Absent throughout the entire 2025 season due to health issues, Courtney Duncan made a surprise return to the women’s World Championship at the opening round of the series in Lacapelle-Marival. It was a comeback few expected so early in the year, but the New Zealander ultimately managed to make her return after a long period of rebuilding away from competition.
“I was supposed to ride for Steve Dixon last year, but everything got pushed back to this year,” the New Zealander explained during the French GP. “The goal was always to come back for this season. 2025 was a difficult year for me, physically and mentally, but it feels good to be back; it’s been a long time. I think there were 18 months between my last two Grand Prix’s. So obviously, I’m a little rusty and physically I’m not back to my previous level yet, so I still need to ride and do a few more races to regain that intensity. But we’ll get there.”
The four-time World Champion endured a difficult return in France. After crashing twice on Saturday, Duncan had to settle for 12th place before bouncing back with a fourth-place finish on Sunday. She leaves Lacapelle-Marival sitting eighth in the championship standings, having already used one joker in a season consisting of only five rounds.
“It was a difficult comeback for me, and it’s really unfortunate about Saturday because it could have been a solid fourth place as well. Even so, I think there are a lot of positives to take from this return. But I was surprised by that crash and on Sunday I managed to bounce back with a fourth place. The French track was pretty demanding. Actually, it was quite nice once it dried out on Saturday afternoon. I like those kinds of conditions, they’re conditions I enjoy, but make no mistake: it’s a tough GP to come back to immediately, and the heat was also quite extreme. So overall, it’s solid, and we’ll continue rebuilding from here.”
After missing the entire 2025 season for health reasons, Duncan went through one of the most difficult periods of her career away from the racetrack. Suffering from pericarditis, the New Zealander had to spend many months resting before beginning an extremely gradual return to training. It was a long physical rebuilding process that also explains her delayed comeback to racing.
“I battled pericarditis, a virus around the heart, last year. It’s something that gets worse with effort, so I really had to rest. It’s a bit like having Epstein-Barr, so you have to limit yourself to small efforts and progress gradually. I spent around six months not being able to do anything at all. Then I had to slowly build back up. I was doing 30-minute bike rides at a very low intensity, then progressively increased the workload. Last year was almost a complete write-off for me. I think I got back on the bike towards the end of last year and only really started racing again in recent months. That’s why I’m a little behind.”
However, the strong fourth-place finish on Sunday should not hide the scale of the challenge still facing Duncan. At Lacapelle-Marival, the New Zealander finished more than a minute behind Daniela Guillén, with a fastest race lap 6.5 seconds slower than the Spaniard who won the GP. For Duncan, 2026 therefore looks set to be a season focused above all on rebuilding and getting back up to speed. But given her experience and achievements, it’s difficult to imagine the four-time World Champion staying away from podiums — or even victories — for too long.
“You can’t recreate what you get in racing while training, especially at GP level with the track conditions, the intensity and everything else. The best way to prepare and regain intensity is simply to get back racing, find the rhythm again and rebuild from there. After nine months off the bike, I lost a lot of my physical base. Really, you can’t take your health for granted, that’s for sure. At one point, I couldn’t even walk around the block without getting tired. So yes, without your health, you’ve got nothing.”
From seven rounds in 2024, the women’s World Championship has now been reduced to only five rounds in 2026 — including one in Australia. Few WMX riders are willing to speak publicly on the subject, and Duncan was no exception this time either. Meanwhile, the Americans relaunched their women’s championship in 2024 after a six-year absence, and it continues to grow in stature. The 2026 rounds are also being held alongside the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, with a second moto run on Saturday in order to give the series greater television exposure.
“As far as the World Championship goes, that’s just how it’s worked for a long time, so no comment. But the USA, yes, I think that could open doors. I can clearly see it growing. It’s also because of the way the Americans operate: they really want to push and develop their women’s championship. And it attracts a lot more views and attention. It’s America, so I can see the WMX becoming something really interesting over there.”
