Jon is the national brand manager for Husqvarna Motorcycles and has been backing me for a few years now with a TC125 and FC250 to race dirt track. Jon and Jeff Leisk (KTM/Husqvarna Motorcycles general manager) planned to enter three dirt-track riders on KTM RC390s in the Australian Superbike Over 300 Supersport class.
While we were waiting for the 2017 models to arrive, Stephen Voight from Voight Contracting lent me a 2016 model to practice on at Chas Hern’s Murray Valley Training Centre. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t wait to race one of these awesome machines.
The 2017 model turned up a week before Round 1 at Phillip Island, so we hastily turned the streetbike into a production racing machine with the help of Stephen Nagle from SSS Motorcycles and Suspension.
What an introduction to racing – 10 bikes battling for the lead straight up in Race 1, and it was the same level in every race of every round thereafter. The competition was crazy!
Each round was a challenge as decisions were made with set-ups and gearing, with mixed but very positive results. I now know what they mean by the highs and lows of racing. I know I need to be mentally prepared and try to come back stronger if things don’t go to plan.
I was juggling road racing, dirt track and school, and was very lucky and privileged to have people help me out and point me in the right direction each week.
The series lead see-sawed from the second round throughout the entire championship, and it came down to the final race in the last round to see who came out on top. I won the last race by 0.007 seconds and was ecstatic.
KTM also invited me to wildcard in the KTM RC Cup in Asia for two rounds. I won my first race over there, which gave me so much confidence, and was then invited back to challenge the next round, where I managed to get another win and a pole. I was there for the experience only so it was awesome to come back to Australia with podiums.
Gaining so much confidence on the KTM RC 390, I then decided to have a crack at the Red Bull Rookies Cup in Europe and the Asia Talent Cup in Malaysia.
Colin Stoner and Mark Willis sorted out some training days at the Tamworth go-kart track to be as prepared as possible. Due to work commitments, Mum and Dad couldn’t take me over, so Colin came along with me, offering his expert advice and preparing me mentally.
First up was the Red Bull Rookies at Almeria in Spain riding 125cc two-stroke racebikes against the clock while the selectors watched style and body language. We had mixed conditions and after the two days I was one of 10 riders out of 109 to qualify for the 2018 Red Bull Rookies Cup.
After a few days of rest we travelled to Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. The tryouts were held on the Sepang go-kart track on 250 four-stroke machines and this time I made the top 14 out of 86 riders to qualify for the 2018 Asia Talent Cup.
I’m now looking forward to the challenge of contesting both cups in 2018. It won’t be easy, but that seems to be when I do my best. To go from junior dirt track to be riding in big meetings on the best circuits around the world is a privilege I don’t take for granted.
As with every race meeting, I cannot give enough thanks to my ongoing sponsors, family in North Queensland and NSW, and all our friends for backing me and encouraging me along the way. I hope to do you all proud.
