Amandine Verstappen in Knack: 'I would rather die than hand over my motorcycle!'
It was not big news in the media, but the very first Belgian GP win for a woman in motocross is in the name of Amandine Verstappen. This year she won the Dutch GP in Valkenswaard with a second place in both series. She lives in Bassenge between Tongeren and Liège and the magazine Knack went to the edge of the language border for a clear conversation with Amandine.
She is currently fourth in the world championship. With Italy and Turkey, there will be two more GPs on the calendar so that Verstappen can move up a few places, but that of course also requires some luck. Her goal is to be on the podium in the final standings.
A cough reveals traces of bronchitis. She has been struggling with it for a while, she says. Yet a week before our meeting she won the French championship, a regularity criterion in which she remained undefeated. 'That victory was nice, but it was not my main goal. Soon I want to be on the World Cup podium at all costs.'
Last year, Verstappen finished the season sixth, far behind her competitors Courtney Duncan, Nancy van de Ven and Larissa Papenheimer, women who are all older and stronger. She says she is not surprised by her big leap forward. At the beginning of this year she switched from KTM to Yamaha, and the new bike is a lot better: more power, smoother in the corners.
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