Shana van der Vlist blitzed the EMX Women field at Round 2 of 5 at Vasoul, France at the weekend, going 1-1 for the Overall win ahead of 4x WMX Champion Steffi Laier.
Raising the stakes on gaining much needed momentum heading into Women MX World Championship Round 2 in couple of weeks time, Shana puts paid to her focus on starts, maintaining good rhythm and smart line choice.
#188: ‘I took the holeshot in both motos which was really great. The starts helped me a lot. It was a litte wet in the first moto, with only a few good lines and difficult to pass. Taking the hole-shot I made it easier for myself and I tried to find a good rhythm. I had a lot of arm pump, so I was really happy that I could finish the race in 1st position’.
‘The track was a lot drier in the second moto, with a lot of ruts. I took the hole-shot again and I felt better on my bike and more relaxed. I made a bigger gap to the other girls and raced my own moto with good lap-times’.
With pre-qualifying Practice on wet track, Shana wasn’t concerned on posting cautious lap-time, knowing racing on Sunday would bring different race conditions.
#188: ‘I didn’t change anything on my bike after Practice. In the pre-qualifying the track was really wet and it was raining the whole time. I was a bit too careful and I didn’t really push myself, because I didn’t want to crash. My time was not good, but I knew I could do a lot better in the races. I knew Sunday was more important than the practice’.
Defintely taking the Overall win is boost to confidence, not just mental note that Shana can strategize race-craft to nail results, but also confirmation that the petite #188 shows adaptablity along with bike technique to switch from racing sand to hard-pack over course of back-to-back race weekends.
#188: ‘I think the bike time made me feel more comfortable and I really like to compete in races, instead of practices. Racing against fast girls makes you stronger’.
Now, holding the Red Plate in EMX Women Championship standings, with 6 point buffer from Germany’s Steffi Laier, Shana stays keen to race EMX Women Round 3 in Denmark this coming weekend, before heading to Portugal to race WMX Round 2 on May 19th.
#188: I really enjoyed the second moto, I felt comfortable and I really liked the track in France. The next race will be in Denmark and I will do the best I can’.
Header Photo: Shana van der Vlist EMX Women Round 2 Photo Credit: Niek Fotografie
Words: Sharon Cox.
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