Four-time Women’s Motocross World Champion Kiara Fontanesi to Contest IA2 Class at Season Finale of the 2017 All Japan Motocross Championship

September 6, 2017 - Women’s Motocross World Championship (WMX) contender Kiara Fontanesi will race in the IA2 class at Round 9 (MFJGP) of the All Japan Motocross Championship set to be held at Sportsland SUGO in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan on October 22, 2017.

Hailing from Italy, the 23-year-old quickly distinguished herself in her 2009 debut season in WMX and finished the 2011 season in the runner-up spot. From 2012 onward, she won four titles in a row, making her the most successful WMX rider of all time and proving her skills and talent to the world.

Spending the 2016 season with a different manufacturer, injuries played a part in her finishing 4th overall, but she returned to Yamaha for 2017 and sits 2nd in the standings just three points down on the championship leader with two rounds remaining in the six-round series. As such, a fifth career championship title is well within striking distance.

In April this year, she also became the first female rider to race in the Motocross World Championship’s MX2 class on Dutch soil at Round 6, the Grand Prix of Europe. Though she was not able to finish in the points, she successfully ran the full number of laps to finish both motos.

Yamaha has been aiming to revitalize motocross racing in Japan in recent years by bringing its riders active in Europe and North America to race in the MFJGP. By inviting the world’s fastest female motocross racer to race in Japan this time, Yamaha hopes to attract a wide range of new male and female fans to the sport.

Since Fontanesi races the YZ250F in WMX, she will compete in the male-dominated IA2 class that also uses 250cc machines, and face off against young and up-and-coming Japanese motocross stars like the Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s Yusuke Watanabe.

Kiara Fontanesi

“I’m really thankful to Yamaha and the race organizers for this amazing opportunity. I’m excited to be able to race in Japan where my YZ was born and at Yamaha’s home course of Sportsland SUGO. When I stepped in to ride in MX2 earlier this year, it reminded me that racing against riders at a higher level is a great way to improve my own skills. The IA2 class is filled with Japanese riders at about my age, so I’m looking forward to making some new discoveries and maybe pick up some hints for my own riding. Since I’ve been given this chance to show what I can do as both a Yamaha rider and as a WMX title-winner, I’ll be aiming for the top positions and to put in a good performance for all the Japanese motocross fans, so please come out to Sportsland SUGO. I’m looking forward to meeting everybody!”

Rider Profile

Kiara Fontanesi

Nationality: Italian
Born: March 10, 1994

Racing Career
2017: 2nd in Women’s Motocross World Championship (as of Round 4)
2016: 4th in Women’s Motocross World Championship
2015: Women’s Motocross World Champion
2014: Women’s Motocross World Champion
2013: Women’s Motocross World Champion
2012: Women’s Motocross World Champion
2011: 2nd in Women’s Motocross World Championship
2010: 4th in Women’s Motocross World Championship
2009: 9th in Women’s Motocross World Championship