De Baets AIT Yamaha Supported MX Team’s Lotte van Drunen has placed third in the 2026 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship after securing second overall at the season finale in Australia. The two-time WMX Champion was in fine form at the fifth and final round in Darwin, placing second in Race One then third in Race Two to end her campaign on a positive note.
In the opening race in Australia, van Drunen took full advantage of her strong start to complete the opening lap in fourth. As the race continued, the GYTR-kitted YZ250F rider moved past early race leader and fellow Yamaha-mounted racer Nellie Fransson to take third a few laps later. Continuing to push, van Drunen moved past Kiara Fontanesi into second on the penultimate lap and crossed the line just under five seconds adrift of victory.
Van Drunen couldn’t quite replicate her Race One start second time out, but made a series of passes on lap one to move into fifth. By the end of the race, she had climbed to third, however, by this time, the leading two riders were out of reach. Crossing the line in third secured second overall on the day and third in the final WMX Championship standings.
Five Yamaha-mounted riders featured inside the top 10 overall in Australia, underlining the performance of the YZ250F. Behind van Drunen in second, Lachlan Turner finished fourth, with Fransson seventh, Amandine Verstappen ninth, and Emma Milesevic 10th.
In the final WMX Championship standings, Shana van der Vlist secured sixth, with Verstappen seventh and Fransson ninth.
For 2027, the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship expands to six rounds, beginning in Spain in February and drawing to a close in Australia once again in September.
Click here for the WMX results from the MXGP of Australia.
Photocredits – Full Spectrum Media
