Defending WMX Champion Courtney Duncan wins Round 4 Overall at MXGP of Spain making strategic come-back having missed previous 2 Rounds due to injury in practice at Round 2 in Portugal. Buoyed by not being able to race since April, Duncan made quick work up front in Race 1, putting pressure on Championship leader Nancy van de Ven and completed Race 2 in 2nd taking the Overall GP victory.
Battles and changes of track position gave fans watching plenty to appreciate as local Spanish rider Daniela Guillen put up amazing performance in R1 followed by determined pass on Duncan to win Race 2 and stand 2nd Overall on podium- first ever Spanish female to do so!
Red Plate holder and Championship leader Nancy Van de Ven played smart tactic, remaining as calm as could be under distinct pressure from top contenders, pushing to the end of Race 2 for 3rd Overall.
Analysis of racing suggests that there is alot more going on behind closed Team doors on how the world’s best women Motocross riders are delivering high end results over mere 5 Rounds from March through to September.
For starters, Duncan regained her status taking Race 1 win, primarily from nailing position around hole-shot, which gave the Kiwi edge over riders keen to defend their Championship points position and riders pushing for better results. Yet this tactic only worked for first moto, as Daniela Gullien switched racing up by challenging Duncan and making the pass stick to win Race 2.
Yes, Duncan only needed to hold P2 in Race 2 to take the Overall GP, knowing Guillen finished 3rd in R1, no less Gullien’s pace pushed the re-set button on the defending Champ heading into the Final Round in Turkey on September 4.
Gullien clocked fastest lap time in Race 2 lap 5 of 2.03.746 over Duncan’s 2.05.879. Having missed WMX Rounds 1 and 2, Daniela has achieved incredible results over 4 races, posting 3-3-3-1 and currently standing 9th Overall.
Secondly, younger riders are putting all learning curves to good use as evident when challenges are met and taken on board during racing. Dutch rider, Shana van der Vlist had mega task ahead of her after crashing around hole-shot in Race 2, coming from last – 25th position- to finish 13th! And, Honda 114 Motorsport rider Tahlia O’Hare managed to push through the barrier of finishing 10th, to move 2 places up the ladder- great stuff!
Less panic when things go wrong, and more calculated tactics made for smart racing for a number of riders, including Yamaha Racing 423 rider Larissa Papenmeier finishing consistent 4-4, Sara Andersen’s 6-6 and Lynn Valk making up for unfortunate incident at Round 3 in Sardegna completing 2 moto’s in 6th Overall.
And most importantly, shout out goes to Nancy van de Ven. Sure, the die-hard racer has never shied away from taking up the mantle of holding the Red Plate, but retaining the trophy all the way to the last race, last lap and last corner is still huge load to carry.
Nancy has stood 7x on the podium this season posting: 2-1-2-2-6-1-2-3 and has a race up her sleeve heading into final 2 moto’s in a whooping 14 weeks time. Let’s hope all women are able to re-group their training, re-set their focus, and re-define their strategies when the gate drops for Round 5 at MXGP of Turkey on September 4.
Header photo: WMX Round 4 podium at MXGP of Spain. Image: MXGP
Words: Sharon Cox.
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