Courtney Duncan - Hangtown report and images
Tuesday 21 May: If you follow MX then you can hardly have missed Courtney's big win at Hangtown - by 29 and 15 seconds. Here is Yamaha NZ's release.
3rd T-bug Higgins - 1st
Courtney Duncan - 2nd Sayaka Kaneshiro. Image courtesy of Heather Matthews-Majcherek.
New Zealand's Courtney Duncan took the opening round of the Women's
Motocross Triple Crown by storm in the United States at the weekend.
The Yamaha ace from Otago swept both motos of the day in her WMX class
debut at the weekend’s 45th running of the Red Bull Hangtown Motocross
Classic, the opening round of the US motocross nationals in Sacramento,
California.
Duncan beat Japan’s Sayaka Kaneshiro, who finished second overall with a
2-3 score, and Texas native Taylor Higgins rounded out the overall
podium.
Australian Yamaha rider Mackenzie Tricker finished the day fourth
overall.
Six-time WMX champion Jessica Patterson finished second in race two, but
bad luck in the first moto gave her only 10th overall for the day.
"Today I achieved a dream I've had since day one,” said
Duncan.
"To win my first ever Pro National in my debut is the best feeling
in the world. Don't wake me up.”
It has been an outstanding year for the 17-year-old. The former New
Zealand Junior motocross champion was in scintillating form as she made her
senior motocross championships debut at round one of the 2013 series near
Timaru in February.
She took her GMD Backflips Yamaha YZ125 bike to 1-2-3 results in her three
125cc class outings, enough to win the day overall from fellow Yamaha young
guns Cameron Vaughan and Logan Blackburn; both of whom finished 1st and 2nd
Overall in the 2013 New Zealand Championships MX125 class respectively.
But, as the steam was still rising from her body at the end of the
sweltering day’s racing, she announced that this was the only round of the
domestic series that she would contest.
The writing was already on the wall that perhaps she had out-grown
competition in this part of the world and now, with her stunning back-to-back
wins at the weekend, she has revealed that she is destined for greater
things.
Women's Triple Crown – Round One Results
– Hangtown
1st
Courtney Duncan, New Zealand 50 (Yamaha
YZ125)
2nd Sayaka Kaneshiro, Japan, 42
3rd T-bug Higgins, Mesquite, 36
4th
Mackenzie Tricker, Cairo, 35 (Yamaha YZ250F)
5th
Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, 31
Courtesy of Yamaha Motor NZ - copy Andy McGechan
The following images courtesy of Heather Matthews-Majcherek
Moto1 win by 29 seconds
#2 Jessica Patterson heading for a holeshot - Courtney #151 is 6th at this point.
Soon took the lead and went on to win by 15 seconds