Courtney Duncan and DRT Kawasaki sensationally clinched their second consecutive FIM World WMX Women‰Ûªs Motocross Championship title after an enthralling final round at Pietramurata in northern Italy.
Courtney Duncan and DRT Kawasaki sensationally clinched their second consecutive FIM World WMX Women‰Ûªs Motocross Championship title after an enthralling final round at Pietramurata in northern Italy.
Starting the final round of the series four points shy of the points-leader Nancy Van De Ven,the twenty-three year old from Dunedin in New Zealand immediately stamped her authority on the event by claiming pole position in Qualifying but her immediate rival for the title parked directly inside Courtney at the start gate for race one and the Kiwi girl found herself on the ground halfway to the first corner as they touched.
Losing twenty seconds to the race leader before turn one, and separated by twenty-six other riders, the Kawasaki rider kept a cool head and started an unbelievable catch-up race; already thirteenth by the end of the opening lap, but continually forced to leave the ideal racing line to make passes, she was third by the end of lap four but the gaps to the girls ahead were enormous as the leaders had enjoyed a free track.
Just past half-distance in the twenty-minute-plus-two-lap race Courtney moved into second place; however race leader, Van De Ven, was still twenty seconds ahead.
Relentlessly closing down her rival Duncan jumped into the final lap on the leader‰Ûªs rear wheel and swept majestically to the front with a decisive move around the outside at the next turn to hold the inside at the following corner and come home winner by just over two seconds. The six-point last lap turnaround meant she carried a five-point advantage over each of her closest rivals into the final moto of the series.
Each of the title candidates steered clear of trouble at the start of race two with Duncan initially fourth; secure in the knowledge that third place would be sufficient to retain the world title, no matter how her rivals fared, she took over that position with a neat inside pass on the opening lap, advancing to an even more secure second on lap three before settling into a solid error-free rhythm.
