Malachi Van Maanenberg puts the pedal to the metal.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
The rising stars of Australian motocross descended on the Goulburn Valley for a week-long, two-wheeled bonanza.
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The Australian Junior Motocross Championships was held in the region for the first time, with more than 400 riders from across the land tearing it up on the Goulburn Valley Junior Motorcycle Club (GVJMC) track from September 28 to October 3.
It was the largest number of competitors in 10 years, with conditions ranging from beaming sunlight to a mud-soaked 1.6km track.
Whatever the case, the first edition of the Championships in Mooroopna was a winner, and GVJMC president Will Gooiker was thrilled with the outcome.
“It’s a huge effort,” Gooiker said.
“We're all volunteers at the club. We worked hard for the last 12 months just to get the club in a position that we can run it.
“People came out of the woodwork just to help us. It was unbelievable from a club perspective.”
The variable conditions made for entertaining on-track action and provided a fascinating insight into the adaptability and skillset of the nation’s upcoming juniors.
“The weather was the challenge,” Gooiker said.
“We had the hot weather which was hard for everyone and then the rain on the Friday definitely made it interesting from the championship perspective.
“Some riders could ride in the dried conditions, but some of them could ride better in the mud - it made it interesting.”
The chance to host the event not only brought a deluge of visitors to the region but also flung a spotlight on the grassroots level of the sport.
And with the GVJMC set to notch a Championships first next year, Gooiker has a message of encouragement for prospective riders.
“We’ve got (the Championships) for next year as well which is the first time in the history of the AJMX that any club gets it twice in a row,” he said.
“Hopefully it lifts up the sport a bit and gets the young people to have a goal to come and compete.
“My suggestion to anyone that's asked over the last 12 months: just come and give it a go, you've got nothing to lose.”
News photographer Rechelle Zammit captured all the thrills and spills on a muddy day out at the AJMX.
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