Two consecutive days of podium-winning performances could really wear a girl out, but Otago’s Courtney Duncan reckons she’s just getting warmed up.

The 18-year-old multi-time former national junior motocross champion from Palmerston – about halfway between Oamaru and Dunedin – stormed to victory on both Saturday and Sunday of Labour Weekend, proving to be one of the stand-out performers of the annual MX Fest event at Taupo.

Not even fellow Yamaha ace and national women’s champion Sarah Elwin, of Taihape, had an answer to Duncan’s blistering pace on Saturday as Duncan scored an impressive hat-trick of wins.

Elwin was runner-up each time and Tauranga’s Jessie Waterhouse took her Yamaha YZ125 to post a 3-3-4 scorecard and claim the third spot on the podium, making it a Yamaha 1-2-3.

Duncan then showed she was obviously back to her scintillating best and keen to mix it with the boys in the National 125cc class the next day as well.

She has resolved to again be competitive in this testosterone-fuelled hot-bed of New Zealand’s rising stars of motocross and for anyone who dared to question Duncan’s championship potential, the answer came very quickly indeed at Taupo on Sunday as she lined up against the young men in the National 125cc class and qualified her Fox-supported Yamaha in the No.1 position, ahead of fellow Yamaha riders Aaron Smith (Epic Decals Yamaha), of Taupo, and Hawera’s Nick Hornby (Performance Factory Yamaha).

She finished 1-3-4-1 in her four National 125cc class races and then also managed a remarkable 19th placing against the 250cc and 450cc men in the all-in feature at the end of the day, giving Duncan the outright 125cc class win ahead of Onewhero’s Jayden Turnwald (BikesportNZ.com KTM), with Smith finishing the day third overall.

“It was certainly a good way to start the season off,” said Duncan afterwards.

“But there is always room for improvement. My starts let me down and I know I can’t afford to start way back in the pack and expect to come through. My pace is good though and I expect to be better the next time I race.

“I’ve got a couple of race meetings to do in the Southern Motocross Series and there I will race in with the MX2 (250cc) boys, just to give me tougher competition. I’ll race the National 125cc class at the Auckland Motocross Championships (on December 6-7) and then I plan to tackle all rounds of the nationals.”

Duncan’s comeback from injury has been remarkable.

She had been sidelined for much of 2013, after suffering concussion while racing in the United States that year.

Duncan had not raced at all in her native New Zealand for exactly a year until she showed up at the opening round of the 2014 New Zealand Motocross Championships near Timaru nine months ago.

She finished an uncharacteristic fourth overall that day and dropped out of the series at round two, ending the four-round series with a National 125cc class ranking of 19th, and that’s something she dearly wants to rectify.

The weekend’s MX Fest at Taupo was her first major shake-down ahead of the 2015 nationals, which will kick off near New Plymouth in February, and it would be a brave person indeed who’d bet against her being a title contender.

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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