Motorsport: Kiwi Courtney Duncan excited by WMX team switch but slow start mars title bid

Courtney Duncan has joined F&H Racing for the Women’s Motocross World Championship.

Courtney Duncan is excited to have switched to a better-resourced team but will have to overcome a slow start to claim a fifth world title this season.

The Women’s World Motocross (WMX) champion left British Kawasaki squad BIKE IT Dixon Racing Team late last year, moving to the Netherlands to join F&H Racing.

Duncan called the switch a no-brainer.

“I’ve now got more resources and other stuff than I had in the past,” the 28-year-old said. “The team and everything about them are much more in sync and aligns more with what my purposes are.

“I’ve also moved to Holland to work on the sand, which is a weakness of mine, and training in tougher conditions will be good for me.

“It’s a good change for me and a steep learning curve as well. I’m enjoying it, though, and I needed to move on.

“Here, I have the support and people I need at my fingertips, and it’s all for the better.

“I’m really motivated at the moment. I want to see how many more wins and how good I can be, and the challenge of winning with a new team is rewarding.”

The opening two race weekends were indeed a challenge for Duncan, who finished third and 19th in Spain in March before two fifth places in Sardinia in April.

She achieved more familiar results in the latest round in Galicia in north-western Spain, finishing first and second in the weekend’s two races.

That lifted Duncan from seventh to fifth overall on 101 points but she remains 40 behind leader Lotte van Drunen of the Netherlands with four rounds remaining.

It can take time for a rider to get in sync with a new team, dealing with a different bike, engineers, mechanics and team set-up.

“It’s been a tough start to the season, no doubt. I’m not a quitter and I’ve just got to keep going and working, and hopefully things will be better this weekend,” said Duncan ahead of the Galicia round.

“I had a knee operation during the off-season that has hampered things a bit. That put a stop to pre-season training and that impacted my preparation for the opening races.

“All the testing I missed would have really helped with getting to know the team and bike before the start [of the season].

“The bike is still a Kawasaki but there are quite a few things different and I’ve had to make a few more adjustments than I thought.

“The new bike and everything are quite different to what I’m used to, and not having the pre-season has hindered me a bit.

“You just have to make the best of the situation. It’s not as if I haven’t had injuries before, I just have to work through it.”

Women’s motocross has become increasingly popular, especially in Europe, and the standard is improving every year.

Italian Kiara Fontanesi, third in the current standings, has six world championships and Duncan is determined to eclipse her record.