Motorsport: World Motocross champion Courtney Duncan aiming to get title defence back on track

Courtney Duncan has a nine-point lead in the standings. Photo / Photosport

Two-time women's World Motocross champion Courtney Duncan is looking to make amends this weekend at the double-header round at Afyonkarahisar in Turkey after a lacklustre last round.

The Kiwi got the defence of her title off to a flying start at the GP of Czech Republic in Loket with two comprehensive race wins. It was the third time Duncan has opened her championship campaign with double wins.

However, round two on the heavy and deep sands at GP Flanders-Belgium at Lommel turned out to be a challenge with Duncan only managing a sixth and a third to drop into second place behind series leader Dutchwoman Shana van der Vlist.

The sand tracks in Belgium aren't found anywhere else in the world, so are Duncan's least favourite surface.

"Lommel was tough, but we knew that was going to happen," Duncan told the Weekend Herald from Turkey. "We knew it was going to be a tough one and we salvaged what we could.

"I put my best effort into the two races, fought all the way to the chequered flag and banked important points.

"I have to remind myself that championships are won on your bad days. I'm going to keep my chin up and keep working hard. We're in a positive position and there's a long way to go."

Duncan is in an upbeat mood as she heads to Turkey knowing the track and surface will suit her riding style. A big fan of hard-packed surfaces, the races in Turkey will be a great opportunity for her to wrest the championship lead from Van der Vlist, and set herself up for a third world title.

The 25-year-old has fond memories of Afyonkarahisar as she won both races there in 2019 on her way to winning her first WMX World Championship, so confidence will be high.

"It's good to be able to get going again. I feel really good and I've had some good bike time and definitely feel like I've improved a bit. I'm excited to see how it all pans out this weekend.

"The layout this weekend seems to be the same as the last time I raced here and on a surface I like.

"The competition is pretty tough, but that's what comes from carrying the No 1 plate. I do choose to run the No 1 plate, so I guess you do have a little bit of added pressure, but I'd rather be in that position than a fifth-place runner with no pressure. We're ready to go."

Duncan was on a new Kawasaki KX250 at the last round in Belgium and will be even more comfortable on the bike this weekend. The bike is relatively similar to her previous model, and the team has had the European summer break to make any changes to make the bike better for the weekend.

"We've not done too much more to the bike. It was just a matter of getting me to be a bit more comfortable on the bike and getting used to the race setup. Bike speed is pretty good and I think we've proved that with the starts.

"Other than that everything's pretty good and I'll get the intensity up and be stronger in the first two laps of the motos.

"I'm going to go out there and do the best I can do and that's probably the most I can ask for. I'm only a few points off the championship lead."