Courtney Duncan could not have asked for more from the Spanish MXGP.
The Kawasaki rider claimed two FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship trophies, the round victory and the coveted WMX championship leader’s red plate at the halfway mark of the season.
Duncan was dominant at the Xanadu Arroyomolinos track, winning her first double-moto victory of the season, at the third WMX round. It was her 21st GP win and placed her first-equal in the all time series record books.
The track, near Madrid, has always been kind to Duncan. She secured victory in her previous two rounds there as well.
"I got the red plate back and went 1-1, so pretty satisfied with that," Duncan said.
"I don’t know what it is about Spain, but I’ve always had success here and I really enjoy the layout of the track."
The Dunedin rider signalled her intentions early last weekend, lapping 0.75 seconds faster than any of her rivals in the practice session.
During Saturday’s opening two laps, she quickly advanced from a cautious third-placed start to take over the lead before the end of the opening lap.
Moving clear of her chasers at the rate of 2 seconds per lap, Duncan led comfortably by 15 seconds at the halfway mark, eventually cruising home 28 seconds ahead of Italian runner-up Kiara Fontanesi.
The 25-point moto victory also moved her to the head of the championship standings by five points going into the second race.
Duncan was closed down coming out of the start gate but did not panic and moved steadily up to fifth.
The sticky track conditions featured deep ruts in many of the turns due to the track-watering necessary to combat the intense Spanish heat.
As usual, the tougher it got, the better Duncan rode.
She chose her lines cleverly to avoid coming together with her rivals, picked them off one-by-one, and moved to the front on the fourth of 11 laps.
She then eased away to take the chequered flag by 7 seconds.
She now takes a 10-point WMX lead to the next round of the series at Villars-sous-Ecot in France in a fortnight.
Kawasaki also extended its lead in the manufacturers' championship to 16 points.
"It feels good to have the red plate back, but at the same time it’s just as important to go out and do my best every moto," she said.
"As long as I have the red plate at the end of the season, that’s all that matters."
After taking the overall win at the second WMX round at Frauenfeld, Switzerland, at Easter, Duncan felt like she was on a roll.
"It was cool to carry on the momentum this weekend and hopefully we can carry it on to France in two weeks’ time."
— Staff reporter
