8 Aussie racers kicking goals overseas

Hunter Lawrence
Sunshine Coast native Hunter Lawrence is currently campaigning in his maiden year of the MX2 World Championship in Europe, riding for the factory Suzuki squad and under the wing of MX legend Stefan Everts. The 18-year-old, whose family moved to Europe a couple of years ago to give Hunter and his younger brother Jett the best chance of achieving their motocross dreams, is showing signs of what Everts saw in the youngster during his Junior World Motocross challenge last year. Lawrence finished sixth in the second moto of his first-ever grand prix and, after a string of consistent results, celebrated his first podium in Germany last month, in the eighth of the 20-round series. He’s a hard worker with a good attitude and a rising star in the motocross world.

Josh Brookes
A bloke who needs no introduction, Josh Brookes’ return to the Isle of Man TT this year after a two-year hiatus is nothing short of stunning. Having only ever contested two TTs before the 2017 event, Brookes described himself as feeling “like a newcomer” in the lead-up to the event but, with just a handful of laps to re-familiarise himself with the 37.75-mile circuit due to bad weather, the former British superbike champ finished eighth in the opening Superbike TT ahead of some big names like William Dunlop and Bruce Anstey. Adding to his stellar TT performance, the 33-year-old Aussie finished the June 7 Lightweight TT in sixth place, seven seconds ahead of Michael Dunlop, and riding for a team he signed with just 10 days before the event kicked off!

Jess Gardiner
Enduro ace Jess Gardiner has found herself in a purple patch. The Yamaha-mounted Aussie is leading the women's French Enduro Championship after a clean sweep of all four races in the opening two rounds. Similarly, she’s also campaigning a privateer Yamaha in the European Enduro Championship, which she’s yet to lose a race she’s started and, to top it all off, she’s recorded a very strong start to her Enduro GP World Championship campaign with two top-six finishes against the likes of the Red Bull Factory KTM star Laia Sanz.

Jason O’Halloran
Aussie British superbike veteran Jason O’Halloran tamed the new-for-2017 Honda Fireblade having scored a hard-fought podium finish in round three of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park. Like every other world or domestic race team campaigning the latest CBR1000RR, O’Halloran’s Honda Racing squad got its hands on the 2017 machinery late in the pre-season and found themselves on the back foot in terms of finding a competitive race set-up. However, with persistent hard work from both the rider and the team, O’Halloran fought off a late charge from previous race winners in the third race of the weekend to stand on the last step of the podium.

Glenn Scott
After withdrawing from the 2016 World Supersport Championship due to injury complications, Glenn Scott launched his comeback in the 2017 WorldSBK European 1000 Superstock Championship earlier this year. After a year of rehabilitation and recovery, it’s been a learning year for the 25-year-old Aussie who’s riding for the Agron-on Benjan Kawasaki squad, but all of his hard work and determination paid off when he scored his first world championship point at the third round of the competitive series at Imola last month. Earlier this month at the fourth round of the series at the UK’s Donington Park, the New South Welshman narrowly missed out on the last point-scoring position but described his 16th place as “confidence building”.

Brady Kurtz, Jack Holder and Max Fricke
Australia’s bright stars of speedway, Brady Kurtz, Jack Holder (pictured below) and Max Fricke, have all been granted a berth in the 2017 individual Junior World Championship. While Kurtz and Holder’s qualifying results secured their place in the championship, the reigning U21 world speedway champ Fricke’s luck changed when he was granted one of three permanent wildcard rides from the FIM. The three riders (as well as Josh Pickering) make up the Australian team which is through to the final to be held later this year.