which I was proud of. Japan was a two-day event
and day one was my best result. I got 8th, which
was a huge improvement from Italy. There were
only five points between me and 5th place, which
I was very happy about and it gave me more
confidence.
“Day two I got 8th again, which I was proud of.
After another two weeks of hard training it was
time to go to The Netherlands. The Netherlands
was a great event and probably my favourite
venue. It was full of man-made sections, which I
really enjoyed.
“In qualification I was 8th, which was mid-pack
and that was good.
“The event was really good, but the terrain was
sandy which made things very slippery but yet
again it was an 8th place.
“A week later we headed for Belgium, my last
round for the season. I had watched this event
before so I knew the terrain, which was a bonus.
Here I had my best qualification, I got 2nd in Q1,
which was a great result. The event sections were
at a high level, which made the event hard, but I
came through with an 8th place again.
“Overall I got 8th out of 20 in the 125cc category.
Along with that I am the second-best 14-year-
old rider in the world and best 125cc rider in
the Southern Hemisphere, which was a huge
achievement for me.
“I couldn’t have done it without my dad, he was
non-stop the whole time so I would really like to
thank him.
“Also another huge thanks to all my sponsors:
Beta racing, Dunlop tyres, Forma boots, Maxima
racing oils, Kapiti beta, Forbes and Davies,
Domino racing, Carbon Energized and Mots
Racing. Also a massive thanks to my trainer Joan
Pons for being a huge support with everything,
couldn’t have done it without him.
“I can’t forget MNZ and the IXION motorcycle
club for all the amazing support from here in
New Zealand. In the two months that we were
there, we drove 10,000 kilometres and flew
80,000 kilometres, which really drained us.
“My plans now are focusing on the New Zealand
Moto Trials Championships in Hawke’s Bay
[October 26-27], where I will be competing in the
expert class. I will also be looking at doing some
enduros and hard enduros.
“Next year’s plans are for me to be doing some
of the world championship again, but we will
have to see if we have the funds to do it.”
KIWI RIDER 21