We all know that photographers love to get close to the action. But when is it too close for comfort or safety? And when can a photographer just get in the way?
The photo we have used here has particular relevance to Kiwi bike fans … it shows what happened to New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan at the German GP in 2016.
The Otago woman had won three of the first four races in the Women’s Motocross World Championships (WMX) that year, but she fell victim to a freak crash at the third round of seven in Germany.
She collided with a photographer who should not have been standing on the track. Seriously injured, Duncan returned home for surgery and to recover.
“I came over that jump just like in the eight laps previously, with no problems at all, and this one time there was a photographer standing on the track. There was nothing I could do and a clipped my handlebars on her,” said Duncan.
Duncan was forced to miss the next two rounds – round four in France and round five in Italy, and, although she did come back to win the final two rounds, in Switzerland and The Netherlands, her campaign had been ruined and she had to settle for fifth overall that season.
Of course she did manage to make up for that huge disappointment, winning the world crown three years consecutively for Kawasaki, in 2019, 2020 and 2021, before making it title No.4 last season.
Have a look at this video below of a photographer getting clipped by a rider during an international enduro event.
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