Tough.
Resilient.
Determined.
Three-times women’s motocross world champion Courtney Duncan is all of those things.
The 27-year-old is in some career-best form and chasing a fourth title in what is her eighth season on the circuit.
She leads the competition standings after four rounds and is nicely placed to return home with another winner’s medal.
The Palmerston Flyer has won four of her last five races and recently beat the record for the most wins in the championship.
Duncan has seen the checkered flag first 22 times in her career — one more than rival Italian Kiara Fontanesi.
That rivalry has been there since the beginning of Duncan’s professional career in 2016.
"She is a fierce competitor. I mean she has won six world titles, so that speaks for itself really," Duncan said.
"Ever since I’ve been on the word tour, I’ve been head-to-head with her, so we definitely have a pretty strong rivalry. It is fun.
"I’ve never been one to chase records, to be fair. But I did see I was inching closer [to the record] at the end of last year.
"It’s a pretty good feeling."
Motivated
That rivalry has helped bring out the best in Duncan over the years. She has always been motivated to win races and rise to the top.
Right from her rookie year it was clear Duncan had the speed. She won her first race and it all looked, well, too easy.
But nothing is easy at the top.
Events unfolded which would test her mettle more than she could have ever imagined.
A collision with a stray photographer robbed her of a shot at the title in her rookie year.
The 2017 season was derailed when she crashed into a fence after swerving to avoid a pile-up in the penultimate race of the year.
She had a huge series lead in her third season but was forced out with a foot injury.
Her toughness, resilience and determination really came to the fore, because for the first time she really started questioning herself.
The back-to-back-to-back disappointments had eroded her confidence and chipped away at her belief. Doubt was riding pillion.
But Duncan was still at the handle bars and battled back like she has on the track so often during her career.
The adversity has helped make her the rider she is today.
"You don’t see it at the time. All you see is yourself falling short and failing. You do question yourself, like ‘do I have what it takes?’.
"I just had to persevere until I learnt how to put all the pieces of the puzzle in place."
"I wouldn’t be a three-time champ if I hadn’t failed those first three years, I think."
‘Smarter’
Duncan is a much "smarter" rider than one who left the motocross community stunned by her speed in her debut.
"I came in a rookie and had unbelievable speed right off the bat. That was good enough to dominate and win the odd race.
"But I was almost too fast for my own good. I did not know how to manage that speed or match that with a race strategy.
"Now I know when to push and when to back it off."
Duncan also underestimated just how hard it would be to be away from home. The track conditions were different, you were dealing with culture shock, and even little things "like packing your bags and heading off alone not knowing who is picking you up at the other end" were challenging.
Then heap on top of that all the setbacks she faced in her first three seasons and you have a toxic mix.
She even considered quitting the sport.
"Especially after the third one. That one really hit home."
"I had a 26-27 point lead in the championship and suddenly I was out. That was hard to accept and I struggled a lot with that, if I’m going to be honest.
"I probably did not deal with it the right way either.
"I was just silent, man. I didn’t talk to people for ages. I just didn’t want to be around them.
"I didn’t want to confront home, I remember that.
"Honestly, I felt like I was a failure. That was my third go at it and I was expected to win, in everyone eyes and my own. But I fell short again and it was really hard to accept.
"It was tough that year. I was close to walking away that year, to be fair."
Contrast
The contrast between that year and the next could not be starker.
Her home town of Palmerston emptied out to welcome her home at the Dunedin Airport after she had claimed the 2019 title.
"I’d go through it all again to experience what it feels like for those five seconds after the finish line as a champion rider," she said.
Duncan went on to win three consecutive titles. A collarbone injury ruined her charge last season, but this year she is back at the top.
"If I stop and look back at what I’ve achieved I guess it is pretty special.
"But at the same time, I never really look back. I look to what I want to achieve and I still feel like there is so much left to go."
"I feel like I’m starting to find some of the best form of my career right now."
The WMX resumes in the Netherlands in mid-August.
