and my Kawasaki never missed a beat .” She said her fourth title “ means so much to me ”. “ The first one in 2019 was a sigh of relief , getting the monkey off my back , but I got knocked down last year with my injury and I really wanted to raise the bar this year . It took a lot of hard work but my mum ’ s here this weekend for the first time and to experience one with her is very special so first we ’ ll enjoy this one and then we ’ ll start to work for the next one !” Sadly , she had missed out on making it four in a row last year because of injury , but Duncan more than made up for that disappointment by dominating the series on her comeback this year . Duncan started her weekend at the Turkish GP a solid 16 points clear at the top of the 2023 WMX standings – ahead of Spanish GasGas rider Daniela Guillen – and Duncan ’ s first-race success at the Afyonkarahisar circuit meant she had boosted her advantage to 21 points over Guillen , her only real threat for the crown . With 25 points available for a win , the mathematics was simple and , counting that Guillen might win that final race , just 17th or better in the final race would have easily been enough for Duncan to “ get the job done ”. Guillen managed only eighth in her final outing and ended 2023 as overall runner-up , while just-turned 16-year-old Dutch rider Lotte Van Drunen ( Kawasaki ) completed the series podium . In all , Duncan won six of the 12 races in the championship ( two races being held at each of the series ’ six rounds ), while Van Drunen won four races this season , Guillen only one and , for the race two winner in Turkey , Dutch rider Valk ( Fantic ), that was her one and only race win of the season .
28 KIWI RIDER