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Dunedin’s Courtney Duncan has won her second consecutive FIM Motocross Women’s World Championship, by the least, in a tense and dramatic race in Italy.
The 24-year-old will bring the gold plaque and winner’s trophy to New Zealand after one of the most dramatic finishes of the Covid-shortened season in Italy on Saturday (local time).
Commentators from the Pietramurata hard-track race for the Trentino final MXGP witnessed something extremely special in person and Duncan’s fans could only watch on the screens, with the event behind closed doors, as he produced his career race in the penultimate race. .
WMX was up until the last minute, as only four points separated championship leader Nancy Van De Ven from the Netherlands from DRT Kawasaki’s Duncan.
Germany’s Larissa Papenmeier was just 2 points behind with 160 and Kiara Fontanesi not far behind also with 156 points.
As the women walked out the gate, Duncan got off to the worst possible start as another rider stepped in front of her and knocked her off balance. His front wheel came up, hit the rear of Van De Ven and hit the ground.
Unharmed, a determined Duncan jumped back aboard her Kawasaki KX250 and to her credit was the fact that Van De Ven and Fontanesi also fell at the first corner.
Returning from the dead, the kiwi ran the race of her life as she systematically made her way through the field in a seemingly impossible quest to catch the race leader, Papenmeier.
As the 20 minutes plus 2 laps ticked by, Duncan continued to improve passing, using lines no one else was prepared to use and double jumping on some of the jumps, setting up an epic final showdown with Papenmeier.
With 8 minutes to go and 20 seconds behind the German driver, Duncan’s task seemed out of reach, but he kept up the pressure. Eventually Papenmeier collapsed, losing the front of his motorcycle on the third to last lap and falling; his 10-second lead quickly evaporated.
Taking the lead on the final lap, Duncan stepped forward to claim an incredibly vital and well-deserved fifth victory of the season 2.04sec behind Papenmeier, with Lynn Valk of the Netherlands in third. As Van De Den and Fontanesi finished fifth and sixth respectively, it gave Duncan a significant cushion of five points before the final race of the season just hours later.
“The start was terrible and I went down. Fortunately, a couple of the others fell as well. It was such a crazy race. I have my team in the pit box to thank, they kept me at it, letting me know how I was sitting.
“Definitely proud of how I stayed calm in that situation. This is far from over. We have one more ahead of us and you can bet I’m going to fight for it,” Duncan enthused.
When the gate came down, the Kiwi found itself in fifth place at the first corner on a track that was not easy. Rugged and bumpy, she was going to challenge the best riders in the world. The Kiwi took her time making her moves, mindful of the fact that her dominance of the championship was tenuous at best.
On lap 6, he was just 2 seconds behind the leader Van De Ven when they encountered traffic on laps. After a six-lap battle, a determined Fontanesi made a move on Duncan and passed her for second. Staying calm, Duncan did what he had to do and rode smartly to finish third and defend his world championship crown.
At the end of the race, both Van De Ven and Duncan were tied with 207 points, and the championship was decided by victories. It was Duncan’s victories at Matterley Basin, Mantova and Trentino today that helped her secure the gold plate for the second year in a row.
Van De Ven was forced to settle for a silver medal this season, while Papenmeier took bronze.
Duncan’s season unfolded with a perfect first weekend at Matterley Basin with two wins; a slide down the standings with fourth and second at Valkenswaard; a win and DNF at Mantova and bounced back with a second and a first on the same track just three days later.
Duncan, who grew up in the small town of Palmerston in Otago, wept happy tears while giving his post-race interview.
“I am so speechless. Just with all the uncertainty, it has been such a difficult year for me this year. That big crash in Mantova, to get back on my bike and see my bent handlebars. I thought no, is this championship over?
“But I kept believing and when times got tough we moved on. I have to thank my entire team, everyone who supports me. This is for everyone, I can’t do this alone, so thank you!”
“It was so close. Coming to the final round, all the girls were doing very well. The points were separated by 10, so this weekend they probably put us all under the bomb.
“Fortunately I got that first race because Nancy and Kiara were in the second and they set a really good rhythm. I’m so thankful. I’ve had a lot of tough times and getting this championship feels really good.
Thank you to all the girls for a really good and challenging year. It’s good for the fans who are not here and watching on television and when a championship is close, I think everyone enjoys it. We will enjoy this one! ”
Kawasaki New Zealand Managing Director Shane Verhoeven said: “I think we all witnessed a true champion in Trentino this weekend. Congratulations to Courtney and the Dixon Racing Team for an outstanding effort to bring the championship home after taking a bad hand of cards in race one and still triumphing. “
Duncan returns to New Zealand next week and will begin his two-week quarantine.
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