EP#65 - Blake Bohannon on his 85cc World Championship and being labelled the next "big thing"

Fresh off becoming the 2026 FIM Junior Motocross World Champion, Blake Bohannon joins the ADB Podcast to relive the biggest moment of his young career. The 13-year-old Aussie sensation talks us through his incredible weekend in the Czech Republic, where he won both 85cc motos to become just the third Australian ever to claim the prestigious title.

We also dive into Blake's journey from racing in regional NSW to taking on the world's best juniors, the work that's gone into earning the "next big thing" tag, and where he wants his career to go from here. It's an honest chat with one of Australia's brightest motocross prospects as he reflects on becoming a world champion and the exciting road that lies ahead.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the ADB Podcast, where we talk all things dirt with your host, Mitch Lee. Okay, ADB listeners, we have a really special uh podcast today. We're gonna interview Blake Bahanan and his dad Tim. Uh and this is really cool because he's just come back from winning a world title, which is pretty special. Uh so we're gonna get to know Blake and everything that makes him tick. Uh before we do that though, I'm gonna thank our sponsor Dunlop. They are sponsoring the podcast with the uh, well, the MX34. Actually, we've been testing the AT82 tire, which is a multi-directional tire you can switch around for soft and hard terrain. But we've um jumped on the MX34 bandwagon now after it took over from the MX33, and we're gonna give that a go. So stay tuned. Brixie's gonna do that test for us. Uh actually, Brixie's gonna join us on this podcast in a second, too. He's running late. Uh, but yeah, so thanks to Dunlop for sponsoring the show. Uh so yep, Blake, Tim, guys, thanks for coming on the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:58

Thanks, mate. Good, um, yeah, good to be on the pod and Blakey.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Yeah, I'm looking forward to having a chat.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Sounds good, mate. Now, I was saying earlier offline that I don't even know, like this it's important Tim's here because you know, Blake, you're not old enough to drink, let alone I don't know if you're even allowed to be on a podcast by yourself, mate. So I'm I'm glad Tim's here. We're not doing anything too uh controversial, but it'd be cool to get to know you, mate. Um, and we want to know all the nitty-gritty about what happened over in Europe um as well, because from what we could see back home, it was a really uh impressive result, mate. We're kind of blown away with what you were able to achieve. Um but for everyone out there that doesn't know who Blake Bahanan is, if you've kind of if you're probably not plugged into the motocross supercross scene, uh some guys may not have heard of you yet. Uh they certainly will in the next little while. But tell us a little bit about yourself, mate. We know you're from Port Macquarie, New South Wales. You're currently 13 um and you're racing a YZ85. Um tell us the team that you race for, the series that you're currently racing in in Australia here.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Uh yeah, I ride for Yamaha Junior Racing Team Australia. Um, I'm super happy to be a part of that team. Um, it's a great team. Um I've got MX3 debut um next weekend at Conondale um and then the weekend after at QP. So I'm looking forward to that. Um, yeah, the track should be good. Um, yeah, I'm just looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Have you ever okay? I've got a question for you, Blake. Tim will know what I'm talking about here. Have you heard of Thumpernats?

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Nah.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Okay, so Connondale. The Conondale track was famous like on the Thumper Nat circuit because it's that natural terrain kind of motocross. It's gonna be a really interesting round because I mean Jed and Carl are gonna be fast no matter what, but Nathan Crawford lives up there. This could be kind of up his alley, but it's an interesting round for you to debut at because it's not a traditional motocross track. Um, think a bit more natural terrain, maybe even a bit more grassy. Have you ridden anything kind of like what you've seen from Conondale before?

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Um, yeah, some of our tracks at home that I practice on are like that. Um, so I've got a little bit of time on my belt.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Yeah, you do, mate. It's gonna be pretty impressive. We can't wait to watch you. Hey, tell us tell us, tell the audience too um how Supercross went for you last year. Because that was I th I reckon that was probably the first time anyone out there that wasn't following the Motocross series would have had an opportunity to see you kind of on the big screen, essentially. Like there was a pretty good uh broadcast of the event, and uh the Supercross guys do a really good job at promoting names and people. Um, but you know, tell us about your Supercross series last year, how it went, how successful you were, mate, and um yeah, what what what were some of the challenges maybe from Supercross last year?

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yeah, Supercross was good last year. The tracks were really good, the series was really good actually. Um yeah, my favorite round was um Melbourne. That track was so good, and um, yeah, I'm just really happy with how I rode on that championship, and yeah, it was good.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

Your youngest kid in the class, I believe, or at least one of the youngest, right? Which class were you in?

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Uh I was in the 85 class.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Yeah, yeah. And so you guys raced the full uh the for people those out there that weren't watching it, they raced the full spec track. Um did you hit the whoops? I can't remember. We were there in for all the rounds.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Yeah, we hit the whoops.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

Yeah, you hit the whoops too. No. You jump in the whoops.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

Oh, yeah, yeah, we're jumping them, but we weren't like going around them.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Yeah, okay. Are you allowed to blitz them?

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Oh, there you go. Jeez. Okay, so yeah, everyone out there, um, they raced the full-size track, and it was really cool to see Blake. Um, actually, I saw you and Crenella too, uh, come through and make some pretty impressive passes. I've I think, oh man, this is pressing my memory, but it was one of the last corner passes, and you kind of came up nice and aggressive up the inside of someone and took off. It was right in front of us. We were behind the berm, mate, and it showed a lot of uh grit. How old were you then racing that last year? 12, 13.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Uh, I was 12, I think. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Mate, that's impressive. There's a lot of people out there, people including myself. I would love to be able to hit a triple, and I'm in my 40s. So I I take the hat off, mate, to what you were able to achieve last year. It was pretty cool. And I think, you know, for people out there that may have heard the name, that's probably where they might have first heard you that don't follow the junior series, um, would have been at that supercross series, and you made a huge statement. Um, but hey, we want to know about world championship, mate. You're our um MX85 World Champion. Um, there haven't been that many that have won in that class. In fact, our most successful export motocross supercross rider Jet Lawrence, he won on a 65, not even on an 85. Jay Wilson won on an 85. And did Bailey Malkowitz win on an 85 or 125? I think it was. 125. 125, yeah. So I think it's just you and Jay are the only ones to win on an 85. Um, so tell us about preparation. How do you prepare and how do you get ready to go over and race in Europe and from Australia? And have you been to Europe before?

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Uh yeah, I've been to Europe before. Um, yeah, just to prepare, you you gotta um do so much training. Um, yeah, just gotta put a lot of hard work in um to to win the world title. So that's what I did. So I'm really happy.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

Yeah, but it was it's pretty impressive. Tell us about the training. How do you prep well, what kind of training did it look like? Were you able to replicate conditions, tracks back here in Australia? Or is that pretty tricky from the other side of the world?

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Um, we thought we did, but uh no, the track was completely different to what we thought it was gonna be. It was super rough, um, chattery, not many ruts at all. Okay, but um, yeah, we just did a lot of training.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Uh Briggsie's joined us now. He's back from soccer training with the girls. Thanks, Briggsie, for coming on. Nah, thank you. Hopefully I haven't missed too much. Uh no, we've just been getting to know each other. And uh for those out there that don't know, too, Briggsy, uh Blake and Tim know each other pretty well. Blake and Tim have trained at Briggsie's facility um a fair bit in the past, so it's cool to have Briggsie on. He's got a bit more inside knowledge than most people will have on how the Bahannans and their team kind of operate, which is cool. Um, so so more chattery uh and but not as like rutty and as deep as you kind of were expecting.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Yeah, it wasn't that ruddy. Um they didn't really rip it that deep, but um, they really got the water into it. Um, but yeah, it was just chattery and rough.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

Yeah, okay. How how'd you feel with mate like coming? So you came thro came through the pack in two motos, which is probably what caught most people's attention. You know, it's it's one thing to lead from the front or to get out early and hang on, or even finish with like a 3-1 moto score to come through and win it, but go 1-1 and have to come through the pack, and I believe you beat a kid from uh Latvia that's meant to be pretty good. Um, did you expect that kind of speed out of your was that as fast as you could go? And and did you feel like you just rode your normal race and that's the speed that you are compared to the rest of the world?

SPEAKER_01 7:56

Uh yeah, that I think that's as fast as I could go. But I had two two good starts, but they just got me on the straight, and I just um tucked to the inside and I ended up around like tenths. So um that was surprising, but yeah, um yes, yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_04 8:14

The track looked pretty pebbly.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Yeah, it was. It had some rocks on it.

SPEAKER_04 8:19

Yeah, I was thinking because uh we had a pretty great state round leading into it, and then to go from a nice, ruddy, soft, sandy sesnock straight over into uh Czech Republic hard pack Rocky, you're done well, Blakey.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

Congrats, mate.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Hey, so tell tell us too, what what's the other competition like? Like were they did you think they were gonna be they were as fast as they were gonna be? Did you feel like the other guys that you race here in Australia, how do they compare to the European competition you've just faced?

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Oh, I don't really know what they would get, but um yeah, they were really quick over there. Like I'm pretty pretty I'm pretty surprised with how it went. Um I was kind of hoping for a podium and I ended up winning, so I'm pretty stoked with that.

SPEAKER_04 9:03

And that that was kind of your expectations too, Tim. Yeah. Well, let's just hope for a podium, top five at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_03 9:10

And yeah, top top top five is what I thought because we we did go last year to um France for World, so we sort of had an idea what to expect. Um, and yeah, I was I was thinking he could be top five, and then um after qualifying and and um first practice of the race day, he was around about 14th, so it was a little bit of a wake-up call. But yeah, then and then yeah, the the gate dropped and Blakey did his thing, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

I got a question for both of you. Blake, you can answer it first. Did you feel nervous?

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Oh yeah, I was really nervous.

SPEAKER_03 9:48

Tim, could you tell? Uh, it was the most nervous I've ever seen Blakey. He um yeah, like I thought he was gonna throw up.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Oh mate, there's a lot of pressure on you because uh, you know, we we I guess you've you you did you you must have expected, like you said, to podium. And I and I it's funny when you think at that age, like there's that kind of pressure on you. Um how coming through the pack, were they hard to pass in in you know, this is the best riders from each country, you know, as opposed to racing, say, 20, 30, 40 guys from your own country, they were the best from around the world. Were they harder to pass than the guys here?

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Oh, yeah, a lot harder. They were just they're all um so quick, they'll nearly all of them were on the same second, and yeah, they're so quick, uh so quick, so hard to pass, and yeah, and more aggressive, yeah, a lot more aggressive, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:40

Well, um, I got a question, and a lot of people don't believe it, but I know what he's done to Blake's bikes. Do you want to just tell us, Tim, what setup did you take over there? I know it's only GYTR stuff, uh, but a lot of people out there don't know that Blakey pretty much doesn't ride much more than suspension and GYTR throw on parts. There's no real headwork, no nothing crazy. Um, and then also I've seen Thomas uh posts. It looks like a pretty, pretty interesting uh trip to get the bikes there as well. So can you just elaborate a little bit on the on getting there?

SPEAKER_03 11:17

Yeah, well, the bike lake he rode over there was identical to um to what we ride here, and it's just a barrel and um and the GYTR head. Um, yeah, and we just bolted his suspension on a couple of things. He likes um a certain foot peg, you know, um a lowered foot peg and and some bars, yeah. Um bars and grips. And yeah, that was that was about it. So a lot of the guys over there were pretty surprised. They were looking for looking for something special. But yeah, that was about it. And um, yeah, as as for the trip for Tomo, um yeah, mate, without him, it it just um yeah, I don't think it would have happened. He he's an absolute legend. He um yeah, what he put on Facebook that was probably only half of it as well, Briggs.

SPEAKER_04 12:06

Yeah, uh, to see him get a flap tyre on the van on the front and put the rear tire on the front and then just build the bikes in the car park and jet them over there what a couple of days before, and that's all he's done to still do what you did against kids who are essentially on factory 85s. Uh, you gotta give yourselves a bit more credit, I think.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Yeah, mate. And sorry. So and it went by four seconds is impressive in that second moto. It's huge.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

Yeah, definitely. Hey, say Blake, talk us about your technique, mate. Um, from everything that we've seen, you look very smooth. People love talking to you about technique because a lot, you know, it's it's hard at your age too. People are gonna start making comparisons, and I'm sure you've heard this, mate. But the the comparison a lot of people make is with uh a certain fast guy in the US that's Australian. Um and do you do how do you practice smoothness in motocross? Tell to for all the kids out there who are like, how does it he look like he's not really trying as hard as he actually is going fast? What's what kind of training, what practice, what's your how do you build that technique?

SPEAKER_01 13:15

I just just practice um technique, just long motors, taking my time, getting the corners right, make real um little mistakes, well none, no mistakes at all. Um yeah, just try to get my technique really dialed in and then um when race day comes, uh hopefully it'll be the same.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Tim, how do you keep his head on his shoulders when there are comparisons made to some of our greatest motocross super cross riders?

SPEAKER_03 13:41

Uh he's actually really good. Um, you'd think he'd have a pretty big head, but no, he he's he's really good. Um I think he's um yeah, he's just going about his thing, taking it one race at a time. And if if anything happens in the future and and we do get over there, that's all good. But yeah, he's he's been super good.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

So yeah. Hey, coming back to Europe, um, when you cross the finish line, with did the rest of the world look a little bit surprised, like you said, you turned up with a bike that had been jetted a few days earlier. You didn't have the full factory support that I'm sure some of the kids turn up there. I mean, especially kids that can just drive across the border in a van with everything that they have. Were when were the people a bit like, who is this Blake Bahannan kid? And how the hell did that happen? Was there any of that reaction?

SPEAKER_03 14:27

Uh if from my perspective, um, yeah, especially especially on the line, they they they sort of yeah, didn't really know who he was, but and and last year it was a mutter. I don't know if you guys remember that. So he was, I think we can't uh you were 15th, I think, last year.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Yeah, 14th, 15th.

SPEAKER_03 14:45

Um but but yeah, um, and then in qualifying, you know, it's not as if he was that far back, but they probably weren't looking at you know the 14th, I think he was. So um but yeah, after he after he won the first race, they they definitely were looking at his bike and looking who he was, and yeah, it um yeah, it was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

What did what did you feel, Blakey? When you crossed the finish line and you just gone one-one, what were your uh feelings? Was it like, oh, I've finally achieved something that I've wanted to achieve? Was it I can't believe you think about your family and the support that you've received from dad and from the mum and from the rest of the family. What were your thoughts going one-one?

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Oh, when I crossed that finish line, my brain is folded up. I was just like, I was so happy. I didn't even know what happened. Um, I was thinking how much hard work that I put in, how much hard work that the family's put in, everyone how how much hard work everyone's put in, and to finally get it done, I was so happy.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Yeah, mate. Tell us then, uh, so coming back here, back to Australia, um, you we saw some video of you coming back in the airport and you had a bit of like a bit of fanfare there waiting for you at the airport. Were they little buddies waiting as you came out the gate? Or you obviously knew most of those kids?

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Yeah, I knew all of them, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

It's pretty cool, eh? Did it feel nice for them to be waiting for you?

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Yeah, I was I wasn't expecting it.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Yeah. Did you know the rest of us the of Australia, or in our space anyway, in the in motocross, supercross space, we were all watching this like a hawk. Those of us who were interested in it, we knew who you were, we could see you, we knew you were going over there, we knew the ability that you had. Had it ever dawned on you that you had thousands of people, grown men like Briggsy and I, watching a 13-year-old and waiting to see how he went on the other side of the world?

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Yeah, I knew that. I just try to keep my composure.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

It must be hard, eh? It's one thing to feel pressure as an adult, it's another thing to feel pressure as a 13-year-old. So I take the hat off to you, mate.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:46

It's funny, but Tim, you said you're surprised. I uh I kind of wasn't. I I think a 1-1. I maybe that surprised me, but I'd definitely seen a top three in Blake, especially Sessnock when I see him seeing you guys on the weekend before leaving. But the thing you've done really well, I think, with Blake is you haven't shied away from competition, even with the um MX of Nations. You you send him over there into them big races in that stage every year and try and get him that experience under that pressure. Um, that's gotta help. And credit to Yamaha, they help you guys out with that uh a lot, which is really awesome.

SPEAKER_03 17:29

Yeah, we're super lucky with that um motor cross the nations that Yamaha sends us to every year. Um, yeah, awesome experience, and yeah, got you get to experience uh racing on that level, you know. And yeah, I'm always for pushing pushing him into uh you know riding with the faster kids and and yeah, training, training, you know, Briggsie. We're always down at yours training with with uh your MX3 boys, and yeah, it's just the best thing for him, you know.

SPEAKER_04 17:56

So yeah, I think I'm probably the one apart from you, you and me probably know how to get the uh worst out of Blakey now to so being a one one or two little dummy spits, hasn't there, Blakey?

SPEAKER_00 18:14

So tell us, Blakey, where did it all start for you, mate? What age did you start writing? Like where and and when did you start to realise after that that or maybe this could be something I'm gonna be good at?

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Um, I started writing when I was four, and I started racing when I was seven, and when I was about probably what do you think like nine, ten, I I started to knew I had something there, and I just put a lot of hard work in and I got the world title.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

You did mate. Hey, you when you you talk about going from starting riding at four, racing at seven, and then realizing by ten that you had something there. Um are you for as th as far as 13-year-olds go, are you tall, short, like where do you kind of sit on the scale? And then if you were littler or taller as a kid, would that did that make it easier or harder coming through from set seven when you started racing to when you realized you know you you're quite good at this? 10?

SPEAKER_01 19:11

Um, I reckon I'm pretty tall, I don't.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

Uh I think you're just normal. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Yes. Um, but yeah, I reckon it's better if you're a bit taller um than if you're smaller, because you can't really like manhandle the bike.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

So when you're taller, it's a bit better. You can like muscle the bike around and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

So who who'd you have coaching you at that age at seven, eight, nine? Like you did you go to any coaching, or you could you guys just turn up and go racing on a Saturday when you felt like racing or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

No, I've never had coaching in my life.

SPEAKER_00 19:42

Dad's yeah, wow, dad's the super coach.

SPEAKER_04 19:47

Come on, I've helped him.

SPEAKER_02 19:48

Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:51

Nah, Tim needs to give himself a lot of credit, he has a really good eye for this and was a pretty competent rider back in the day himself. So uh I know how they operate, and yeah, Tim's done a lot of time with Blakey, but Blakey does listen too, which is the biggest part of the battle. Like he's very coachable, very good kid to work with. Um, and Tim's obviously put a lot of time and effort into him, and it's paid off.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

Wow. So, Tim, you've worked with Blake on technique and everything from whenever he was really interested and wanted to learn and wanted to improve. You've been the man there with Blakey talking about cornering and starts and all that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_03 20:30

Yeah, I'd definitely not taking any credit for him. He's an absolute weapon. But um, yeah, just from the start, I just when we talk about technique and that's what he practices, that's all we focused on from the start. We never did any um speed work ever. Um, and we we still very rarely do it. We just work on technique, and yeah, I I know it's probably um yeah, it's a bit much, but I reckon I've watched every single lap he's ever done. So that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

That's awesome. It is our sport, hey. It's a family, like you just gotta look at the Lawrences and look how you know integral Daz was in that whole space, and you know, even uh, you know, uh Mossy's old man, um Greg was pretty you know integral in his in the Moss Boys kind of rise. So family is an important part, mate. Um you know it's Blake, you're one of those kids that like an old person like me who can't ride very well looks at and just gets jealous because it's like it looks like things come easy to you. Do you feel like things come easy? So like when you started tackling supercross and there are obstacles in supercross that you hadn't really done before because you'd been doing motocross and you weren't allowed to do supercross, did they just come naturally? Did you just do them?

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Um, yeah, so we got back from uh US uh from Iron Man, actually, from Iron Man, and then that next weekend we had to do um the first round of Supercross uh at where was that?

SPEAKER_02 21:59

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Redcliffe. Yeah. Um, so I had like one day of training um in that week. Um, because I was pretty jet-lazed after um after Iron Man, so I had like a day off and then did one day of training and then went to Redcliff with one day, and I won it. So pretty happy with it.

SPEAKER_00 22:20

I was saying, Briggsie, before you got on here, guys like me would just dream of being out to hit a triple in the suit on a super cross track. Oh, it'd feel so good, and I'd feel like an absolute king. And to hear you've just turned up and nailed out a super cross track two days in, it's not very fair. I've been writing for a lot longer than you, buddy, so yeah, it's it's hard to accept.

SPEAKER_04 22:38

Um, I've got a question, Blakey. What what age group is the 85 capped at in America? Is it oh in the worlds? Is it 12 to 16 similar to over here or is it any age or um I think it's 13 to no, it's it's 12 to 14, Brady. Okay, yeah, yeah. Right. And then 14 to 16 or 17 for 125? I think it's 17. Yeah, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

So tell us, mate, to um sacrifice stuff. It takes a whole family to kind of get around and get someone at your level to you know race around the country. Um you have support from Yamaha, but I'm assuming Tim, you're the man in the van driving to each round. Did you do you guys drive to all the rounds? Did you drove to Supercross last year?

SPEAKER_03 23:28

Yep, just uh me and Blakey and and sometimes uh Allie comes with us, and yeah, we just drive around and and do it in just uh we just got a Mercedes van and yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

That's the way to go. And then any other Bahannans coming through that enjoy motocross? Any any siblings?

SPEAKER_03 23:46

Uh uh my daughter is 19, but yeah, definitely not into motocross. Okay, no. But but a big fan. She's definitely a number one fan of him.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

So I can imagine. I can imagine. Um, so tell us, Blakey, like what next? What where where do you see it going? I asked Briggsie this as soon as we saw you uh kick ass. I was like, we were talking about it like the day afterwards, and I was like, surely Tim's phone is melting, like he's got to be getting calls left, right, and center. The world has kind of changed from you know where it was 20 or 30 years ago where you had to be a Chad Reed and take yourself over there. There because of social media, because all our series are broadcasts a lot better. You you you know, you can get calls from teams as young as 13. Um, Tim, has the have there been inquiries from teams around the world?

SPEAKER_03 24:36

Uh yeah, there's there's been uh a lot of interest. Um obviously they exactly what you guys said, they they were really impressed with how he just worked his way through the pack. Um yeah, was just calm and yeah, didn't really make any mistakes. And a lot of the um messages I've been getting were yeah, just saying, you know, super impressed with that. Um but yeah, he he's just so young.

SPEAKER_04 25:05

So yeah, and it that's probably the most stressful uh yeah part for you at the moment, isn't it, Tim? Of knowing what's next in a in a sense of my 13-year-old's just won a world title. And okay, do I move to Europe, do I stay in America, Australia, do I go to America, um, or do I just just take some time to think?

SPEAKER_03 25:27

Exactly. It's it's um it's it's really hard. And and if I'm being honest, I I'm stressed out because I I just don't want to stuff it up, if you know what I mean. Like I don't want to make the wrong decision, you know.

SPEAKER_04 25:39

Yeah, I I honestly believe that with the talent that Blake has and the way he's doing things, there will be so many chances you won't stuff it up. I think you just have to take your time. Um, and and it'll come. I think the right opportunity will present itself and you'll know it when it comes, to be honest.

SPEAKER_03 25:58

Yeah, yeah, I I I agree. I I think there's no rash. Um, yeah, just enjoy enjoy doing it at the moment. Like it's yeah, I don't get caught up too much in it and and yeah, just try and enjoy it, I think.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

I don't envy your position, Tim, because I I think this would be as a dad to uh one of the hardest phases of um you know Blake's life and your life. Um he you know at 13, you can't wander overseas on his own and give it a go for six months and then just come home. Um, you know, the family has to uproot themselves and move as well. And we've seen that work really well um around the world with other Australian races in our sport and in other motorsports. Um, but man, I don't envy that decision. It's it's tricky because you I I imagine, mate, you got people in your head that are saying, Gotta go now, gotta go now. Then you've got people who are saying, Hey, maybe wait a year um and do one more year and then move. What what's the kind what are people what do you what are you getting from all corners?

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Yeah, i exactly that. Um a lot of different uh opinions, and but it's good. I just take it all on board. Um, and yeah, I'm sure we'll come up with something. But yeah, it's just it's hard, but yeah, I just want to I listened to the podcast with uh that you guys did with with Kaden, and uh yeah, that was so interesting because I think he he moved over at 13 uh from WA and you know that's Blake's age, and uh probably wouldn't like me saying saying it, but um yeah, he he he can't even set his alarm clock.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

So that's shaking his people that can't see that he's shaking his head.

SPEAKER_03 27:36

Yeah, that's right. So yeah, it's it's tricky, but yeah, if if we do go, obviously I'll I'll yeah, I'll be going with him.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

So yeah, for sure, mate. Look, I like Briggsie's got three girls. I've got a a son and a daughter, and they're a lot younger than you are, although Briggsie's eldest isn't, but um Blakey, and there's uh I couldn't I couldn't have done what Caden, you know, going over on his own. It's just I don't know, I know my kids are a lot younger, but at this age, uh you know, even when they get to the age of 13, you know, it'd be a big ass to to to move up and move, whether it's just Blake to go somewhere or you guys went with him, it's huge. Um and you know, like you gotta like this the you did we all know this, you develop so much between the ages of 13 and 15, especially as a you know, as a young man. Um, and so it's I think it's really important to have um dad there for that kind of process as well. It can really help um yeah, develop. Um so America, I'm guessing Blake is the dream. I mean, it's the dream for all of us in our sport and is to wind up in America. Europe is unbelievable, you know. Of late, we haven't had that many uh world contenders in motocross. We've had some pretty impressive rides over there, but we haven't had contenders since you know Leasey and well, Reedy was there and Josh Coppins was there, doing really well. Everyone seems to be heading to the US from Australia. I think it's probably closer aligned to Australian way of living. Obviously, the language is the same, the climate's pretty similar, America it might be a bit more attractive. If you could, in a dream scenario, Blake, where would you like to see your racing? Racing professionally here till you're 30 or racing in the US?

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Um, I'd I'd go to the US. Um, I would like to follow the Lawrence Brothers um path. That's that's what I'd like to do. So end up in America and yeah, just like to be in America.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

Yeah, I think that's uh that's the pinnacle of our sport, the US is, and um look also a good way you've got to look at the Lawrences. A good way to make money is to go to the US that seems to be a bit healthier, especially if you're gonna support the family as well. If some of them, you know, even if it's just you and dad that move over there at the start, um that can certainly kind of help. Um have you ridden you now as as a kid, most kids have ridden on a KDM. Have you only been Yamaha this whole time or have you ridden KDMs for a while too?

SPEAKER_01 29:55

No, when I was younger, um I was on a KDM and a Huskavana, and then um the start of 2023, I was on the Yamaha team, so I've been out for about three years, two and a half years.

SPEAKER_00 30:08

Yeah, so it's have you and and you've gelled pretty well with the Yamaha? Have you you comfort feel comfortable on it? Feel like you know you'll obviously have to jump up when you race MX3 in two weeks' time. You're gonna be jumping on a 125 or a 250F?

SPEAKER_01 30:22

No, I'll I'll be on a one-two-five.

SPEAKER_00 30:24

Yeah, okay. All right. Can you touch the ground on that thing?

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Nearly.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

How does that work, Tim? Did you got blocks at the start? Yeah, big fart blocks. And then you gotta don't fall over. Yeah, I was gonna say, I was gonna say, you've got to either find a m fall over near a marshal or go find when you cut when you finish across the finish line, go find dad. That's awesome, mate.

SPEAKER_04 30:48

It hasn't tied him up any yet.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

Nah not at all. Not at all. What are you uh um for for your so those out there, I think we mentioned it earlier. Blakey's gonna race uh Connondale. It's well, he's debut in the MX3 class, Connondale and QMP. So the last two rounds of ProMX, which is pretty exciting. Um, we actually talked about this last night on our uh ProMX podcast from Tiraalgan with Danny Ham. And we were talking about the MX3 class hasn't really had anyone that's come in. Caden Minier did um that's come in and just like you know knocked everyone over for six. You know, from the word go, I'm not saying that that's gonna be you, mate. It's two rounds that you get to do. But we, you know, even the weekend just been in Taralgan, the the top three guys were fifth, uh no, sixth, eighth, and eleventh, and they're leading the championship. And Hammy was like, you know, we haven't really had anyone since Caden come in and blow everyone away. Um, and then I said, Well, when does Blake start? And Hammy's response was uh he's I think he's gonna do the last two rounds, but that might be the last we see of him. So you know, people are wondering where you're gonna be next year, etc. Um, but we've got Conondale coming up, um, and then we've got QMP. Have you got any expectations as to like where uh you think you could finish in the MX3 class?

SPEAKER_01 32:05

Um obviously first thing I want to qualify, um, and then next thing will probably be um top ten. Um I'll be happy with the top ten. Um, because everyone's on two fifties and they got an advantage, and I'm on the one two five, so I'll be happy with the top ten.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Okay. What what have you done to the one two five? Suspension, I'm guessing, but that's about it.

SPEAKER_01 32:26

Uh just suspension pipe, and that's about it.

SPEAKER_00 32:30

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 32:31

Impressive. Yeah, I think uh top ten is achievable. It's definitely a different class compared to what you've been racing. I mean, he's been racing uh 13 to 16s in state titles, and Rafael Ross has been giving him a good run. Um the last round at Cessnock was unbelievable. The boys had such a great battle for the championship, and Blakey just got the edge. But uh it'll be interesting. I I'm pretty keen to see where you stack up, Blakey. I know you're a good starter, um, and your lap times don't drop. So that's the bit that uh I think the last 10 minutes might be the dangerous, dangerous time for you, I think.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

Hey Blakey, tell everyone out there what a 13-year-old has to do for training. Like Briggsie just said, your lap times don't drop, so we know your fitness and your intensity is there. Now, most 13-year-olds that are playing soccer and footy and cricket, they don't do any training but a Thursday night when they get to go hang out with their mates and kick the ball to each other, and then they turn up on a Saturday and they play footy. Um, what is training? What does the week look like for you during a school week?

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Um, just riding. Um, I'll go for running, do a lot of running. Um, but yeah, just bike time. Bike time is really key. Just long motors, and yeah, that's pretty much sure.

SPEAKER_00 33:46

How often how often are you on the bike a week?

SPEAKER_01 33:49

Um, normally about what do you reckon?

SPEAKER_00 33:52

Like three.

SPEAKER_01 33:53

Three, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

Okay, there you go. So in my head, I kind of had like you're on the bike six days a week kind of thing, but um, you can't overdo it. You don't want to overcook yourself. But okay, three days a week, a bit of running to keep yourself fit. Um, you can you cycle yet? Is that a it's a 13-year-old cycling? I know cycling's just huge, right? For our prof the professionals in our sport. Do you cycle or mountain bike?

SPEAKER_01 34:14

No, I don't. I don't cycle. I do cycle bike. I have a cycle bike, like indoor one.

SPEAKER_00 34:18

Well, we mountain bike.

SPEAKER_01 34:19

Yeah, well, we mountain bike, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

Yeah, and you find that's good at basketball too. Oh, there you go. You're gonna have to pick one or the other because if you're gonna be good at basketball, you've got to be like seven foot, mate, and you won't be good at a dirt bike at seven foot.

SPEAKER_04 34:34

Secret joke, because uh I think it was last year or the year before Blakey broke his coal bone pipe.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

That's right, that's right. I actually do remember that. Mate, you've got to get these things out of the way early. You're a kid, you still got to be a kid. Is that a hard part, Tim? In like watching Blake um do what he's been able to do over the last 24 months, especially. Do you have to try and remind him that he's still a kid and if he wants to go and muck around with his mates, it doesn't all have to be serious professional stuff?

SPEAKER_03 35:02

Yeah, it's super hard. And and I hate I hate seeing it sometimes because I know what 13-year-olds should be doing. But he he just does it himself, like um, he just wants to train, he wants to get better. Um so yeah, but we do we do make sure we have as much fun as we can sometimes, like it when we're at training. Um, yeah, it doesn't try not to make it work all the time. But uh he he loves tomato. He just loves that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

Do you guys have um a facility? Like you know, so many kids nowadays have the luxury of a track in their backyard essentially. Uh where you guys live, are you kind of on a tra on a track or have you just got to travel a little bit to train?

SPEAKER_03 35:43

Uh yeah, we're we're super lucky. Um we own a bit of land up this way in port. Um, so yeah, I've got a couple of tracks from when I was riding that I sort of made a bit better for Blakey, and and yeah, he can just train train on them in the afternoon um after after work because uh yeah, myself and Ali both work, so yeah, and do that and then um yeah on the weekend because it's a bit hard in port, there's there's not many people that ride up this way, and I do like him riding, especially with faster kids. So yeah, on the on the weekends we try and get down to the hunter um Newcastle area and and yeah, train train down that way. Um that way we can get him in there with some fast kids and and yeah, the ranch and and Brigsies, yeah, that's usually usually there.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

Do do you play cat and mouse, Tim? Do you ever kind of jump on the bike and say you gotta try and pass me? Or would he pass you too quickly?

SPEAKER_03 36:37

Uh it's embarrassing. I don't know if what is for that.

SPEAKER_04 36:41

He passes me quickly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:45

He's too slow. I nearly hit him.

SPEAKER_04 36:48

He passes me quickly these days. Oh, that's brilliant. Uh that's why we got the MX3 crew that uh give him every bit of a run still, which is good.

SPEAKER_00 36:57

Yeah, that is good. It's really important that there's someone for them to chase and someone to push you, Blake, you know, because it's no there's no point in riding with guys slower than you. You only go backwards. So you've got to find those guys who can kind of keep pushing you, even if they are bigger and older. Um, that's that's pretty important.

SPEAKER_04 37:13

Uh I've got a question, Blakey. When you go to these American tracks and these world tracks and all that, I remember that big jump at Iron Man last year. Are you ever scared to have a have a go at them or what?

SPEAKER_01 37:25

Um, not really. I definitely um like on track walk, I definitely size it up like and have a look if it's actually doable. And I saw that one at Iron Man, I was kinda thinking it, and then like fourth lap at um practice at an Iron Man. I just hold that thing weak the whole way, and it came up short, but I ended up doing it a couple of times. It was a pretty hard landing, so yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:52

I think there's only you um Tays Morgan, I think it was, and one other kid doing it in in that race. So pretty impressive. I reckon that's about 110-20 feet that jump, pretty solid.

SPEAKER_03 38:05

That was a big jump, Bruggy, when um when he came in uh after qualifying or practice, whatever it was. Uh just ran my hand around his wheels and every single spike front and rear was loose.

SPEAKER_00 38:17

Oh, no way.

SPEAKER_03 38:19

I'd believe it.

SPEAKER_00 38:20

Yeah, wow. So what so what what's harder, mate? The racing the MX and Nations in the US or winning that world championships it's got to be Czech.

SPEAKER_01 38:28

Yeah, definitely. It it's definitely worlds. Worlds was a lot harder.

SPEAKER_00 38:32

Yeah. What about the atmosphere? Um Briggsie was there last year for MX and Nations for us, and you know, he was reporting live from the event. It was so awesome, but the the crowd was just like you know, even chatting with Kyle Webster and Hunter and Jet afterwards, and they're like you couldn't hear yourself talk. Um, did was the vibe in the crowd better at MX and Nations or um Well uh Junior World Championship?

SPEAKER_01 38:56

Yeah, it was a lot better at um at Iron Man.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

It was, huh?

SPEAKER_01 39:00

I couldn't even hear my bike out there. I didn't even know if my butt was bogging in the corporate or if it was like in first gear or something.

SPEAKER_04 39:07

So it was loud. Yeah, yeah. Man, we're gonna tell can we tell them a funny story about what you said to Jet and Hunter? Yes, yes. We want to go. We get Blakey gets um Bishop comes over, grabs the kids, um, Stella, uh Huddy, and Blake, and brings them back to meet Hunter and Jet, and I go with him. Anyway, they're chatting to the kids, and then they Hunter says to Blake, he says, Uh, who do you want to meet while you're here? And he goes, Oh, you guys, and Eli Tomac and Hayden Deegan, and then they go, Oh, who? And he goes, Hayden Deegan. They go, who? I had to whack him on the side of the don't say that name again, and they all just lost it. It was great. Did you get to meet him though, Blake?

SPEAKER_00 39:52

Did you get to meet Hayden? No, he wasn't at Nations. Oh, of course he wasn't. Yeah, what am I saying? Oh, what a bummer. You have to meet him at some stage. What who who who you who's your favourite writer?

SPEAKER_01 40:02

Um it's out of Jet and Hunter.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

Okay. Does Hayden feature?

SPEAKER_01 40:10

He's about fourth.

SPEAKER_00 40:11

Okay, what do you like about Hayden?

SPEAKER_01 40:14

Um, I like I just like his writing style. He's super aggressive and yeah, definitely different to Jet and Hunter.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

Yeah, definitely. And and if you're the two brothers are your favorite, what what do you like about Hunter? What it is about Hunter that makes you think that's a good role model.

SPEAKER_01 40:29

Um, I just reckon he's I like him because he's super chilled out and cool. Yeah, he's just yeah, just chilled out. I like that.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

Yeah, he definitely is. He's he's still got time to text us back. Like I'll text him after a super cross round, and if he's um you know not too busy, he'll just randomly text back. And it's pretty cool to think that you know the the amount of people that would be trying to get his attention over there that he's got time for some of us little old Australian you know media people back here. I think it goes to say a lot about who Hunter is. Um okay, so talk to us, mate. Favourite track in Australia or around the world? Where's the your best place to ride?

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Um, oh that's a hard question. Um probably Matalie Basin.

SPEAKER_04 41:13

I knew you were gonna say that. Yeah, how come you tell me mine's your favorite every time we're favourite one in Australia?

SPEAKER_00 41:21

Oh, thanks, mate. Nice blank. How come Matalie? What do you like about Matalie?

SPEAKER_01 41:26

It was super ruddy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

Okay, she had light ruts. Technical, the more technical, the better, right?

SPEAKER_01 41:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:32

Okay, it's funny actually. I think had the track been a bit different at check, we might have seen an even more impressive win from Blake. And I'm not trying to talk Blake up. I do believe, in my opinion, Blake is the most technically sound writer in the world for his age, by but not in probably up to Jet and Hunter, to be honest. Um, but I think that that's where Blake really shines when they get them deep ruts and it does get long, straight ruts and just very technical, a bit slower, not quite as fast and hard pack and choppy. Blake really comes into his own. So I would have loved to see a track like that uh in that class over there and see how it's stacked up. But yeah, still didn't really make a difference, which is great. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:20

Hey, speaking of the technique stuff, um, you know, we talked about Tim uh coaching and helping you. How much nowadays for kids like you? Probably this is more a question for you, Tim. How much how much can they learn from watching YouTube or watching really high quality broadcast of the Lawrences and then applying the technique that they're watching to real world?

SPEAKER_03 42:43

Yeah, it it it's massive. Super lucky, like we never had anything we we couldn't watch YouTube as kids or whatever. So yeah, that that Blake Blake does a lot of study. Let's yeah, let's just put it that way. He does he he um he he definitely does things on a bike that I've never showed him. So yeah, it's it's pretty impressive. Um, but yeah, definitely YouTube and and watching motors and the way they go about racing. Um, we definitely do a lot of study and and hunter and jet, and you know, how can you how can you not want to watch them ride? It's it's unreal to watch them ride.

SPEAKER_00 43:19

So yeah. Um a lot of people talk about your ability, Blake, to manage racing and especially your age, it's very impressive to not get caught up in a moment, to not lose your cool, um, to not push too early. If you do get a bad start or you kind of bury it after the first corner a bit. What are you are you telling yourself anything in your head at your age um to remain calm, or are you just like, you know what? I'm 13, I got all the fitness in the world, I'm just gonna hold this thing to the stopper until the checkered flag drops.

SPEAKER_01 43:47

Um, no, I I'm super calm. Like, so at Cessnock uh for state titles, I got two bad starts in the 85, and I just um made my way through the pack. It was just super calm. Um, I just took my Time because I know when I start rushing stuff and I and I start pushing, I make mistakes, and it ends up being slower. So I just take my time with it.

SPEAKER_00 44:09

A lot of maturity there. Briggsie's smiling and nodding.

SPEAKER_04 44:12

That one with Richie behind him at mine. I knew you were gonna say that, Briggsie, about that Richie moto. That was one of the best motos I've ever watched. And you that you you'd have to agree, wouldn't you, Tim? That was awesome. 100%. Yeah. Tell us what happened. Uh so we had, I think we had five or six kids here, all fast kids. Richie's a great little kid too. Um he's racing MX3. We had Riley Burgess, Drew Kramer, so some top, you know, MX3 kids. Blakey was here. Anyway, I put Blakey last to start because he was the slowest of the group. Um, and his lap times were 146 or something like this. And and he was just doing his moto. And I'm like, right uh, we come in, we got fueled up after a 20-minute moto. I said, Right, Tim, I'm gonna swap him. Tim's like, oh, you sure? I'm like, yeah, right, oh, let's let's just do it. Like, he needs to go up the front, try and push him a bit more. Anyway, oh no, that was a different moto, wasn't it? Yeah, no, Richie's one we just swapped Richie and Blake, so because he just couldn't quite catch Richie as behind him anyway. Because before Blake actually hit his speed, he's actually come on since in the last I'd say three to six months since this moto. But um, we swapped the order of Richie and Blake. I said to Richie, go get him. Tim's like, yeah, go get him, Richie. You make sure you hunt him down and get him. And Blake was around a second or two slower. And I give him a 10-second gap. Anyway, halfway through the motor, Richie was just catching, catching, just a second or two a lap, not nothing crazy. And Blake would see it coming. And I reckon by the time Richie was oh, five or six bike lengths behind, Blake just went into meltdown. Just like I'm gonna hold this thing wage as fast as I can and override the crap out of it, and mistakes just started coming. And to be honest, like they battled for five or six laps where they were side by side off nearly every jump. And Blake was riding unbelievable too. Like it was one of the best motors I've ever watched. But Blake came off the track that disjointed and frustrated at himself. I think that was a major turning point. Because uh we sat up there and had a chat about it, didn't we, Blake? And I said, What did you do? And I made him reflect on what he did and how he rode, and Tim knew it as well. We spoke about it while they were racing, and he was just overriding. Said, just next time it happens, take a breath, like take your time, let it let it come. If he passes you, latch on. Because he passed Rich ended up passing him, and Blake sort of dropped dropped the shoulders a bit, tried to battle, but just a few mistakes. But the other one that was really good was um we had five kids one day, Max, Riley, a few others. Um and Blake was last, just doing his 20-minute most. So I stuck him first anyway. He dropped, I think it was six seconds off his lap time, and the kids couldn't catch him. And I've never seen MX3 riders so dejected at a 13-year-old. It was brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 47:04

Is this in their isn't their recent memory? Are they going to remember this when you turn up at Connondale, mate? Was this sometime in the last six to twelve months?

SPEAKER_04 47:11

It was three months ago, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 47:13

Perfect. Way to get in their head, mate, before we've even got there. That's what you want.

SPEAKER_04 47:20

Yeah, and like to be honest, Tim's always chased competition. And I think that's what and Blake hates losing. Doesn't matter if it's a practice day, a race day, anything. But Blake also has the ability to learn on the run. So when we do these motos, there was one section he came in and it was a real rough section into a corner. I seen him change down through the bumps, his left foot come off on the gears a little bit, and then he got in the corner and out. Next lap, I was like, I put that in my memory. I'll tell him that after the moto, as I do with all the kids. I didn't have to. He came in next lap, change down before the bumps, and then left foot was on, gripping the bike. And I'm like, that's something that not a lot of kids have the ability to adjust on the fly at 13, especially. So that's a credit to Tim and Blake and their training that they've done and that reinforcement of learn as you ride. And it's it's something that I think really helps Blake adapt every race, every lap, and manage his races.

SPEAKER_02 48:18

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:19

I think um I listened to another podcast, and it was um Ben Townley, and he was talking about um Cole, and he was saying that he he just um like he computes, like he gets it, and he can put that information in really quickly. And um I sort of I resonated with that because I I feel like Blakey's the same. I only have to tell him something once or show him something, and that's it, never again, you know, and he just picks it up. So yeah, it's it's quite interesting.

SPEAKER_00 48:48

Yeah, that's that's kind of an elite mindset. I know I've kind of even heard Jet and Hunter talk about it kind of loosely around the topic of like, you know, for for people who are gonna there are people who have to work at it, you know, even if you look at Jet and Hunter, Jet was the one who just managed to get it and Hunter had to work just a little bit harder. I mean, they're the elite, they're the elite, both of them. Um, but yeah, that's that's uh kind of that elite mindset. Hey, um Blakey, if you could ride for any team in the world, now I know you're on a Yamaha now, so you don't have to say Yamaha, but what would be your dream factory team?

SPEAKER_01 49:23

Um I know I'm on Yamaha now, but probably Yamaha, yeah. Yeah, they're the best bike. They're the best bike.

SPEAKER_04 49:30

I don't know. I reckon Pro Circuit with me should be pretty sick. Yeah, that'd be cool team.

SPEAKER_00 49:37

What about Honda? What about the Honda boy, Honda team?

SPEAKER_01 49:40

Yeah, maybe the Honda team, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:42

Yeah. Have you ever wanted a Red Bull helmet?

SPEAKER_01 49:46

Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:47

Yeah, they have to get on a different round. Any factory team, I'm with you, mate. Um, but yes, that Yamaha team is pretty cool, especially when you look at what Eli Tomak was able to do on it last year. It's a pretty um uh impressive and cool team to be on. Um hey mate, so you're going into MX3, you've you're riding the 125. Have you ridden a 250F?

SPEAKER_01 50:07

Uh I've ridden my dad's like once or twice. Um I I didn't really like it because it's like a 23 model, so it's like the old shape. But um I also rode um Maddie's daughter's one, Ashton Warren's, and I enjoyed that because it's like the 2025 model, and I really enjoyed that.

SPEAKER_00 50:29

So is there a bit of adjustment coming off a two-stroke? You know, you get a nice lot of roll through the corners, you gotta get used to engine braking. What did you would you still prefer to be on a two-stroke at this stage than being on a four-stroke?

SPEAKER_01 50:42

Uh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:43

Yeah, you find the four-stroke just a little bit stop starty.

SPEAKER_01 50:47

Uh yeah, I don't really like the engine braking either.

SPEAKER_00 50:50

It's tricky when you get off a two-stroke, like even as like clubby gumbies at our level, and all you've been riding is a two-stroke, you hop on a four-stroke. I actually hopped on a Stark Vag for the first time the other day. I think it was at yours, Briggsie. And um, I just couldn't get used to the friggin' engine braking because I had just got off like three straight years of nothing but two-strokes, and I nearly went over the handlebars every time. And you you guys had tuned the engine braking in to be like it would be on a 450. And um, it does take a little bit of getting used to, but hey mate, you're gonna have to jump on one, what are you, 13? Probably in about two or three years' time. Um, do you do you think next year, if you race in MX3 next year, you'll do us and you're in Australia, would you do a whole season on a 125? Is that a good idea, Tim, to kind of cut his teeth on a 125 to learn flow through corners, that kind of thing?

SPEAKER_03 51:37

Uh I I haven't run this past uh Bish yet, but uh yeah, I I think maybe we stay on the one two five for a little while. Um, I'm a I'm a big believer in uh learn learning the bigger bike and learning the skills um on the 125 first before I chuck him on that 250. Um in saying that who knows what next year we'll bring. Uh yeah, I'm not too sure. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 52:03

Uh so what's the rest of the year look like for you guys now? I'm guessing we've got the MX3 races and then straight into SX. Uh I'm assuming.

SPEAKER_03 52:14

Uh I'm not too quite, I'm not quite sure about Supercross. Um we've got um Darwin for the MXGP. Oh, yep, I forgot about that. So that's a that's a really cool uh track and and Darwin's cool, so looking forward to that. And then um we have Motocross of Nations, which is in France. So Blakey uh I was I've spoken to Scott about that, and he's got the go-ahead to race the 125 over there this year. So really looking forward. That's cool, yeah, definitely. And then after that, uh yeah, not too sure. Um yeah, just haven't really had time to think, to be honest, after getting back from worlds, and yeah, that was the main focus, and then yeah, back to work and sort of back to training for this uh MX3 thing, and yeah, haven't really had time to think.

SPEAKER_00 53:09

How do you go, Blakey? Summer's coming up. You obviously got to get off the bike for at least a few weeks through Christmas and it's hot and it's sweaty. Do you surf or do you swim or do you go fishing? What what do you do? What does a 13-year-old like you do when you're not on a dirt bike?

SPEAKER_01 53:22

Um I play a bit of basketball and we go to the beach a bit, but I don't really do any like water sports at all. Um, but uh dad's not gonna like this, but I'll be probably riding over. I just love riding so much, I can't stop.

SPEAKER_00 53:40

That's the best. Um all right, mate. Well, last question I've got for you. Um, and this will go to this will give us a good idea of the maturity level of a 13-year-old. What do you think needs improving for Blake Bahannan? From racecraft to technique, what is it that you need to improve to become a better writer?

SPEAKER_01 53:59

Um I don't know, there's always something to improve. Um uh probably just more more speed. Yeah, just more speed. I reckon my technique's pretty good. Um, yeah, it's probably just speed, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:14

Tim. What do I think he needs to improve? Yeah. Uh well we're working on head position a fair bit at the moment. I mean, yeah, just not not letting that head drop um in the corners. But yeah, other than that, speed. I I I've never worried too much about it. I know he for qualifying and stuff like that, he he does, but yeah, I just think just keep going with what we're doing, Blakey. Uh I think it's working okay. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:44

Certainly is.

unknown 54:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:46

Um, all right, that was awesome, guys. It was really good to great to get to know you. Um, Briggsie, you guys you guys are good mates with uh Blake and Tim. Um got any uh last questions you had for Blake and Tim before we let him go?

SPEAKER_04 55:00

Uh one that's it's not personal, but it is, I guess, in a sense. Does it ever take a toll on the family, Tim, with you and Allie or Holly and your relationship when you're not home so much and and the finance and like people don't understand that our sport, even I know you're sponsored by Yamaha, but a lot of people, even the a lot of kids that aren't sponsored and families that are buying two and three bikes, they're spending 20-30 grand a year, then they're traveling and spending 10-15 grand in fuel, and also work as well. I imagine is got to be pretty um easy going about it as well. But does it does home life get stressful at times in general in that way?

SPEAKER_03 55:41

Oh yeah, I so first of all with work, I'm I'm super lucky with my job. Um yeah, that they know what I'm what we're trying to do here. Um, so yeah, they've been really flexible with that. Um but that means that Allie, she she's been working a lot to cover my days off. Um and yeah, like I'm I'm always away uh with Blakey, and yeah, I definitely miss being at home with Allie and my daughter, she's moved out of home now. But yeah, last year it was it was really tricky because she was doing a HSC. Um so yeah, like Ali was at home studying with her all the time, and I was away. And yeah, it it's tricky, it it takes its toll, and and I and I love being at home too, so that's yeah, that's the thing. But um, yeah, no, it's it's all part of it. Just try and make it work. Um Ali tries to come as much as she can. Um, and and yeah, we we obviously love that when she comes.

SPEAKER_02 56:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:40

Um but yeah, it's just it's just what it is, I suppose. Just make the try and make the most of it and enjoy it because who knows what what'll happen.

SPEAKER_00 56:49

So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 56:50

Yeah, I I only ask that because it's a unique sport that probably demands more of people like yourself than any other sport in the world. Yeah. Uh and and I don't think that it gets enough recognition or emphasis for for young riders and families who do do this. Uh there's a lot of people that you know second mortgage their house just to get to Lorettas and never even get a ride, you know. Uh I don't know any other sport that is asking so much of a 13-year-old or a 15-year-old or a whole family that that that has to happen. You know, soccer, you can be elite, earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but you can do it from your own suburb in a sense. You know, there's fields everywhere. Whereas we travel the world chasing seconds to try and make a career out of it, you know.

SPEAKER_03 57:38

Yeah, yeah, it really is. It's a it's a team like Blakey. Obviously, he does he does all the hard work, but yeah, together it's it's definitely a team sport for sure. Like we we all put in a lot of hard work, so yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:52

Yeah, and Tim, you kind of said it um, you know, it's not it's not forever, and we do have this small window of like you know, you're Blakey's age now, 13 and 14, and you know, you it might be five years, and if you kind of decide, you know, Blakey's got so much ability, and also he's got all these these opportunities from around the world or wherever it is, and if you just decide, but you know what, we're just I'm just want to cruise, and and Blake decides that he's not as interested as he thought he was, or whatever else it is, then you lose that window. You can't it's it's the it's a kind of sport you can't come back at 22 and go, oh wait, actually, I do want to give this a proper go. Um, and so like you guys are doing, it seems like you're just gonna give it as the best nudge you can while um you know you got the best opportunity you can, and it takes a lot of sacrifice, but that's a it's a it's a small window to have to make that um push.

SPEAKER_03 58:44

Oh for sure. Like we definitely I'll I'll said to Blakey from the start, I'll do this as long as you want to do this. Um, but yeah, the moment you don't want to do it, I'm I'm fine with that too. I'm yeah, I've definitely uh yeah, I've got things to do as well. So yeah, yeah. I've I've heard no issue.

SPEAKER_00 59:01

Yeah, yeah. I've heard a theory that um, and I know the Lawrences subscribe to this, that in order to be as successful as they have been overseas, their opinion is that you can't just go overseas and have your stuff back here, as in your house and your bits and your job or whatever else it is. They've kind of of this opinion that if you're gonna have a go-over, you've got to sell everything because then you've kind of got nothing to go back to. Um, and there's that whole like concept of like put yourself in a position where you have to make it work. Um have you ever heard had heard that kind of a concept for you know, because we're individual athletes, you know. Blake's not on a he's on a team with you guys, but he's not in with 15 other players on the field where he can hide and it can take five, six, seven years to to get to where he needs to go. And like Briggs you said, he's playing down the road. Um it's kind of this concept that if you throw everything at it and you have to make it work, then there's a better chance of it working. Do you do you subscribe to that?

SPEAKER_03 59:59

Yeah, I I actually yeah, I I have heard that before. Um and yeah, it's like yeah, and I get it, I understand that mindset as well, you know. Like if you really if you've got an easy out, you're gonna take the easy out, aren't you? Yeah, uh so I get that, but um, yeah, I I look, I I'm not sure what what we'll do, but in in from my perspective, um yeah, it's it's there's it's to me, it's not a if you want to earn money, you can just go to work and earn money. It's not about the money, it's whether you enjoy doing it. And I want to just make sure Blake knows that it's not for uh money or a career or whatever you enjoy riding your dirt bike. Um, there's nothing wrong with going to work. There's honestly nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:49

So, yeah, uh, and I just want to touch on that because that is a theory, but when you look back on champions and past champions, I mean, look where Ricky comes from. Ricky did it in his own backyard. Eli Tomac's done it in his own backyard. Hayden obviously has a lot of money in his family, and he's done it being a rich kid when half the other kids that have done this in the past have done it from broken homes or not much money. I don't think that theory subscribes that much anymore. Yeah, I think I think there's certain individuals who every generate 10 years, eight years just uh a little bit more have that touch more desire, and then when you have a nice family unit that works well together, it it'll happen no matter what. Look at Caden Money. Yeah, I mean he's gone to America now, Cole Davies. They're not rich nor poor. Caden done it probably a really different way to a lot of people, yeah. Like being 13 years old and going across the country and then going to America, and now he's getting on the box, you know, yeah. Uh in his second first year as a pro. So I does going to Europe make it 100% viable? I don't know. I don't I don't know. And that's the the hardest part, I think, for Tim as a parent, you know, like and that's what this sport demands is to make these decisions that alter not only Blake's life but his life, Ali's life, his daughter's life. It's it's a massive, massive thing that people don't understand. And it's probably one of the harsh parts of our sport, to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:22

Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. It's it is one of the hardest decisions to make, it's also one of the most exciting things to think about. Like you said before, Tim, like imagine, you know, who cares about the money so much, but being able to do what you love for a living um would be the best thing ever. If you could race a dirt bike and that's all you want to do, and you can do it till you're 30. And whether that means you make gazillions of dollars or you come out the other side, you know, we we we had Chris Birch on the podcast a couple months ago, and he kind of joked to the about the fact that you know he's been one of the biggest names in Hard and Duro for so long, but he just came through in the wrong era where there wasn't any money. So he was winning, he was winning everything, and he was doing everything that he loved, and then he got he said I got to the age of 30 and realized, oh my gosh, I've got nothing, and all my friends have moved on and got a house and a wife and kids or whatever else it is. And so he went back to engineering to you know, but he didn't care because he got to spend 10 years doing cool stuff on dirt bikes and traveling around the world, and you know, I don't think there's another sport um that can offer what our sport can offer in that space. There quite literally isn't that can offer um what dirt bikes can, whether it's Europe, America, here, and then just that of the adventure that you know you guys the potential you guys have.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:35

Yeah, definitely nailed it with the adventure part, like the amount of things um that I've done just in the last few years with Blakey. Uh I would have never done any of these things, never. Um, and visited places, like, yeah, it's it's been really cool. It's been it's been a hell of a ride so far, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:53

Yeah, and remember, Blakey, we we do a lot of we interview a lot of guys who are you know way older than your dad, and they tell us about stories and adventures they went on through Europe in the 80s and 90s racing motocross and some of the most epic you know battles that we've ever seen and heard. And that's the stuff they talk about. You never hear from anyone, well, this is how much money I made this year, or you know, I I decided oh, I just didn't want to go to Europe because I wanted to stay here because I liked the you know local surf or beach, whatever it is. They they kind of you know immerse themselves in the adventure that can be riding a dirt bike, and um you know, maybe that'll happen for you too, Blakey. That'd be a pretty fun way to live your life, I reckon, mate.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:31

Yeah, definitely.

unknown 1:04:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:33

Um, all right, thanks so much guys for coming on the podcast. I really appreciate it. It's been really cool to get to know uh you, Blake and Tim. Uh well, like I said, we met back in Supercross in Melbourne, and you've known Briggsie for years now. Um, so you guys have known each other well. But yeah, it's been really cool to get to know what makes you tick, mate. And um, yeah, congratulations again on the 85 World Championship. It's pretty cool to have, you know, the the last person was Jay Wilson who's kicking ass in Japan. Talk about adventure. Like that guy's awesome, he speaks Japanese now. He lives in a been living in a foreign country for seven years or whatever it is. He's like a five-time Japanese motocross champion. You don't know where it's gonna take you. That's the coolest part.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:12

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:14

Awesome, mate. We'll uh we'll hopefully catch up with you probably um up at QMP. I'll be up there. Um, and then maybe potentially at Supercross if you're gonna be there or not, we'll see. But um good luck with it, mate. We we're excited to see what happens at Connondale.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:27

Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:29

Thanks, guys. Thanks.