by: Shan Moore
Thursday, March 12, 2015 | 10:30 AM
Kylie Fasnacht got off to a perfect start to the 2015 Women's Motocross Championship (WMX) by taking a 1-1 sweep at the series opener at legendary Daytona International Speedway.
The opening round of the eight-round WMX series was split into two days of racing, the first moto taking place on Sunday, while moto two occurred on Monday, the final day of racing for the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross Championship, which the WMX partnered with for round one of its series.
Fasnacht battled for most of Moto One with Australian off-road star MacKenzie Tricker, the two going back and forth in an aggressive battle for the lead.
“Me and MacKenzie Tricker were going at it pretty hard,” said the Pro Circuit Kawasaki-backed Fasnacht. “We were going back and forth, block passing each other left and right just about every turn. I love racing like that; it’s awesome. It keeps your adrenaline going for sure. It’s a great feeling.”
In the end, it was Fasnacht with the win, after making an aggressive pass on Tricker, while defending series champ Marissa Markelon in third.
Moto two on Monday saw Fasnacht get off the line in fourth behind Yamaha’s Shelby Rolen, Tricker and Team Green’s Kaitlyn Morrow. On lap two Tricker went down, leaving only Rolen and Morrow ahead of Fasnacht.
“Sitting on the gate I knew I had to get out to a good start,” said Fasnacht. “I knew the track was going to be technical out there, it was going to be rough. I had to choose some good lines and put my head down if I didn’t get a good start and make some passes quick.”
At the midway point of the race, after passing Rolen a few laps earlier, Fasnacht was found herself on the rear fender of Morrow.
“I felt myself gaining on Kaitlyn a little bit, halfway through the race,” said Fasnacht. “We came into a turn and I carried so much speed down the straightaway and then I just set up, came out wide and block passed her to the inside. Really fast down the straightaway.”
Once in the lead, Fasnacht was able to pull away to a safe lead before taking the first win of the 2015 season.
The double moto victory gave Fasnacht a total of 50 points for the day in the series standings, compared to 43 points for runner-up Marrow.
The 2015 series marks an eight round schedule which partners with premier amateur motocross events throughout the country – including this weekend’s Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross, Freestone Spring Championship, and California Classic. Additionally, the WMX Championship will also be featured at five rounds of the professional motocross tour with Friday racing at the Hangtown Motocross Classic, High Point National, and the Ironman National, and Sunday racing action after the Tennessee National and RedBud National.
The WMX series resumes on March 21 at Freestone Spring Championship, in Wortham, Texas for round two of its series.
For more information about the 2015 Women's Motocross Series, visit the official website at www.RaceWMX.com or follow Race WMX on Facebook.com/racewmx and at Twitter @RaceWMX.
Women’s Motocross Championship
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
March 8-9, 2015
Round 1 of 8
1. Kylie Fasnacht (Kaw)
2. Kaitlyn Morrow (Yam)
3. Marissa Markelon (Kaw)
4. Shelby Rolen (Yam)
5. MacKenzie Tricker (Yam)
6. Brinsley Dyess (Kaw)
7. Amanda Brown (Hon)
8. Marissa Polencheck (Kaw)
9. Daniel West (Yam)
10. Amber Felicio (Yam)
Media Contact:
Shan Moore
[email protected]