Fontanesi successfully defends World Championship as two-strokes continue to purr

On the day where Shaun Simpson blazed to an emotional MX1-GP victory in Holland, Yamaha also had good cause for celebration with Kiara Fontanesi riding to third position in the first moto of the final round of the FIM Women’s World Championship and securing her second title on the YRRD-powered YZ250F.

The Italian was nursing a painful ankle injury after a midweek accident but bore the discomfort at Senkvice in Slovakia to bank the points she needed to mathematically start the party. ‘Fonta’ had done the hard work through the previous five meetings by winning four of them - with double moto triumphs no less – for an undisputed claim to be the world’s fastest female off-road racer once more.

“I've worked all year for this world title and I knew that doing it again would be almost tougher than winning it the first year,” she said. “I could not win all the races but that's okay. I was worried on the eve of this meeting. My ankle was hurting and I could not ride how I wanted. Then in the race with every passing lap the pain started to fade and I began to recover.”

“It is so nice to win again!” she added. “I’d like to dedicate this world title to my family that does so much for me, Michele Rinaldi and Yamaha, to all the sponsors and those who love me. It was nice to get to the finish line and then scream away all the tension and feel the moment. I wanted so much to win this world championship and I did it.”

Communication Yamaha -  www.yamaha-racing.com