Courtney Duncan dominates in Turkey to win fourth WMX World Title

Courtney Duncan brings home her fourth FIM World WMX Women’s Motocross Championship title at Afyon in Turkey, winning the final round and claiming the gold medal on her Big Van World MTX Kawasaki.

Leading up to the sweep of Duncan’s fourth victory in six rounds of the 2023 FIM World WMX Women’s Motocross Championship. Riders battled through some seriously slick conditions on track from the storm the previous day, combined with the threat of blinding roost from rear wheels making visibility an issue. With the sun coming out just in time for the final moto, the slippery conditions meant non-stop concentration throughout the twenty-minute-plus-two lap race was essential, even though Duncan only needed a mere 4 points to secure the title.

The Kiwi champ showed all her experience to hang back patiently from the two riders ahead of her, keeping her goggles clean to ensure clear vision for as long as possible, on lap five of ten the Monster Energy and Kawasaki star built a safe pass for second and managed to avoid danger throughout the final laps to clinch world title number four with her fourth GP victory of the season and fourth consecutive victory at the track in Turkey.

Courtney Duncan: "Honestly, I was not too stressed today; I knew what I needed to do and I know how to ride mud. Anything can happen in these conditions, but I got a good start and just stayed upright. It was difficult and slippery, but it was the same for everyone and I ran it home in second; that was enough for the overall victory and the championship. It's been a really good season with four GP wins, and we were really consistent; for sure it's a challenge when there are such long breaks between some races after you have started to build momentum, but we kept our focus. I feel like we definitely stepped it up this year and my Kawasaki never missed a beat.

This title means so much to me; the first one in 2019 was a sigh of relief, getting the monkey off my back, but I got knocked down last year with my injury and I really wanted to raise the bar this year. It took a lot of hard work but my mom is here this weekend for the first time and to experience one with her is very special so first we'll enjoy this one and then we'll start to work for the next one!"
 

Following in Duncan’s tread was sixteen-year-old Dutch wunderkind Lotte van Drunen, rounding out the Kawasaki success story as she claimed the WMX world series bronze medal in her rookie season. However it was an eventful ride for van Drunen, after getting closed out on the drive into turn one and coming off a few corners later, she showed sheer determination to push forward from sixteenth to eighth to secure the bronze medal. This along with a GP win in front of her home fans earlier this year, and four moto victories through the season will stand as remarkable achievements in her rookie season.
 
Lotte van Drunen: "Today wasn't my day, I crashed in the first few corners and had to go into pit lane for fresh goggles. But it's been an amazing rookie season with a GP win, three podiums, the red plate and third in the series. I've learnt from my mistakes and already fired up for next season; we'll be working hard this winter to do even better in 2024."

Congratulations Courtney and Lotte on an amazing ride this season. We can’t wait to see you back on the track and charging hard in 2024.