It was another clinical performance from Courtney Duncan as she reminded everyone why she is a 3x World Champion. Starting off the weekend fastest in timed practice, a holeshot in race one was shortly followed by a small slip in the second corner which would see the Kiwi drop down to 6th. By lap 2 Courtney had already displayed an impressive charge as she regained the lead before eventually taking the win for race 1. Race 2 was more of the same as the KX250 once again took the holeshot, followed by Courtney's usual display of top-level riding to secure another win and take the overall for the GP of Turkey.
It was a tough weekend for Mikkel who was recovering from an illness, getting Covid in France. Despite this, Mikkel as always displayed his true determination and strong will to always perform to the best of his ability. A 17th in qualifying would make things difficult for the main races, after starting just outside the top 10 Haarup fell back to 16th, and used a good portion of energy to make his way back to 13th. Race two was another mid pack start which Haarup maintained until a small slip off a jump broke the clutch lever, forcing Mikkel to retire.
The team will now move into a solid Winter plan ready for an attempt to challenge the MX2 World Championship and a 4th WMX World Championship in 2023.
Steve Dixon - Manager: "The season has been intense and it seems to have gone so quickly. I'm glad both riders have come through to the off-season healthy ahead of next year. It was a fantastic result for Courtney, She came back to do the best that she could do, which was a 1-1. Unfortunately, she lost 2 rounds due to a collarbone injury, but this gives her the fire to get that number 1 plate back next year. The level in the WMX class is rising every GP and I think this will give Courtney new goals for 2023. With MIkkel, just a few days ago we thought we might be coming to Turkey with just Courtney, but Mikkel was determined to ride.
It's been tough to see Mikkel struggle in the last few weeks due to Covid, but throughout this year his training and riding have been impeccable. We both know what we have to do going forward into 2023. I'm so happy with both riders' attitudes, even though we failed Mikkel mechanically in some GP's - Mikkel is a perfect example of a respectful rider. We'll come back in 2023 with the experience we've learned this year and look to challenge both the MX2 World Championship and Courtney's 4th WMX World Championship title.
I'd like to thank all our sponsors for their amazing support and encouragement. I'd also like to thank all the team members and anyone who has helped throughout the year for their support. We now go into a solid Winter programme to get ready for next season which we're looking forward to."
Courtney Duncan - WMX: “It was nice to finish the season on a high with pole and 1-1. I got another good start and led already coming out of turn one today; I just maintained that and had fun. The broken collarbone in Portugal kind of dampened the season but we couldn’t dwell on it, got back to work as soon as possible and came back with some strong performances to win in Spain and here. I’m enjoying my riding so much at the moment so I’m looking forward to going home to New Zealand and doing some races out there, then I come back to Europe next year and hopefully can chase the championship again and get that number one back for Kawasaki.”
Mikkel Haarup - MX2: “I caught some kind of flu in France and last week I had Covid so it’s been a tough couple of weeks but I’m here and tried to do my best in the circumstances. It’s annoying obviously, but we’ve had a great season and everything we have learnt will be useful for next year.”
WMX Championship Standings
7th Courtney Duncan - 129
MX2 Championship Standings
7th Mikkel Haarup - 443 points
Words & Photos: Kawasaki Europe
