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WMX, Valkenswaard, THE NETHERLANDS, 31 Março 2019

Courtney Duncan fourth despite a crash

A single lapse cost Courtney Duncan victory in the opening round of the FIM World Women's Motocross Championship, but the New Zealander is just five points shy of the championship leader.

Hot off her overwhelming victory in the opening moto on Saturday the Bike It DRT Kawasaki teamster needed just two hundred metres to take the lead again in Sunday morning's second race and, after a couple of laps to settle into a good rhythm, she was again showing her strength as she edged clear of her chasers mid-moto; she appeared to be headed for a double victory until a single error four laps from the finish as the Kiwi girl made a front wheel landed in the soft sand on the landing zone of the finish jump and she was cast brutally over the handlebars. It took her more than a minute to rejoin the race, by which time she had been demoted to ninth place, but the gritty New Zealander displayed courage and determination to regain seventh place by the chequered flag; she missed the podium by just a single point and goes to the second round of the series in Portugal on May 18/19 just five points shy of the championship leader.
 
Courtney Duncan: “It’s a little bit frustrating to miss the win and even the podium as I really felt easy on the bike all weekend; I felt good enough to win and honestly I don’t really know what happened before I crashed on this jump. Anyway I didn't get injured in this crash; I’m healthy and I feel confident before the next round. Now I need to spend time with the team and on the bike, get some fitness back and we’ve now got six weeks to do that before Portugal.”
 
Australian Meghan Rutledge shrugged off a shoulder injury from a crash during the first moto to pilot her BUD Racing Kawasaki to eighth place in the second moto and secure the same ranking overall after she rode strongly to recover from a first lap fall which had dropped her from an initial fifth to twentieth position.