confidence up I got going okay.
You stepped up to E3 on the TE300 yet you
were still eligible for the Under-19 class. Why
take on the big boys when you could well have
won the Under-19 championship?
I’d had a good learning year in 2015
which gave me a good opportunity to
learn the Senior style of racing. I knew
I was ready to tackle E3 and I knew I
could do well so it was just a matter of
getting my confidence up and making
my way onto the podium. I could have
gone for the Under-19 option but I
wanted to set my goals a bit higher
and chase the leaders in the E3 class. I
think it worked out well because it
made my overall riding a bit better,
rather than just focussing on the
development class.
Your results were impressive but even more so
because you raced as a privateer with the
support of your Dad.
It was me and Dad last year, that was
our team. We had a bit of support
through Husqvarna thanks to the
guys at First Class Motorcycles [also
in Lilydale] which was good but
yeah, it was me and Dad at the race
track getting it done. Dad worked the
tools all year.
You had a strong result at the Hattah Desert
Race with ninth outright and first on the 300
in the two-stroke class and from then on your
racing season exploded. Was Hattah a turning
point for you?
I was super-happy with my Hattah
result and I think from then-on the
confidence was there for the rest of
the year. The three-hour cross-country
at Hedley was good for me. I knew I
was going to be good in the long-
distance event and the conditions
were tough with wind, rain and mud
and I got my first outright podium
with third. I was stoked with that. I
got third again the next day in the
sprint round and I was bloody happy
with that. It was an eye opener for me
beatingsomanyridersfromfactory
teams. It was cool.
You were strong again at the final two rounds
of the 2016 AORC which were again held in
horrid conditions.
Yeah,itwaskindofweird.Itookoff
as the tenth rider for the first sprint
and I came in and saw my name in
first.IbattledChucky[Sanders]for
therestofthedayandcameawaywith second outright so I was super
happy. It was sick.
With Glenn Kearney retiring from racing at the
end of 2016 and leaving a spot in the
Husqvarna team it was assumed you’d fill
that. Now here you are on the KTM team with
Glenn as your boss. How did it all come about?
It’s pretty cool to end up at KTM with
Glenn. It all started to fall into place
after racing had finished at the
Four-Day. When Glenn got involved
taking on the KTM team management
role [from Ben Grabham] it all fell
into place.
It seemed like you spent a lot of time training
and riding with Chucky last year. How did you
two end up training together?
Chucky only lives around five-
minutes from me so we did a fair bit of
riding together. We live in a great area
for riding and I hadn’t really been
riding with anyone of his level before.
It was great to find someone that was
putting in all the work and I had him
to chase down and follow to learn a
few things. It was pretty cool.
Do you think training with Chucky helped you
step up a level?
I definitely reckon it helps when you
ride with someone faster. After
Hattah, my second half of the year had
me where I was hoping to be at the
start of the year.
Even though you guys were not teammates,
Chucky seemed genuinely happy for you at
the events where you did really well.
Yeah, that’s what’s cool about it. We’re
good mates and we’d been training
together and when we were doing well
it was sick. It was like a recognition of
the work we had been putting in.
How is it different racing as a privateer in
2016 to riding for KTM now?
I reckon it takes the weight off your
shoulders a bit. I don’t have to
organise as much stuff so I’m not
running around in a rush. I’m still
riding and training the same, it’s just
good to have the support of the team
whodoalltheorganisingand
preparation. I don’t have to worry
about anything other than riding
and training.
Are you a full-on rock star now with a trainer
waking you up in the morning and a mechanic
polishing your bike?
Nah.Noone’swipingmybumat
home.I’mdoingallthenormalstuff“It was
me and
Dad last
year, that
was our
team”
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http://www.adbmag.com.au JUNE 2017 | 101