Up-and-coming stars Cameron Dunker and Braxsen Anderson will headline the Australian Junior Track Championships at Barleigh Ranch Raceway this weekend.
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Dunker and Anderson will join more than 100 riders from across Australia, including racers from Townsville, for the two-day event, north of Raymond Terrace.
Riders aged between seven-years-old and 16 will race in one of the 11 classes with riders of similar ages and machines grouped together.
The girls' classes will be decided through five rounds with points deciding the winners while open classes will be decided through heats, a repechage and final.
Hunter Motor Cycle Club president Keith Davies said that junior racing is as close and as exciting as the senior competitions.
"Smaller capacity machines and riders of the same age are invariably close on the track and are extremely watchable" he said.
"There is some great young talent coming through the ranks, they are well drilled and they show poise and confidence beyond their years".
Seven-year-old Braxsen from Cessnock will be chasing his second national title in the seven to nine category.
He won at Hatchers Raceway on the Gold Coast in April and is the son of former motocross star Danny Anderson.
At 15-years-old, Cameron Dunker from Kurri Kurri is nearing the end of his time in the junior ranks.
Cameron is enjoying a successful 2023, having tasted success in road racing.
He leads the FIM MiniGP Australia Series after claiming victory in the second-round at Cameron Park in May.
The racing prodigy also won round-two of the Australian Supersport Championship in February, the youngest winner in its 30-year history.
While a fierce competition in its own right, dirt track racing is also a training ground for young racers wanting to move to other disciplines of motorcycle racing.
Former world Moto GP champion Casey Stoner and current stars such as Jack Miller, Remy Gardner and Joel Kelso all gained valuable racing experience from dirt track racing.
A selection of entrants for this weekend's race meet have just returned from contesting the American Amateur Dirt Track Championships, an event which showcases riders with a view to moving on to the elite flat track scene.
Racing enthusiasts can enter free-of charge on Saturday, July 8. Entry will be $20 for a car load of fans to see the deciding events on Sunday, July 9.
The Barleigh Ranch Raceway is situated just off the Pacific Highway north of Raymond Terrace.
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Ben Carr
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
