36 | JUNE 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.auBRONTE HOLLAND HAD the
motocross world at his feet.
The gun rider from a small
town in Victoria called Kaniva,
just 25km from the South
Australian border, was known
to all of us as a rider that
would do whatever it took to
win and who loved “living the
crazy life” along the way, as he
would put it.
After winning multiple
championships in a stellar
junior career, Holland made
regular appearances on the
podium in MX2 before tragedy
struck. In 2007, Holland
crashed while training and the
resulting broken neck saw him
wheelchair bound.
Bronte died from a stroke in- The motocross
community was shattered and
there was a huge funeral
service. Eight years later he
hasn’t been forgotten and the
Horsham Motorcycle Club
recently ran the first Bronte
Holland Memorial Race.
The event will be an
annual showcase on the
national calendar.
“In the time that Bronte was
racing, even though he was
from Kaniva, he was always
proud to be a member of our
club and we always thought of
him as one of our own,”
Horsham club president Kenny
Watts said.
“We are just so honoured to
be able to put on an event like
this in Bronte’s memory.” His
parents, Brendan and Sue
Holland, gave the club a
replica of Bronte’s 2003
Honda CR125 race machine
fitted with the #1 plate which
Bronte won that year as the
state champion.
The club was gob-smacked
with the gift, which was
presented at the riders’
briefing of the meeting. Mrs
Holland said the club had done
an enormous amount for both
Bronte and them over the
years and they wanted to give
something back.
The feature event of the
Bronte Holland Memorial was
a 125cc Cup. With Bronte’s
usual junior race number
being #17, there was a lot of
emphasis put on that number
throughout the event. The
duration of each 125cc Cup
feature race was 17 minutes.
The drop of the gate for
race one on each day was
11.17am. “It was 17 years ago
that Bronte first rode a 125cc,”Watts said. “We were certainly
going to include the number 17
as much as we could.”
Bronte’s younger brother
Grady decided that he wanted
to come and race the
memorial event and take it
one step further by racing
Bronte’s actual Honda CR125R
(above), which had been kept
by the family in mint condition.
The race day brought back
a lot of fond memories for
Grady, who was really
enjoying himself while
clocking some fast laps but amishap over-jumping the
finish line tabletop would see
Grady badly break his leg,
needing surgery and some
serious metalwork.
“It’s definitely not the way I
would have liked to finish this
weekend,” he said.
“But it was just awesome to
get out there on Bronte’s 125
and hold the thing wide open.
He would have loved it.”
Alongside Bronte’s CR125 in
the Horsham clubrooms sits
some immaculately framed
Holland 711 jerseys and
memorabilia such as front
numberplates etc.
There’s also plenty of other
superstars up on the walls,
with jerseys from Cheyne
Boyd, Josh Cachia, Kade
Mosig, Ford Dale and Todd
Waters, among others.
It’s a true credit to the club
and the Holland family for
making such an event happen
and conducting it in such a
professional way. Bronte will
always be remembered as an
awesome talent, a great mate
who would do anything to help
someone in need, and a true
sportsman who always had
time for the kids and any of
the fans, for that matter.BRONTE LIVES ON IN RACE MEET
CLUB GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR FORMER CHAMPION
SOIL SAMPLE
LEE HOGAN
BEHIND THE
SCENESTHE DROP OF THE
GATE FOR RACE
ONE ON EACH DAY
WAS 11.17AM