Duncan takes the overall win in Switzerland

11 April 2023

On the fight-back after the season opener on Sardinian sand, New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan took overall victory at the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship’s second round in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, over Easter.

The MXGP of Switzerland’s last edition was held in 2018 – the year before Duncan achieved her first of her three consecutive WMX Championship wins – and the track has been completely renewed since then.

The Big Van World MTX Kawasaki rider Duncan has learned over that time how to get going, when the going gets tough and the first moto’s heavy track following a downpour on Saturday was her time to shine.

Duncan was positioned fourth after the first lap with Italian Kiara Fontanesi quickly taking the lead after the first turns. Spain’s Daniela Guillen was all over her rear wheel making a move early to take the lead off Fontanesi. The two riders were followed by Australian Charli Cannon and Duncan.

Looking quick on her bike, the Kiwi then passed Cannon for third on lap 2, and soon after caught the front two riders Guillen and Fontanesi.

The leading trio created a gap on the rest of the pack as a three-way battle went on between lap 2 and 5. Fontanesi eventually took the lead as she passed Guillen on lap 4, while Duncan, who was in third position at the time, tirelessly piled pressure on the Spaniard. Guillen could not contain Duncan’s speed on lap 5 and dropped down to third.

Dunedin’s Duncan, who lives in England over the WMX championship season, then focused her sights on Fontanesi and passed the six-time world champion on lap 7, keeping the lead until the end. Fontanesi finished second and Guillen settled for third.

Duncan was happy with the first race.

“On Saturday afternoon, the track was super technical and had heaps of lines. Although I didn’t get the best start, I made my way through the pack and into the lead and was able to pull about a 20-second gap by the end of the race,” she says.

On Easter Monday morning, the second race started with Dutchwoman Lotte Van Drunen taking the lead in front of her compatriot Nancy Van de Ven and Duncan. Van de Ven couldn’t contain Duncan’s onslaught and succumbed on lap 3. The front-running trio finished in that same order.

“They flatten the track for moto two and we were up first, so it was hard to make a difference. That being said, I need to work hard on that as well, because we will most likely have many of those this season,” Duncan says.

Duncan’s 1-2 results put her on top of the overall round podium above Van Drunen in second place and Guillen in third.

“I’ve now moved into second – one point off the championship lead – and I made up 9 points this weekend, which was awesome. The next race is Spain in three weeks’ time, so it’s back to the UK, back to work and hopefully we can come out swinging in Spain,” Duncan wraps up.

Kawasaki New Zealand’s Managing Director Shane Verhoeven says: “It’s special to hear the national anthem once again after a solid performance from Courtney in Switzerland. I’m sure this will give her the boost of confidence she needs heading to one of her favourite tracks in Spain next month.”

“While championship leader Lotte shone in her favoured sand conditions in Sardinia, Courtney will be sure to stamp her authority at the hard pack Intu Xanadú track. The racing has been electrifying this season already and we’ll be backing Duncan all the way,” Verhoeven says.

Results

WMX – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:10.055; 2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +0:18.530; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:32.373; 4. Charli Cannon (AUS, Yamaha), +0:39.418; 5. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Kawasaki), +0:41.450; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, Fantic), +0:53.977; 7. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:04.870; 8. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +1:11.407; 9. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), +1:38.530; 10. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:39.096;

WMX – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, Kawasaki), 24:28.136; 2. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +0:09.115; 3. Nancy van de Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:10.011; 4. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GASGAS), +0:30.292; 5. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GASGAS), +0:33.282; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, Fantic), +0:36.647; 7. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:51.825; 8. Charli Cannon (AUS, Yamaha), +0:53.521; 9. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, KTM), +1:08.408; 10. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +1:24.599

WMX – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 47 points; 2. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KAW), 41 p.; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 38 p.; 4. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 38 p.; 5. Charli Cannon (AUS, YAM), 31 p.; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, FAN), 30 p.; 7. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), 22 p.;

WMX – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KAW), 86 points; 2. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 85 p.; 3. Daniela Guillen (ESP, GAS), 85 p.; 4. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, GAS), 61 p.; 5. Charli Cannon (AUS, YAM), 58 p.; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, FAN), 58 p.; 7. Britt Jans-Beken (NED, KTM), 52 p.; 8. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 50 p.; 9. Nancy van de Ven (NED, YAM), 42 p.; 10. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, KTM), 42 p.

WMX Race two https://youtu.be/ghOnZy_Juts

WMX Race one https://youtu.be/J7AqO8_0uLY

Credit: Words by Catherine Pattison

Photos: MXGP

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Duncan signs off 2022 with double victories

Courtney Duncan charges hard off the WMX start line

5 September 2022

It might not have been the fourth FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship title that New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan was aiming for, but a final round victory in Turkey left her rivals under no illusion that she’ll be back with a vengeance in 2023.

Arriving at the MXGP Of Turkey in Afyonkarahisar, following a two-and-a-half-month break in the series’ revised calendar, Duncan quickly demonstrated that she meant business. She topped the first timed practice and went on to win both WMX races.

Duncan says she came into this final round “wanting to finish the season off strong and with a 1-1 we were able to do that, so from that side, it was good.”

“Tough season though, and we are naturally disappointed to lose the crown but proud to keep fighting all the way to the end,” she adds.

Big Van World MTX Kawasaki rider Courtney Duncan (#1) charges hard off the WMX start line in Turkey. PHOTO CREDIT: MXGP

The Big Van World MTX Kawasaki rider, from Otago, had returned to New Zealand to train in her home country following a round win at the series fourth instalment in Spain at the end of May. She had elected to sit out the third outing in Sardinia after breaking her collarbone in April’s second WMX round in Portugal.

Duncan says that she is “gutted that the season is over.”

“With having the injury mid-season, I feel like I’m only getting started and just want to keep racing and building. Next year can’t come quick enough!”

Notching up her third race win for the season yesterday lifted Duncan to seventh in the final WMX standings, with 129 points. Dutchwoman Nancy Van De Ven ended Duncan’s three-consecutive-year winning streak and finally became the 2022 WMX World Champion.

The first title holder from Holland and only the fifth Women’s World Champion, Van De Ven joined multi-time champions and legends of the sport Livia Lancelot, Stephanie Laier, Kiara Fontanesi and Duncan – who have been winners since the series officially became recognised as a World Championship 13 years ago.

While the season belongs to Van De Ven, Turkey was Duncan’s for the taking and in race one, she grabbed the holeshot. After getting caught up with another rider on the second corner, the Kiwi Kawasaki rider dropped back to fifth, allowing Germany’s Larissa Papenmeier to take over first place.

Duncan moved back into the lead after a quick back and forth exchange with Papenmeier on lap 3. The pair pushed each other until the end and finished first and second with Duncan crossing the finish line a mere 0:04.187 secs ahead.

In the second heat, Duncan secured the holeshot again as she led the way in front of Italy’s Elisa Galvagno, Papenmeier, and Dutchwoman Shana Van der Vlist.

The Kiwi then left her competitors to fight it out for the rest of the race and comfortably led the way to charge past the chequered flag first.

It gave Duncan the top step of the final round podium with the perfect 1-1 score card ahead of Papenmeier, who was second, while Denmark’s Sara Andersen was third.

In terms of the WMX Championship standings, Van De Ven was crowned as World Champion after finishing second for the last four years in a row, while Valk secured second, and Papenmeier took third.

Kawasaki New Zealand’s Managing Director Shane Verhoeven says it must have been a “bittersweet weekend for Courtney.”

“She stamped her dominance in Turkey with a 1-1 result but lost out on winning four consecutive championships because of her early-season injury. Covid hindered Courtney’s pre-season preparation, and she only arrived in Europe days before the first round. She can be proud of what she’s achieved this season despite the setbacks.”

“We look forward to seeing her head home over summer, where she can reset and refocus on regaining the title in 2023,” he says.

Results

WMX – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 25:50.372; 2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:04.187; 3. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:19.706; 4. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:28.122; 5. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:31.813; 6. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:32.612; 7. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KTM), +0:34.088; 8. Charli Cannon (AUS, Yamaha), +0:36.062; 9. Martine Hughes (NOR, Honda), +0:44.305; 10. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:51.330;

WMX – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 25:11.376; 2. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:04.502; 3. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:12.989; 4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:14.077; 5. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:16.209; 6. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:18.403; 7. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KTM), +0:19.024; 8. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:33.242; 9. Elisa Galvagno (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:47.982; 10. Tahlia Jade O’Hare (AUS, Honda), +0:54.561;

WMX – Overall Top 10 Classification: 1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 50 points; 2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KAW), 32 p.; 7. Lotte Van Drunen (NED, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 28 p.; 9. Malou Jakobsen (DEN, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Tahlia Jade O’Hare (AUS, HON), 19 p.;

WMX – Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 201 points; 2. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 183 p.; 3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 172 p.; 4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 168 p.; 5. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 138 p.; 6. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, KAW), 134 p.; 7. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 129 p.; 8. Martine Hughes (NOR, HON), 114 p.; 9. Giorgia Blasigh (ITA, YAM), 110 p.; 10. Tahlia Jade O’Hare (AUS, HON), 102 p.;

WMX – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 229 points; 2. KTM, 203 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 178 p.; 4. Honda, 147 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 44 p.; 6. Fantic, 35 p.; 7. GASGAS, 7 p.;

Words: Catherine Pattison