WMX

FOXHILLS (Great Britain), 19th July 2026 — During the Monster Energy MXGP of Great Britain, the third round of the 2026 FIM Women's Racecross World Championship at Foxhills belonged entirely to GASGAS's Kiara Fontanesi, who took the holeshot and led every lap of both races to complete a dominant 1-1. RFME Spain National Team's Daniela Guillen fought back after a subdued Race 1 to finish second in Race 2, but the third place she took in the opener meant she left Great Britain two points behind Fontanesi at the top of the standings. Dixon Racing Team Kawasaki's Courtney Duncan was the model of consistency, taking second in Race 1 and third in Race 2 to complete the overall podium. It was the 25th overall victory of Fontanesi's career, her 55th race win and 130th podium.

Head Photo Kiara Fontanesi; Top Photo: WMX Start Foxhills 2026

Fontanesi grabbed the holeshot from pole position and set about controlling the race from the front. Daniela Guillen slotted into second early on, while home favourite Lucy Barker delighted the Foxhills crowd with a strong start to run third, ahead of Courtney Duncan in fourth and reigning champion Lotte Van Drunen in fifth.

Barker's promising start didn't last long. By the end of lap two she had been swallowed up by Duncan, Van Drunen and Shana Van Der Vlist, who claimed third, fourth and fifth respectively as the Brit slipped back to seventh inside a single lap.

Further back, Malou Jakobsen and Amandine Verstappen worked their way into the top seven by lap three, while JK Racing Yamaha's Nellie Fransson, who had rocketed into the top six at the start, began to lose touch with the pack ahead.

At the front, Guillen had briefly looked comfortable in second, but Duncan continued to reel her in and finally made the move stick on lap six, holding the position through to the chequered flag. Guillen, so untouchable in Germany, could not respond and had to settle for third in a far closer podium fight than her form suggested coming into the weekend, probably due to fell under the weather as she mentioned on Saturday pre-grid interview.

Fontanesi, though, was pushed all the way to the line by Duncan and set the fastest lap of the race on the final tour to seal the win by just over a second. Van Drunen brought it home safely in fourth, always in touch with the podium battle but unable to find a way past, while Van der Vlist enjoyed a strong ride from seventh at the start to fifth at the flag, edging out Jakobsen and Verstappen in sixth and seventh.

April Franzoni recovered from a difficult start to work her way up to eighth, while Barker's tough afternoon continued as she slipped to ninth by the finish. Alexandra Massury was a consistent tenth. Fransson's promising start unravelled completely, the Swede eventually finishing a lap down in twelfth.

Fontanesi made it two-from-two off the start, taking the holeshot for the second time in the day as Barker again slotted into second right behind her. Duncan made a clean launch to sit third, while Guillen, below her best in Race 1, sliced through the opening corners to jump into fourth ahead of Van der Vlist. Van Drunen, by contrast, was buried around 20th after a poor start.

Guillen wasted no time going to work. She picked off Duncan on the inside at the foot of the hill during lap two, then eased past Barker, who left the door open just a fraction too wide in front of the Skybox,  to move into second. From there Guillen set about hunting down Fontanesi, reeling off the fastest lap of the race, a 2:04.383, but the gap never came down below six or seven seconds.

Behind her, Duncan settled into third and gradually pulled clear of Barker as the race wore on. Malou Jakobsen ran a lonely but unshakeable sixth all race, a position van Drunen, recovering fast after her poor start, could not get near even after climbing all the way up to seventh at the midpoint.

At the front, Fontanesi was untroubled to the flag, crossing the line just over nine seconds clear of Guillen to complete a perfect weekend. Duncan held on for third, with Barker fourth and Van der Vlist fifth, while Van Drunen's fighting ride was rewarded with seventh ahead of Amandine Verstappen and Danee Gelissen.

The result sends Fontanesi to the Netherlands as championship leader for the first time this season, two points clear of Guillen with Duncan a further 39 points back in third. Guillen will look to respond at the next round, while Barker's home heroics will give the British crowd plenty to build on after bouncing back from a difficult ninth in Race 1 to finish fourth in Race 2, good enough for sixth overall on the day, arguably her best result of the season in front of her home crowd.

Kiara Fontanesi: "It's a big, big achievement. I don't think I could ever have imagined being a mum of two and leading the world championship at 32 years old, I still can't quite realise it. In the first race, the championship is so tight that I couldn't ride free; I was scared of crashing more than of being passed, so it was a stressful race. But in the second race I got a really good start, felt amazing on the track and didn't even get tired, those are the races I love!"

Daniela Guillen: "I've lost the red plate, but I'm still very much in this championship fight. Today I had a much better feeling than yesterday, I wasn't at my best before the second race, but I'm happy with how I recovered. Thank you to the team and to everyone who has helped me."

Courtney Duncan: "It's good, it's really good. It's funny, when you get back to that level, you're almost disappointed you didn't finish further up! But I'm stoked to be back on the box, it's been a long time. I think we can be proud of the improvements we've made in six weeks. I'm still not quite back to where I need to be, but we're well and truly on the way. A huge thanks to everyone who's helped me get here, all the people back home, my medical team, the specialists and surgeons who got my health back on track, and to Monster Energy, Fox for making this season possible."

    
1. Daniela Guillen; 2. Courtney Duncan

WMX – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), 26:08.278; 2. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:01.113; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:11.694; 4. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), +0:16.593; 5. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +1:04.890; 6. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +1:08.856; 7. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:23.486; 8. April Franzoni (FRA, Honda), +1:38.738; 9. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), +1:40.500; 10. Alexandra Massury (GER, KTM), +2:02.102. Fastest lap: Kiara Fontanesi – 2:10.314 (lap 11)

WMX – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), 24:56.427; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:09.105; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:18.618; 4. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), +0:38.860; 5. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, Yamaha), +0:45.319; 6. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), +0:47.422; 7. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.203; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:01.627; 9. Danee Gelissen (NED, Husqvarna), +1:02.370; 10. April Franzoni (FRA, Honda), +1:06.465. Fastest lap: Daniela Guillen – 2:04.383 (lap 3)

WMX Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 50 points; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 42 p.; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 42 p.; 4. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, YAM), 32 p.; 5. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), 30 p.; 7. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 30 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 27 p.; 9. April Franzoni (FRA, HON), 24 p.; 10. Danee Gelissen (NED, HUS), 22 p.

WMX World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 141 points; 2. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 139 p.; 3. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 100 p.; 4. Shana Van Der Vlist (NED, YAM), 89 p.; 5. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 88 p.; 6. Lucy Barker (GBR, KTM), 87 p.; 7. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, YAM), 85 p.; 8. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 84 p.; 9. April Franzoni (FRA, HON), 73 p.; 10. Lynn Valk (NED, TM), 57 p.

WMX Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. GASGAS, 150 points; 2. Yamaha, 107 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 100 p.; 4. KTM, 97 p.; 5. Honda, 88 p.; 6. TM Moto, 57 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 48 p.; 8. Triumph, 26 p.

WMX Podium Great Britain 2026 

MONSTER ENERGY MXGP OF GREAT BRITAIN – FOXHILLS QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1793m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 24˚

Weather conditions: Sunny

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FOXHILLS (Great Britain) 17th July 2026 – It’s a historic weekend for the 2026 MXGP FIM Motocross World Championships as the series returns to the iconic venue of Foxhills Moto Parc for the Monster Energy MXGP of Great Britain, a classic circuit with a fantastic history that has been revamped and renewed to rejoin the World Championship calendar after a 26-year absence!

The Coenen twins, Lucas and Sacha, still lead the way in both Championships, but Jeffrey Herlings, with winning experience in the UK and even this track, will be chasing Lucas hard in MXGP! Guillem Farres has won five of the last six GP races and is closing in on Sacha in MX2, even as the young Belgian is nursing an injury from racing in America!

Running one hour behind Central Europe, this amazing circuit in the south-west of England will amaze viewers both live and online as to how steep the hills are, and how awesome the atmosphere is, in a tightly-packed valley that generates a real cacophony of sound!

MXGP and MX2 are joined by the third round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championships, which will see a resumption of the close battle between Daniela Guillen and Kiara Fontanesi at the top of the table, with a crazy eight-rider battle going on behind them for third in the series!

The entire weekend’s races will be broadcast LIVE on MXGP-TV.com, with the Monster Energy MXGP of Great Britain brought to you by Paul Malin, Lisa Leyland, and Ben Rumbold, with Saturday’s Time Practice sessions also being broadcasted LIVE with Paul and Lisa.

Below you can find a list of all TV channels worldwide that will air LIVE and delayed action, as well as the 26-minute Behind The Gate magazine show featuring the best moments from the races, exclusive interviews and more, will be available on MXGP-TV.com and via our TV magazine partners following the Grand Prix.

All you need to do is log onto www.MXGP-TV.com to see the return of fantastic Foxhills, and enjoy the spectacle of Motocross coming home!

USA CANADA

CBS Sports Network

Sunday 19 July 2026 – WMX Race 2 – 18:00 ET – Delayed

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 ET – Delayed

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 12:00 ET – LIVE

BRAZIL

Bandsports

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

CENTRAL AMERICA

Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico

FOX ONE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

TUBI

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

Tubi México

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

LATIN AMERICA(Except Brazil)

Youtube “Somos FOX”

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

EUROPE

Eurosport 2

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

MAX

Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech republic, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden.

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

BELGIUM 

PLAY SPORTS 3

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

CZECH REPUBLIC 

TV NOVA

NOVA Sport 1

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

ESTONIA

Go3 Sport Open

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

Go3

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

FINLAND

MTV MAX 

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 19:00 Finnish timing  – LIVE

FRANCE

LA CHAINE L’EQUIPE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

Eurosport 2

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

AUTO MOTO TV

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

GREAT BRITAIN

TNT Sports 6

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 GMT – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 GMT – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 GMT – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 GMT  – LIVE

ITALIA

RAI Sport

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 20:45 CET – Delayed

Sunday 5 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 21:45 CET – Delayed

Rai Sport Play

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

LATVIA

Go3 Sport Open

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

Go3

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

LITHUANIA

Go3 Sport Open

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

Go3

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

NETHERLAND

NOS

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

SLOVENIA

Sport TV1

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

SPAIN

TVG2

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

Agalega.gal

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

TV3 Cataluna

Saturday 18 July 2026 – WMX Race 1 – 15:50 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026  – WMX Race 2 – 15:50 CET – Delayed

ASIA

Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
 

EUROSPORT ASIA

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

CHINA

TikTok China

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 15:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 17:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 CET  – LIVE

AUSTRALIA

STAN SPORTS

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 1 – 21:00 AEDT – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MXGP Race 1 – 22:00 AEDT – LIVE

Sunday 19 July 2026 – MX2 Race 2 – 00:00 AEDT – LIVE

Monday 20 July 2026 – MXGP Race 2 – 01:00 AEDT  – LIVE

All races on VOD

26min Behind-the-Gate Magazine Partners:
 

AMERICA

Latin America              You tube Somos FOX              Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

Mexico                        FOX ONE                                 Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

Central America          FOX Tubi                                  Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

                                    FOX ONE                                 Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

USA                             RACER                                     tba

USA                             CBS Sports Network                tba – Junior program only

EUROPE

Albania                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Austria                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Baltics                          TV3 Sport Open                      Thursday after each MXGP

Belgium                       Play sports                              tba

Bosnia                         GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Croatia                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Finland                        MTV MAX                                Wednesday after each event 18:00  Finnish timing

Hungary                      GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Kosovo                        GP1                                        Thursday after each event at 20:15

Montenegro                GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Northern Macedonia  GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Portugal                      SPORT TV                                Tuesday after the event        

Romania                      Look Sport                               Wednesday after each event

Serbia                          GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Slovenia                      Sport TV                                  Thursday after each event at 20:15 

Turkey             TRT                                          tba

INDIA and Subcontinent (Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives)

JIOSTAR                                                                       Wednesday after the event

INDONESIA                  Champions TV

AUSTRALIA

Australia                      Stan Sport                               Wednesday after each event

WORLDWIDE

Worldwide                  YouTube – MXGP TV               16 days after the event.

Worldwide                  Fuel TV                                   

LIVE TIMING – WEEKEND SCHEDULE

SATURDAY – July 18

SUNDAY – July 19

Catch all the racing LIVE on MXGP-TV! 

Saturday’s Time Practice (MXGP/MX2), the Qualifying Races (MXGP/MX2), and Races from all classes will be broadcasted LIVE on MXGP’s streaming service www.MXGP-TV.com, while results throughout the weekend will be available  HERE.

All the photos from the Monster Energy MXGP of Great Britain will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

MXGP Great Britain

The Behind The Gate documentary series began covering the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championships in 2024, alongside the usual MXGP and MX2 coverage.  After all, if female athletes can be featured heavily in such masculine sports as Mixed Martial Arts and Soccer, then why not show their characters in the world of Motocross?  We were able to follow perhaps the biggest name in WMX, Kiara Fontanesi, for Episode 7 of Behind the Gate 2026, entitled “Back to Business”.

Kiara is basically the GOAT of Women’s Motocross. Still only 32 years of age, she first won the WMX title in 2012, and amassed a record six titles within seven seasons, before taking two out of four years away from the sport in order to give birth to her two children, Skyler and Alaska. Returning with a determination to become the first mother to win a Motocross world title, she has finished third and second in each of the last two years, bringing her GP victory tally to 24, one higher than Courtney Duncan at the top of the all-time WMX win list.

With the first two WMX rounds taking place at Lacapelle-Marival in France, and Teutschenthal in Germany, we were able to film with Kiara at the opening round and then interview her the Friday before the German round. She was able to win the first race in France and finish second behind Daniela Guillen in race two, leaving her second only on a tie-break to the Spaniard.  In a room full of Italian crew who know her very well, the atmosphere is always vibrant when Kiara is around, and she was in a determined mood to chase after another world crown.  Here is what she said to us:

BTG: Kiara, thanks for joining us again. Just to start things off there, we started the WMX season in France, not in the sand of Sardegna like in previous years, so how are you feeling about the schedule this year for WMX and yeah, how it could affect you?

KF: It's a pity we only have five rounds, because you cannot mess up any of the races, otherwise, the Championship is gone. But I'm happy we started with the hard-pack track, and Lacapelle was a very, very nice track for me, very technical. Some of the tracks in the calendar, most of them I like, so I think it can be a good Championship.

BTG: You said to Lisa, in the TV interviews, about winning there before, that you didn't remember much about it, but you liked the circuit. What did you like about the track and what do you actually remember from winning there, back in 2011?

KF: Yeah, I remember when I raced there, when the Championship was still with the MX3 class. Lacapelle was a very nice track, it was technical, it was deep, with a lot of ruts, bumps and jumps. So that's what I mainly liked the most last weekend, because it came out being a very technical track, where the high speed doesn't really count, but the way you turn. The way you carry the speed in the corner, to make perfect jumps, and then jump the other one, so you had to be very precise, and I really liked it for sure. I didn't like the second race when we went out with a completely flat track, and full of water, so yeah, I need to work things out a little bit for the second races, when the conditions are like this, but for the rest I really enjoyed it.

BTG: Sorry to ask this, but just talk us through what happened in the Pit Lane if you can please? You had a little stumble in front of the camera?

KF: OK, it's in there is it? I knew you were going to put it in! [Laughs]

BTG: It was a funny moment, it has to go in! I’m sorry…

KF: Well, we were doing Time Practice. I was waiting quite a lot in the Pit Lane, because there was somebody on the floor, so I couldn't go out on the track and make a fast lap. So, as soon as I saw there was a possibility to go, I didn't want to waste time! And I started a little bit too aggressive from the Pit Lane, where it was completely stony, and I was turning a little bit with the handlebar, so my bike slipped down, and I went on the floor in front of the camera, and I was just laughing in my helmet!

BTG: It was good TV, for sure! We got a good look at your crash helmets there, are they designed by your children? Is that the art there? It's very unique and it's very special to you, I feel.

KF: The helmet I have, this year’s one is fully covered by my daughter's drawings, and so there are also their names on there. There is actually a podium with the song “Girls” on it, and basically, they are all designed by them. They did that during the last few months, and put things on that mean the most in our life. So yeah, there is also me on a small tractor, cutting the grass at home. So, it's pretty funny for those who know. And the other one is one representing my dog Otto, he used to come to all the training, or all the races and he was there when I won most of the titles that I've won over the past years. And he passed away just at the beginning of the year. So, he meant a lot to me, and to the whole family and team. So yeah, I wanted to have another element, like the one I had last year with all the drawings from the kids. But last year it wasn't really made from them. This year, yes. So that's the more unique side, yeah.

BTG: Then in France itself, the first race couldn't have gone any better, straight towards the front of the pack there, and then pressing on to a win. So, was it challenging for you? You know, how are you finding the circuit, and yeah, how good was that? It was the first time in some time that you've won the first race of the year, am I right?

KF: Yeah, it was 2013. Starting off the Championship with a pole position, and a first moto win, it has been, somehow, crazy, because it didn't happen for a very long time. It was back in 2013, and at the same time, winning the opening race was always a little bit difficult because of a lot of things. But I really felt super comfortable on the track, and I really enjoyed riding the bike during the whole Saturday programme. I felt super smooth and had a perfect flow on the track, and it was like, somehow, easy to win. I didn't really expect that, so it was just amazing.

BTG: Nice one, and yeah, you touched on it before, but the second race, it was a very different track for you all. You went off very quickly at the start. I think you built like an eight second gap pretty quickly. So, did you have a problem like arm pump, or did something go wrong there? Because suddenly Daniela caught you, and there didn't seem to be much you could do about it?

KF: The second race was pretty strange. I mean, I know exactly what the problem was, and so that's good for sure, to know why you lost a race, and that's how I see it. I mean, I feel like I really lost it, because it was not me, on the bike. I went out of the gate with the same motivation as the day before, and I could see from the start, from the first lap, the problem was that the track was really deep and wet. And I took two big risks in the first lap, where I risked a crash and I went off the track. I thought that if you crashed there, then the race would have been gone and I would have lost so many points for the Championship. And so, the risk, plus the fact that I saw I had a big gap, brought me to ride carefully, to slow down, and to slow down by riding stiff. So, as soon as I saw Daniela was catching me, I tried to make a step and go back pushing, but it was just not possible, because I felt like I just wanted to bring home the race. And somehow, it was something more mental than physical, because I felt like I was not really riding the bike and I was very, very slow. But that was the problem. I risked too much the first lap, and I started to ride stiff, and didn't want to take any extra risk.

BTG: Of course, we saw problems there for Lotte van Drunen as well. She had the crash in race one over the finish line jump there. I did have a smile on my face, and I'm sure you must have had one as well, when you came around the track to lap the number one. I just wanted to get an idea of what you were thinking at that moment.

KF: Well I thought, that's not normal. I didn't know that I was going to be lapping Lotte in race one, because nobody from the team had put it on the board. What they do is put my pace, and the gap between me and the second rider, and I just rode by, enjoying it, and I never looked back, and that's one of the things that makes you think a lot, because it means that if you never look back, you feel you are comfortable with the bike, with the track, and the flow you have. So, I never really looked back and I didn't know where Lotte was. I just realised that she might have some problems, when I saw I was going to lap her. But yeah, for sure, I thought it was immediately good for the Championship to be lapping her at the first race. So, yeah, that was the only thought I had.

BTG. Why do you ride with number eight? What's the story there?

KF: I ride with the number eight because my brother already had that number, when I started to ride, and there's not a real big reason why we started to both use it. But since we use it, we never really wanted to change it, because number eight, it happens so many times in our journey, in our life. Everywhere we go is like, for example, the hotel room here is 108, and the table at the restaurant most of the time is number eight. So that's also, I mean, that's mainly why eight is in our life, but there's not any special reason, just that I always wanted to keep it even when I was winning. I don't like to ride with the number one, because I don't feel like being a number one, I just feel like being myself and I want to ride with my number.

BTG: Obviously, the Championship ahead now, you've come to Germany, a place you've known well in the past years. So yeah, in the season, it's dead level between yourself and Daniela now, so you've got to feel good about your chances this season?

KF: Yeah, it's a good feeling here, there's no problems. Fitness-wise, everything went well in the winter. I mean, I feel comfortable and I’m enjoying this season a lot. Starting off the season with a great ride like I did in France, it's always positive. I like to be here in Teutschenthal, I like the track, and yeah, I'm just enjoying the track and just enjoying the process. For sure it's going to be a tight Championship, because even if you win, there's not any way you can get so many points to arrive in Australia with a big gap. So, it's like starting now with four rounds, because we are on the same points, so it's just like a Championship of four rounds now. And so, we need to be focused and make no mistakes.

Epilogue

Kiara did indeed make precious few mistakes in Teutschenthal, apart from a slight excursion off the track in race one, which allowed Van Drunen through into second behind Guillen, but then the Dutch reigning Champion crashed trying to make a move on Daniela and she dropped to third behind Kiara and Courtney Duncan.  It got worse for Lotte with a big crash in race two, while Kiara took a steady second to claim second overall, dropping just six points behind Guillen.  Next up is Foxhills, where she will be keen to score her first victory in the UK after three podium finishes across her four visits to the previous circuit at Matterley Basin.  It could be crucial with just the sand of Arnhem and the heat of Darwin to come after this weekend.  Whatever the outcome, the pro that is Kiara Fontanesi will make sure that she is in contention.