The 26th edition of the Australian Junior Motocross Championship (AJMX) will be held in Bunbury (WA) this week, with preliminaries commencing today before the on-track action begins tomorrow and continues at a frenetic pace until Saturday.
This year’s AJMX will see 288 riders – including a recently crowned junior world champion – compete across 11 championship classes, spanning from the entry-level 50cc auto category up to 15-year-olds on 250cc four-stroke machinery.
With a number of riders competing across separate classes, a total of 442 motorcycles will be in the pits at the Shrubland MX Park track as the spotlight shines brightly on the next generation of junior talent.
The president of the Bunbury Motorcycle Club, Luke Few, is looking forward to hosting AJMX for the second time.
“It’s thrilling to see so many travelling west and supporting the 2024 KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship, which shows that the sport is healthy and thriving,” said Few.
“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to our sponsors, committee members, club members and volunteers who have lent their support in making this event a success.
“Over the next weeks, competitors will have their strengths and weaknesses challenged, and I look forward to witnessing the battles and triumphs as the next generation of talent emerges from Australian motocross.
“But most of all I hope it is a memorable experience for all families, who I hope will not only enjoy our facility but also Bunbury and the beautiful south-west of Western Australia.”
With plenty of fluidity in the AJMX ranks as riders move up into higher-age brackets, 11 new champions will be crowned in Bunbury this week on a track that will provide a challenge for all riders, particularly the whoop section and the ruts in the intriguingly named ‘Soup Bowl’.
The upper-age battles are always exciting at the AJMX, and this year won’t be any different as massive fields contest the 125cc 2T and 150cc 2T/250cc 4T 15 years classes, as well as the 150cc 2T/250cc 4T 13-U16 years girls’ class.
All three classes are stacked with junior guns and, in the girls, Madi Simpson is coming off a second place in last year’s AJMX. Her 2024 form has been strong in the ProMX Championship where she finished sixth in the MXW class, one spot ahead of New Zealander Karaitiana Horne who will also compete in Bunbury.
Meanwhile, Jackson Fuller and Max Compton have strong claims in the 125cc 2T class, and the 150cc 2T/250cc 4T class is wide open.
The 13-U15 age divisions will also be fiercely contested, and the 125cc 2T could be the spiciest with recently crowned 85cc FIM junior motocross world champion Levi Townley up against gun locals in the form of Seth Thomas, Heath Davy, Cooper Danaher and Cooper Bowman. The cadre all went hammer and tongs in this year’s MX85 national title, with a clean sweep from Thomas in the final round giving him the ultimate spoils from Davy, Danaher, Townley and Bowman.
Davy, Danaher and Thomas will also compete in the 85cc 2T/150cc 4T 12-U14 class, while the 85cc 2T/150cc 4T 9-U12 battle looks set to be a ripper with last year’s runner-up Sidney Stephenson to face-off against a gaggle of 65cc stars from the 2023 AJMX and MX65 class in the 2024 ProMX Championship: Lewis-Jay Carafa, Mason Ezergailis, Blake Bohannon and Nico Verhoeven.
Meanwhile, there are two 65cc classes at the AJMX – 7-U10 and 10-U12 – a second dedicated girls’ class for 85cc 2T/150cc 4T 12-U16 riders, and the lowest age bracket is 7-U9 in the 50cc Auto class.
The circuit is 1.799km long, with 12 jumps and two sets of rollers. The surface is dark, loamy sand – terrain that is a gift for some and kryptonite for others!
AJMX was inaugurated in 1997 and its credentials as a talent factory of the highest order was immediately evident with Aussie icon Chad Reed a championship winner. The Lawrence siblings, Jett and Hunter, Toby Price, Courtney Duncan, Senna Agius and a plethora of other current-day motorcycle racing stars have all cut their teeth in AJMX.
Practice and qualifying start on Tuesday, followed by heats and finals right through to Saturday. The on-track action commences at 8:00am (AWST) each day.
Spectators are welcome, with the Shrubland Park track located on the South Western Highway in Davenport.
