Courtney Duncan interview
Words: Kawasaki and Mike Ryan
Photos: Kawasaki
New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan is once again a Women’s World Motocross Champion, after wrapping up this year’s title in the final round of the FIM WMX series that’s part of the MXGP championship. The 27-year-old from Palmerston has now won four WMX titles in the past five years.
Courtney’s 2023 title was also a win for Kawasaki, who claimed their third WMX manufacturers’ world championship this year, thanks in no small measure to Courtney’s success.
Courtney made her WMX debut in 2016 and won her first World Championship in 2019 after switching from Yamaha to a Kawasaki squad managed by UK-based Dixon Racing Team (DRT). She repeated that success in 2020, then again in 2021. The chance to make it four in a row ended when a broken collarbone saw Courtney miss two rounds of the 2022 season, compounded by the calendar being cut from six rounds to five last year.
Last year’s disappointment meant that Courtney came to the 2023 WMX season as the hunter, not the hunted. The Kiwi started the year with respectable 3-4 results at the opening GP in Italy on her Team Big Van World MTX Kawasaki KX250, while defending WMX World Champion, Holland’s Nancy van de Ven (Yamaha), finished ninth overall.
Courtney then racked up round wins at the Swiss, Spanish and French GPs to take a healthy lead, while a fractured right tibia and fibula for van de Ven at the French GP put her out of championship contention.
At the penultimate WMX round in Holland, hometown girl Lotte van Drunen won both motos, but Courtney carded a 4-3 result on her KX250 to retain the red plate.
One hand on the trophy coming into the 2023 WMX finale in Turkey on 2-3 September turned into a firm grip when Courtney won the opening moto. That meant the Kiwi only needed to finish 17th or better in the second moto to win the championship.
On a track made tougher by heavy overnight rain, Lynn Valk (Fantic) won the second moto, but a runner-up result for Courtney was more than enough to claim the title and put an exclamation point on her 2023 season.
“Honestly, I was not too stressed,” Courtney said after the second moto. “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’s been a really good season, with four GP wins, and we were really consistent. I feel like we really stepped it up this year and my Kawasaki never missed a beat.”
To that last point, Courtney has had no mechanical DNFs in her five seasons on the Kawasaki KX250.
Time to Reflect
A fortnight after her fourth WMX World Championship and ahead of a return to New Zealand for some well-earned downtime, Courtney spoke at length about this year’s title, comparing championships, career highlights and what’s ahead.
It's been a couple of weeks since you won your fourth world title ... has it sunk in yet?
I've spent two weeks with my best friend, touring Europe a bit; it's something I never really got to do before. I don't think it sunk in straight away in Turkey. It took some time, but it's slowly sinking in now. World title number four is really special - I'm not going to lie - so we'll enjoy it for a couple of weeks and then get back to work.
Are you looking forward to going home to New Zealand to celebrate with family and friends?
Yes, that's also really important. I've spent a huge amount of time preparing with my friends, my family and my team back home. They're all really valuable and have played an important role, so to get back home and share this achievement with them is special, too.
Could you have imagined such a successful career when you first started riding?
I haven't even thought about it, to be fair. Like I said, four is really special, but for me, I want to win another four! When I can get this and, one day, hang up my boots, I hope I can look back at my career and say it was a really good one.
What has been the most significant moment in your career?
Nobody can understand unless you have done it. Europe is a long way from New Zealand and when I left home at nineteen, I packed my bags to travel to the other side of the world - alone. You leave everything behind; you leave your comfort zone and you don't know what you're going into. It's a heavy learning curve with a whole different culture, tracks, way of life. It's just a different world.
There's so much to learn and you only have a few opportunities to make it happen. You have to learn quickly. I feel like I adapted fast, but at the same time, I made a whole lot of mistakes along the way. It was not an easy transition, but I guess you can say it has been successful in the end.
How would you compare your four titles?
The first one is always special and the way I was able to win my first championship, too. It wasn't just given to me; I really had to persevere. I was a kid that had so much talent and potential and for so many years I still didn’t make it happen. I felt the weight on my shoulders, so when I could finally win that first title [in 2019], it was a whole lot of relief - I got the monkey off my back - so there will be nothing that will ever compare with that.
Title number four is also very important. To come back after the collarbone injury was tough; I had to drive my programme to a new level this year and a whole amount of self-ambition and help went in there. When you're able to cross the finish line, it's a proud moment and one when I could repay my family and everyone who has helped me. [This year] was the first time my mum could be there to share it with me and that made it extra special and gave me a lot of satisfaction.
How important has Kawasaki been in your career?
Kawasaki has been a huge part of my career. I've been with them for five years now and we have won all four of my world titles together. That speaks for itself and I've had really good support [from them] along the way, both here in Europe and also back home in New Zealand. I hope to finish my career with
Do you look to the records to become the most successful woman ever?
For sure, it's a dream, a goal. When I started, I thought ‘Let's win one world title and see what happens’. As you get further in the history books, it plays a little part in your mind, but I'm not a huge chaser of stats for their own sake; I just always want to win and always want to do the best I can. I've obviously had success in my career, but I just want to keep my guard up to what I achieve and hope I can win many more GPs and titles in the future.
