With the first race for Mudgee Dirtbikes due to take off this week, club President Jeff Dray is encouraging riders, especially of a young age to come along and see what it’s all about.
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Dray is calling four to seven year olds to have a ride in a non-competitive race to kick start their journey with the sport.
It’s really good to get them in at a younger age. It teaches them so much at that young age when they’re not that high from the ground and not going very fast so the chances of them hurting themselves are very slim.
- Jeff Dray
Riders can turn up without a license or any sign ons too, making the process easier.
“It’s very parent friendly. Parents can get out on the track and help if they need be, if the kids are nervous or what not they can take them out and do all that,” Jeff said.
There have been some changes this year with classes being re-done to have girls only races.
“There’s a lot of girls who are competitive against the boys but there’s also a lot of girls out there who have a bike or their brother has a bike and they don’t necessarily want to get as in the thick of things as such, so that class suits them a lot better,” Dray said.
“It’s just all the girls getting together in their age groups.
You don’t need to be competitive, you can come and have fun. It’s just about getting out there and learning the skills.
While motorcycle riding is often labeled as a dangerous sport, Dray says it’s not as accident prone as it seems.
“It’s got a bit of reputation over the years because every yahoo down the street rides around with no motorbike gear on or anything and then hurts themselves, but we get a lot of feedback from our NSW first aid guy who thinks it’s one of the least injury sports he goes to,” he said.
“You have got a lot of protective gear on and they are trained from a young age so injuries these days are minimal.”
Motocross not only is a social sport, but provides riders with knowledge that will come in handy when it comes time to get a road licence.
“MX riding teaches you an understanding of motorsport or vehicles, you understand how breaks work, how impact works,” Jeff said.
I reckon kids that ride motorbikes are often safer drivers.
“Once they get into the real world it teaches them the skills.”
The first race for the Mudgee Dirtbikes Club calendar is on March 16 at AREC.
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Jay-Anna Sleeman
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
