Our homegrown talent has been battling it out on track and making us proud! Check out our monthly column that follows all things Aussies racing Internationally on and off-road, from MotoGP to AMA Motocross. See what our future and current champions are up to… Words: Ed Stratmann
Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
The D34G Racing squad have confirmed they’ll be retaining the services of Oli Bayliss for this year, as he’ll be looking for a much better 2024 following an injury-interrupted 2023, which saw him struggle to produce his best due to spending so much time on the sidelines.
The D34G Racing squad have confirmed they’ll be retaining the services of Oli Bayliss for this year, as he’ll be looking for a much better 2024 following an injury-interrupted 2023…
Eager to put in a strong off-season of training to hit the ground running at his season opening home round at the iconic Phillip Island circuit, he’ll be hoping to get the ball rolling in a positive direction from the off, as Bayliss is keen to repay the faith shown in him by his team.
“I’m very excited to be racing for Team D34G Racing again. I feel like last year I didn’t get to show my speed due to some injuries and unlucky moments. I really enjoyed being with these guys and I’m happy to be going around the clock one more time to show how fast we can be. A big thank you to all of my sponsors, supporters and the whole D34G Racing for giving me this opportunity,” he declared.
Team owner Davide Giugliano is equally looking forward to seeing what the hotshot can achieve. “Obviously I’m really excited to dive into this new season and I can’t wait to get to the track. I’m really happy with this year’s rider line-up. We will continue with Oli and for him it’ll be another season of growth and we’ll try to maximise the work done this year, which for him was a bit of an unlucky one due to injuries. In any case I’m happy with him and he surely has mine and the team’s full trust,”
Tom Edwards – World Supersport
Having impressed in the World Supersport Challenge series last term on his way to winning races and being crowned vice-champion, talented Australian Tom Edwards has secured a ride with the D34G Racing team for 2024, where he’ll be teammates with countryman Oli Bayliss.
Chomping at the bit to get stuck in and stamp his mark again in the Challenge category that competes in the European World Supersport rounds, it’ll be fascinating seeing if he can adapt quickly to the Ducati after being on a Yamaha.
“I’m very excited to be joining the D34G racing team next season and to be staying in the WorldSBK paddocks. I made a lot of progress towards the end of last season, and I’m looking forward to keeping that momentum going. I’m confident that the team and I will work well together and be competitive,” he said.
“It’ll be great to be under the leadership of team owner Davide Giugliano with all his experience. Can’t wait to get on the V2 and test it out in the new year, I think it’ll really suit my riding style. I’d like to thank Davide, the D34G team, my sponsors and my supporters for the opportunity.”
Jett Lawrence – AMA Supercross
Jett Lawrence began his first 450 AMA Supercross race in fine style by claiming a memorable victory to become the first-ever rookie in history to win on their premier class debut. Launching out of the gate masterfully to bank the holeshot, this saw him ideally placed to avoid the early chaos to ride his own race. And that he did, on his way to leading every lap against an absolutely stacked field at Anaheim.
Making a real statement with his seven-second win under the bright lights, there was no denying the gifted 20-year-old, who emphatically carried his exceptional form from last year into the season opener.
Jett Lawrence began his first 450 AMA Supercross race in fine style by claiming a memorable victory to become the first-ever rookie in history to win on their premier class debut…
“It’s an unreal thing to grasp, winning my first 450 Supercross. With how many years the sport has been around, you’d think someone has done it before, so I’m definitely grateful and happy to do it for Honda; it’s an awesome feeling getting into the history books for them. The season’s off to a great start, and hopefully we can keep doing the same throughout the season,” explained a delighted Jett.
Heading into the second round in San Francisco, and this bout certainly didn’t go to plan here because of the savage muddy conditions throwing a real spanner in the works for everyone. Forced to negotiate the rain and the sloppy and unpredictable conditions, Jett struggled to find his groove. To his credit, though, he fought through some missteps to claim ninth in the shortened main.
Next stop on the calendar was San Diego, which posed a great opportunity for him to rebound, in a round where the weather played its part too inside Snapdragon Stadium, with the rain making things challenging once more. Although it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as San Francisco, it still made the racing treacherous.
Starting the weekend with a nasty crash on press day, this left him with a jammed thumb. But, to his credit, the phenom battled the pain and a rough start to ride to a solid fourth. Engaging in a robust duel with Jason Anderson, the pair’s altercation after the race stole the headlines, with them clearly annoyed at one another in the heat of the moment. Jett has since apologised for his role in the disagreement. Sitting third in the standings and well and truly in the title hunt, he’ll be hoping to get back on the box when the series heads back to Anaheim.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA Supercross
Hunter Lawrence’s step up to the 450 class certainly wasn’t what he envisaged, as the Honda star failed to make the main event in Anaheim on his class debut. Enduring a night to forget that was littered with bad luck and adversity, the determined Aussie was justifiably disappointed afterwards.
“That obviously wasn’t how we planned for my 450 debut to play out, but there’s only one way to go from here, and it’s one I’m very familiar with: put my head down and get back to work,” he asserted.
Responding positively in the muddy quagmire in San Francisco, there was much to admire about how he rallied to secure a credible 10th. Ready for more at round three in San Diego his day at the office started off on the right foot, for he grabbed seventh in qualifying before the rain arrived.
Managing the hazardous track wisely to progress from his heat and into the main, it was terrific to see him claim a confidence-boosting seventh in the main. “We had a good learning curve. Unfortunately, our result didn’t really reflect the riding in the main event – I feel like we rode very well. A lot of positives and an improvement on last weekend, so we just have to keep on building. Our time is coming,” he told the HRC website.
Aaron Tanti – AMA Supercross
Making the full-time step to race 450 AMA Supercross for 2024, the former Aussie champion and WSX heavy hitter disappointingly suffered an injury after a nasty practice crash in the lead up to Anaheim 1. Forced to delay the start of his crusade, this latest setback came at a terrible time, for he’d only just returned to training following breaking some ribs at the WSX round in Abu Dhabi.
“Well not the post I want to be doing leading into A1. Not long ago I had a practice crash and I thought everything was okay, but when I rode a few times after and I had some issues and unfortunately found out yesterday that I need to get them fixed. Devastated to say the least, but I’ll be back when I can to continue the series. Thank you to everyone supporting me and the whole PRMX team,” he stated.
Toby Price – Dakar Rally
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star produced an accomplished showing in his 10th Dakar Rally to claim fifth in the brutal event. Riding with intelligence and consistency as he navigated the 12 stage slog smartly, his best finish was second in the final leg.
When speaking after the completion of the gruelling Dakar Rally, Price cut a reasonably content figure, saying: “For us, it’s definitely been a really tough event this year. Thankfully, it’s always a good result when you can get to the finish line in one piece at the Dakar, and here we are, happy and healthy.”
“Looking back over the week, we were never far off the pace, just made a few too many mistakes out there and as you know that can cost some serious time at Dakar. The whole Red Bull KTM team have been incredible over the two weeks and have worked so hard. It’s a shame we’ve not been able to reward them with a podium. Big credit to the top guys as well, they got it done this year, so congratulations to them.”
Daniel Sanders – Dakar Rally
Although his preparation for the iconic Dakar Rally was far from ideal courtesy of him suffering a broken femur back in May, the popular pilot put in a valiant effort to finish a very respectable eighth.
Considering he underwent his final surgery in November, and this makes his achievement all the more impressive. Bagging many top five results and displaying just what a class act he is on the big stage, there was plenty to admire about his character-filled performance.
Bagging many top five results and displaying just what a class act he is on the big stage, there was plenty to admire about his character-filled performance…
“Coming in I didn’t have much preparation at all. I broke my femur really badly eight months ago and I only had December on the bike to prepare, so all I could really do was spend as much time on the bike as possible. But we were able to get the bike good and here we are at the finish line,” he shared.
“My last surgery was only three months ago, and the bone still isn’t fully healed. I didn’t expect to be here back in November so I’m really happy to finish another Dakar. It’s certainly been a challenge this year and I’ve missed a lot of racing during the last two years, so my goal now is to stay healthy, then return bigger and better next year. I’ll be doing everything I can to make that happen.”
