen. Seventh by the end of the opening lap, the Spaniard was fourth by lap two, took third from Dixon Racing Team Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan on lap five and then set about Van Der Vlist, applying pressure until the move finally stuck on lap ten. Second place and 22 points were enough to move her ahead of Fontanesi at the top of the standings. Van Der Vlist, who had led the opening corners and run second for the first nine laps, held on for a strong third, 1.067 seconds behind Guillen at the flag.

Behind them, Barker was the early mover, passing Fransson around the outside to take fifth on lap three and then holding off Fontanesi for several laps until a mistake in a right-hander allowed the Italian through on lap six. Fontanesi’s recovery was completed on the penultimate lap when Duncan crashed, promoting her to fourth. Duncan remounted to salvage fifth, 1.143 seconds adrift.

Barker took sixth, while Malou Jakobsen climbed from 11th on the opening lap to seventh and Amandine Verstappen finished eighth. Fransson faded from the front of the field in the early laps to ninth, with Jenitty Van Der Beek completing the top ten ahead of Mathea Seleboe and Gelissen. TEAM Honda Motoblouz SR Motul’s April Franzoni did not take the start.

Race 2 began with a flying start from the number one plate. Van Drunen got the jump, drifted across and took control of the inside line through turn one, and from there she was never headed. Fransson was again the early aggressor in second, with Fontanesi third and Barker fourth, while Guillen came around the outside.

By the end of the opening lap Barker had moved up to second with Guillen third, and on lap two the Spaniard went past the British rider to take up the chase. It made no difference to the outcome. Van Drunen set the fastest lap of the race on the very first tour, a 2:02.383 and controlled the remaining 11 laps to win by 21 seconds.

Fontanesi, only sixth at the end of lap one, needed time to find her rhythm. She worked her way past Fransson and then set about Van Der Vlist, making the move stick on lap four to take fourth, a position she held to the flag.

The one moment of drama at the front came late. Guillen, who had built a cushion of around seven seconds over Barker, crashed heavily on lap ten and lost second place. With two laps remaining she picked herself up, hunted the British rider back down and retook the position, a swap worth two championship points that she could not afford to concede. Barker held on for third, her best race result of the season.

Van Der Vlist completed the top five ahead of Gelissen, who bounced back from her Race 1 crash with a strong sixth, and Jakobsen in seventh. Duncan produced the recovery ride of the race, climbing from 16th on the opening lap to eighth, with Verstappen ninth and Fransson tenth. Franzoni again did not take the start.

Van Drunen’s 1-1 gave her the overall win with a maximum 50 points, a third victory from four visits to this Grand Prix, and lifted her to third in the championship. Guillen’s 2-2 was worth 44 points, second overall and, crucially, the red plate. Fontanesi’s two fourth places gave her 36 points and third overall, level with Van Der Vlist but ahead on the Race 2 result.

The 2026 WMX title will be decided at the final round in Australia, with Guillen six points clear of Fontanesi in what will alreadybe a classic final showdown for the World Title!

Lotte Van Drunen: “A perfect weekend, this is just amazing. I hope I made my home proud, very proud. I am just really happy to be on top. The second race was a bit tough at the end for me, but I did it, and that is what matters for me. A big thank you to everyone, this is awesome.”

Daniela Guillen: “I am really happy. Race 2 was a little bit tense. I started quite well, then I found my rhythm. I had a good battle with Barker, and then I made a mistake and I crashed, and I crashed so hard. But then I had two laps to finish and I said I have to pass Barker, because those two points in the championship are so important for me. So now six points more count for Australia. I want to say thank you to the team, good job, and yeah, happy.”

Kiara Fontanesi: “I feel very, very bad. I have been sick for three days with fever and stomach ache, so I have hardly been eating, and then I was knocked out in time practice on the waves. I hit my head very badly and my neck is so sore that I can’t really move my arms, so I didn’t even know if I would be able to stay on the bike and finish the race. It is difficult to race like this, especially when you come here fighting for a title. But if we look at the weekend and see how things are, for me two fourth places and a podium in this condition is like a victory. Everything is still open, and I will do my best in Australia.”

1. Daniela Guillen; 2. Kiara Fontanesi

WMX – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), 24:52.985; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:28.498; 3. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +0:29.565; 4. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +0:49.120; 5. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:50.263; 6. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), +1:01.841; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +1:23.881; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:32.424; 9. Nellie Fransson (SWE, Yamaha), +1:46.235; 10. Jenitty Van Der Beek (NED, KTM), +1 lap. Fastest lap: Lotte Van Drunen – 1:59.573 (lap 2)

WMX – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), 25:52.556; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:21.247; 3. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), +0:25.236; 4. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +0:26.734; 5. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +0:34.126; 6. Danee Gelissen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.797; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +1:00.484; 8. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +1:07.112; 9. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:17.350; 10. Nellie Fransson (SWE, Yamaha), +1:34.001. Fastest lap: Lotte Van Drunen – 2:02.383 (lap 1)

WMX Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 50 points; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 44 p.; 3. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 36 p.; 4. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), 35 p.; 6. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 29 p.; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Danee Gelissen (NED, HUS), 24 p.; 10. Nellie Fransson (SWE, YAM), 23 p.

WMX World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 183 points; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 177 p.; 3. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 135 p.; 4. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 129 p.; 5. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, YAM), 125 p.; 6. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), 122 p.; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 116 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 109 p.; 9. April Franzoni (FRA, HON), 73 p.; 10. Nellie Fransson (SWE, YAM), 72 p.

WMX Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. GASGAS, 194 points; 2. Yamaha, 157 p.; 3. KTM, 132 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 129 p.; 5. Honda, 102 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 72 p.; 7. TM Moto, 57 p.; 8. Triumph, 32 p.

WMX Podium Arnhem 2026