her sights on the remaining challenger in the points chase . Secure in the knowledge that she did not need to risk a pass to secure her three-peat world title she stayed in her rival ’ s wheel tracks whilst ensuring that there was no renewed threat from behind to take the chequered flag third and set the seal on the individual WMX world title for the third consecutive season . The post-race celebrations could begin but , professional as ever , the world No . 1 and the Bike It MTX Kawasaki team was soon preparing diligently for race two as there was still one more job to be done . The champion did it in style in race two , taking the lead on lap two and racing eight seconds clear for her fifth moto win of the season , slapping down an emphatic rubber stamp on her dominance of the sport . “ It was nice to clinch the title with a race to go ,” she said afterwards . “ The competition is tough . We only have six races and the earlier you can win it the better . This year ’ s been really tough . We ’ ve had our ups-and-downs but I ’ ve made the best out of every situation and fought for every single point . What a feeling to do it three years in a row with the same team and the same brand .” Duncan could have , and probably should have , been crowned world champion in 2016 , 2017 or 2018 . But , for those three consecutive seasons , the intrepid Kiwi had luck abandon her in her hour of need . Twice she was denied the world title through injury and on the other occasion she was victim of a controversial decision by officials . Destined never to race a GP on home soil and , in fact , she was always going to have to travel the farthest of any rider to compete on this world stage , Duncan had to endure three frustrating seasons of “ so close , but yet so far ” before her breakthrough success in 2019 . But her sad memories of those early disappointments were certainly erased when she won the women ’ s world crown again in 2020 and 2021 , the Kiwi heroine making it a rare three-peat of world titles , something which she will no doubt seek to extend in 2022 .
TANIA SATCHWELL
Another Kiwi woman to shine so brightly on the international arena was Napier-born Taupo resident Tania Satchwell , who won the AMA Women ’ s ( 125cc two-stroke ) Motocross Championships title ( in the United States ) in 2001 . She also finished third overall in the United States on three separate occasions , in 2004 , 2005 and 2007 . In 2004 she finished behind Florida ’ s Jessica Patterson and Puerto Rico ’ s Tarah Gieger ; in 2005 she finished behind Patterson and Michigan ’ s Sarah Whitmore and in 2007 she was again shaded by Patterson and Geiger . For a country with a population only the size of a moderate-scale European or American city , New Zealand certainly punches well above its weight in the motocross world , and it is humble individuals like these that we can credit for this .
58 KIWI RIDER