Motorsport: Young stars lap up the limelight

Mitchell Rees is thriving in junior motocross. Photo / Andy McGechan, bikesportnz.com

When it was announced New Zealand had won the hosting rights for the 2009 FIM World Junior Motocross Championships, nobody would have guessed just how junior some of the riders are.

The event, held on the sandy Digger McEwen Motocross Circuit in Taupo, and for the first time outside Europe, introduced a 65cc class for riders aged 8-10 as an exhibition class to be ratified for the 2010 world championships in France.

It was something to behold watching children barely out of nappies riding flat out at a world championship event on a full-size track (1.8km) and taking to the air over various jumps.

Nine-year-old Kiwi Jacob Klein, already a four-year veteran at motocross, summed it up when he said, "It's really cool to be at a world race. The track's a bit tricky but I got truckloads of air off the big jumps."

If you think that's an eye-opener, think about 13-year-old Courtney Duncan. She's the only girl in a field of nearly 40 riders hoping to win a world title in the 85cc class and is no slouch either.

It was a miserable, wet and windy day for qualifying but that didn't appear to faze Duncan who qualified 10th. "I wasn't bothered about the conditions at all," she said. "It's pretty exciting mixing it up with all the guys but I guess on the other hand I'm just another rider on a bike like everyone else. And it's pretty cool to represent New Zealand in a world championships."

In the first race, Kiwi Micah McGoldrick was eighth, followed by Duncan in ninth. She was the star of race two, holding off most of the boys to finish fourth. Duncan can hold her head high being the best-placed Kiwi rider overall in the 85cc class and is now the sixth best junior motocrosser in the world - and highest-ever placed girl rider in the history of the event.

"Ohh, it's awesome to finish sixth in the world," said Duncan. "They're the best in the world and to be Kiwi and finish sixth is the best. The first five probably don't even go to school anymore. I'm happy as."

These youngsters have a confidence that hasn't come from our school system, where everyone is a winner and there are no losers - the sooner we as a country get rid of the "taking part is as important as winning" attitude, the better chance we will have of winning on the international stage.

Thirteen-year-old Kiwi James Anderson gives me hope for the next generation of New Zealanders. He had already written his acceptance speech at the end of practice on the Saturday before race day Sunday. When asked what's going to happen if he doesn't win, his riposte was, "That's not going to happen." Out of the mouths of babes, eh? Unfortunately his dream didn't come true but he'll be back for more.

One surprise in the paddock was seeing former motorcycle road-racing champion Tony Rees preparing his son Mitchell Rees' 125cc Yamaha. "I've always loved dirt bikes and it's the best way to get kids into racing," said Rees senior. "They like going over the jumps. There are no jumps in road racing, thank goodness.

"I asked Mitchell if he wanted to try road racing but he likes this [motocross] and being at the worlds is pretty good and while he's doing pretty good at it we'll stick with it for a while."

There was another Kiwi international road racer at the event helping out his nephew, 1996 world superbike runner up Aaron Slight. Slight's international pedigree is outstanding. As well as his second place in the WSBK he also finished third three times and is the only rider to win the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race three times in a row.

"Tony [Rees] and I started with motocross and then turned to road racing," said Slight. "This is where you learn your craft at a young age. They get to learn good inherent bike skills at an early age that they can take to any racing discipline.

"If they go to tarmac too early and try and learn the skills there it's too hard.

"Learn them here as a junior and then make the move at about 16 or what ever. If you start tarmac too early you get burnt out quickly.

"It's all about the hand/eye co-ordination - you know, throttle, brake, clutch and all that stuff. When you get on the road and you're dealing with fractions of a second those things really count then."

The king of American junior motocross, Eli Tomac, showed a clean pair of heels to 36 of the world's best 125cc riders to be crowned the 2009 world champion.

He prophetically stated, "I'm probably the fastest guy on the track but struggled a little bit in practice. Today I feel good and feel comfortable in taking the title."

True to his word, Tomac dominated on the day and added the FIM crown to his 60 US national titles.

"My starts sucked but I had to work through it," smiled Tomac. "The track had a good flow to it and it was really cool to come over here and get all this experience."

The Kiwis were not to be outdone and Warkworth lad Hamish Dobbin found himself the third best 125cc junior rider in world after a second and a fourth.