Youngsters already have eyes for next year after returning from Australian Junior Motocross championships

If you are not in the world of motocross or haven’t been reading reports over the pastfew weeks you may not have heard of Abbi ‘Beanz’ Orr or Angus Fay. Both riders have recently returned from the Australian Junior Motocross Championships, where Orr finished on 75 points (only 19 off a podium place) and Fay finished in the top half of his division, only 18 points from a top 10 finish. Both riders are still on top of the world and thoroughly enjoyed their time away from the Mid West. Fay’s mum, Dannielle Aggniss, was delighted not only with his performance but the tournament organisation itself. “We feel that it was an amazing experience, we went in not knowing what to expect and understanding of how huge this entire week at nationals would be,” she said. “We feel that despite the no prior experience of racing at this national level, we were reasonably prepared and in Angus’ words ‘it was the best week ever’.” Conditions were tricky with riders having to adapt quickly to changing conditions. “The track was in perfect condition for Angus on his first day of racing with him finishing 6th out of 36 riders for the day,” Aggniss said. “As the track dried over the week, he struggled with the intensity of the track and had quite a few crashes but also showed when things went well, that he has the ability to be up there with the top ten in the country. “Overall he finished 17th out of Australia’s best 36 riders in his class and we are extremely proud of him.” Orr was humble in her success after finishing inside the top five. “I am fairly happy with placing top five nationally being that it was my first interstate event and I now know where I stand against the fast Eastern States riders,” she said. “I believe I could have done better but had a few crashes in the first couple of races which lost me points. “It was a challenge to get familiar with a track I had never seen before in a short amount of time as practice was limited to three laps before the qualifying race, the soil type was very different from any WA track I have been to before.” Fay is not letting any time get away from him. “Straight into training, we will be waiting for the release of the WA State Championship calendar and the announcement of the 2023 Australian National host track,“ Aggniss said. “The plan will be to definitely make an effort to spend some time next year training at the track that will host the 2023 Nationals. “Angus’ two brothers also race and could not make the national this year due to injury so we are looking forward to travelling as a family and putting in the hard work so the boys will be prepared for the 2023 titles.” Orr is also looking to the future, but is mindful of needing at least a short rest. “It is off-season now for me and I will have a short break from training and then back into preparation for 2023,” she said. “I now know where I stand nationally and what I have to work on to achieve a better result, I would love to stand on the podium in 2023. “I am only 12 and race in the 12-16 year age bracket so I hope to have a better result in the years to come.” As with all local sports, the support needed is immense and both riders had plenty of people and organisations to thank. “It was a solid show from the WA MX community to get these kids over there and give these kids the experience of a lifetime,” Aggniss said. The 2022 Geraldton Motocross season concludes with the Batavia Timber and Salvage Special Event, Night Racing on Saturday, October 15.