Women Motocross World Championship 2024 – 20th edition celebrating the best female rider’s in the world. This historical record marks a magnificent milestone for the prestigous Series, having crowned 6 WMX Champions from the founding Women’s Motocross World Cup in 2005 to the present day.
The list of Women Motocross World Championship Title holder’s remains as relevant today, as 20 years ago. Back in 2005 through to 2007, KTM rider Steffi Laier set precedent for all aspiring female rider’s to not only emulate her victory in the Women’s MX World Cup, but also ramp up competition which was equaled by NZ’s Katherine Prumm (now Oberlin-Brown) who took victory in 2006 and 2007.
These founding years gained credence and recognition by the promoter’s – Youthstream – ensuring elevation of status to Women Motocross World Championship in 2008. The following years enlightened career pathways for talented, determined women whose main mission was to add their names on the illustrious trophy.
And, that was no easy feat. French rider Livia Lancelot nailed her first WMX Championship in 2008 and then had to race another strenuous 8 years, before gaining her second Title in 2016. Equally agonizing to watch track-side and even more so for the Dutch rider – Nancy van de Ven – who secured 5 WMX Vice-Championships before finally celebrating a deserved victory, winning WMX Championship in 2022.
The record holder of winning WMX Championship 6x – Kiara Fontanesi – has surpassed all expectations on what the Italian rider wanted to achieve when she entered her first WMX in 2009. Breaking all previous race results, Kiara strung together win after win, taking the WMX Championship Title in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018.
How did she do it? Well, having spent time with Kiara on and off track in 2016 – 2018, stand-out facts remain: #1 Kiara always keeps eyes fixed on goals, and never waver’s when challenges occur or when plans go astray. #2 Kiara enjoys racing, working hard supported and well-advised by family and close friends.
#3: Kiara remains steadfast on maintaining values which mean the most to her – family, followed by racing, followed by enjoying the whole journey together. And, so it was no surprise that the remarkable athlete returned to racing WMX after having daughter, Skyler in 2019, and then repeated the decision after having #2 daughter, Alaska in 2022. WMX 2024, will be Kiara’s 14th Championship.
Pushing all previous records aside, NZ’s Courtney Duncan opened many, many eyes on her debut entry in WMX at the Opening Round in Qatar in 2016. Taking double moto wins, CD not only sent Media journalists in a spin, but also spearheaded her racing career skywards.
It is sure hard to fathom, how a young, Kiwi, who had raced in America’s Pro Outdoors Women Championship in 2013 – winning on her YZ125cc – training at Millsaps MX facility, and racing at Loretta Lynn’s – could rock up on the other side of the world and blitz the competition off the top step of the podium in WMX, 2016.
Yes, having taken a gamble that CD was going to do just that, the memory of set-up as last tent in the pits – one crate, one chair – it even took 2 hours just to find out where to buy oil – then, really short-time to run in bike before qualifying and racing – Courtney’s victories were all the more sweeter, knowing where she had come from.
Moving forward, the unforgiving nature of racing WMX Championship proved hard to beat, as Courtney endured a series of injuries prior to glorious rounds of applause when she won her first WMX Championship in 2019. With 4x WMX Championships to her name, racing 2024 will be the next chapter in her racing career.
It remains obvious, to salute Women Motocross World Champions – past and present – for each have contributed pure excellence of performance for future rider’s to aspire to, all around the world. Now, a new season unfolds – gate drops at MXGP of Spain on March 24.
Header photo: background image Kiara Fontanesi Graphics: MXLink
Words: Sharon Cox.
Comments are closed.