Duncan crowned back-to-back Women’s Motocross Champion with Dunlop

• Courtney Duncan celebrates second WMX championship
• Dunlop tyres have won eight of last nine WMX titles
• Clement Desalle takes emotional MXGP win with Dunlop

Dunlop racer Courtney Duncan celebrated her second consecutive FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship (WMX) title on Saturday, adding to Dunlop’s win record in the highly competitive Women’s class. One day later, Clément Desalle captivated the paddock with a memorable FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) race win.

New Zealand rider Duncan has emerged as one of the fastest competitors in WMX in recent years, and claimed a memorable first championship win last year. Fast forward 13 months, and she stood on the top step of the podium once more after Saturday’s season finale at Pietramurata near Trentino, Italy.

Racing her Kawasaki KX250 equipped with Dunlop Geomax tyres, Duncan picked up five race wins and three round wins during the year. She completed the five-round season with a win and third on Saturday; enough to secure her second championship title in as many years.

In the final race of the season, Duncan engaged in a thrilling battle with fellow Dunlop racer Kiara Fontanesi. The pair duelled for six laps, both putting on an exciting spectacle with the Dunlop Geomax MX-33 tyres chosen to suit the mixed sand and hard pack conditions. Ultimately, Fontanesi made her way through to secure second position. With a race win at Valkenswaard and five additional top-three finishes, the Italian finishes the season fourth. 

Between Duncan and Fontanesi, Dunlop’s record in WMX remains strong. Since 2012, Dunlop tyres have taken eight of the last nine WMX championships: six with Fontanesi and two with Duncan. 

Desalle back on winning form in final race week before retirement

On Sunday, Dunlop rider Clément Desalle took an emotional race win in MXGP, ending a two-year win drought just one week before heading into retirement. 

After taking the lead on the first lap of Race 2, the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team rider remained out front for the entire 30-minute and two-lap race and held off charges from behind all the way to the chequered flag. 

The Belgian’s last win came in May 2018 at Orlyonok, Russia. A couple of weeks ago, he revealed that the current MXGP season, which concludes next Sunday, would be his last; further adding to his emotional victory at Pietramurata.

Desalle’s race win combined with sixth in Race 1 to put him third in the final standings for the MXGP of Trentino. In the coming days, he and his fellow Dunlop riders have two more rounds to look forward to this season: both at Pietramurata on Wednesday (4 November) and Sunday (9 November).

Eddy Seel, MXGP Event Leader, Dunlop: “We’re delighted to celebrate success in WMX and MXGP this weekend. Courtney is a deserving two-time World Champion, and her battle with Kiara was great to watch. Then, on Sunday, the race win for Clément was really emotional for everyone. Our riders are using Geomax MX-33 at Pietramurata to suit the track’s mixed surfaces between hard pack and sand sections. MX-33 is a highly versatile tyre that is designed to provide maximum grip on an unparalleled range of surfaces, so it’s ideal for a track like this. Through the season-long success in WMX, on a number of very distinct tracks, we can see the overall capability of the entire Dunlop Geomax range.”