Personal History
I come from a family of 5. I have a mum and dad, an older brother and a younger sister. I was born in Darwin at Royal Darwin Hospital. My parents were both born in Darwin too.
I have lots of cousins who live in Darwin and both my grandparents also live in Darwin. I am very lucky to have my nan live on our family property. I often spend time with Nan during the week and on weekends having a chat and getting advice. Being an 11 year old can be tough sometimes.
When I'm not riding my motobike I am riding anything that has wheels. I love to mountain bike but I mainly do this on my proprty as I can make jumps and set my own tracks. I also love to scoot around the verandahs and tinker in the shed with my dad.
My Dad is a mechanic and works from home so I like to learn as much as I can about motors. Dad has taught me how to service and maintain my motorbikes. I am a bit messy in the shed and sometimes I get into trouble from Dad as I dont always put his tools back where they belong.
My brother and I are close. We like to play tramp ball which is slam dunking a basketball into the hoop that we have set up next to the trampoline. I like to chase my brother around on the motobike when he is riding as he is a bit of a cautious rider after breaking both his wrists ealrier in 2023. He's not a fan of the two stroke bikes.
I am very close to mum and dad. I am very lucky to have parents support me in the sport I love. They always get me to race events no matter the cost. I am very thankful that they can do this for me.
Riding Goals
My first motorbike was a Honda CRF50. I love the thrill of going fast on two wheels. After out growing the CRF50, my Dad let me sell my 90cc quad that I was given for my 2nd birthday to buy a Kawasaki KLX110. I rode this bike like it was the fastes bike ever. After a little while I decided I wanted to race and after much begging to my parents they finally said yes!
In 2020 my parents bought me a Yamaha YZ65 and this is where my racing career began! I have been racing for 3 years and in that time I have achieved alot but not without a lot of training, attending coaching clinics and racing in events.
My plan for 2024 is to represent the NT at the Australian Junior MX Championships and place in the top 10 in both my classes (65CC U12 and 85SW). In the lead up to the championships I plan to compete interstate to learn from my racing peers and to gain experience through different tracks/conditions.
Competitive Highlights
Aiden’s very first competitive race was the Darwin Motorcycle Club (DMCC) Thumpers Series on a Yamaha YZ 65cc. The event was held over 2 days in October 2020. Unfortunately, Aiden crashed resulting in a minor concussion and was forced to sit out for the rest of the event. For the next couple of months, Aiden seriously considered giving up the bike, the fear of crashing was playing on his mind. However, with much reassurance from his parents he decided to give it another go.
2021, Aiden’s first year of racing was a year of learning and perseverance, getting to know the bike and riding ability that goes along with it. Aiden dedicated his time to track practice in between race events and when not at school. Throughout the year Aiden competed in all Top End Motocross club (TEMCC) race events including the NT Titles and attended two Ben Schodel MX coaching clinics.
The 2021 NT Titles were held in Darwin over two days and hosted two race events: Motocross and Natural Terrain. Aiden competed in the NT Titles purely for extra bike time and experience and ended up coming away with a 2nd place in Motocross and 3rd place in Natural Terrain.
Aiden ended his 2021 race season on a high receiving a TEMCC Encouragement Award and securing his first sponsorship for the 2022 race season from a local NT business for the way Aiden conducts himself in the pits and with his peers, never giving up, always trying his hardest, and treating everyone in the sport with respect.
2022 was a productive year for Aiden. He raced locally here in the NT, competing in the DMCC Thumpers Series (1st place) and ThunderCross (2nd place), TEMCC MR MX Series (3rd place), King of the Sands track series (2nd place) and Mini MX (2nd place), and NT Titles in Alice Springs. In the lead up to the NT Titles Aiden attended a Ben Schodel MX Coaching clinic in Darwin to gain as much bike time and coaching as possible.
The 2022 NT Titles were held in Alice Springs over two days and hosted two events: Motocross and Natural Terrain. With their motocross track being a technical track coupled with very cold weather and unfamiliar territory meant that Aiden needed to be on top of his game. Although a little nervous Aiden was keen to put into practice the training he had work hard at. This paid off with Aiden coming away with a 2nd place finish in MX and a 1st place finish in Natural Terrain in the 65cc U7-9 class.
The 2022 DMCC ThunderCross event was held in November over two days. The weather this time of year is very hot and wet. The weather forecast for this weekend was lots of rain. Aiden’s first race round began with a heavy downpour and very quickly the track conditions became wet and slippery. With the experience Aiden has gained through racing interstate on various tracks he was able to adapt his riding style to suit the track conditions that presented coming away with a 1st place finish for round 1. This was a huge achievement for Aiden as he was able to use his experiences to surpass his rivals on the track.
Aiden also competed interstate, competing in the 2022 Yamaha YZ65Cup Round 2 at Queensland Moto Park and the Australian Supercross Championship held at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium (round 3), and the 2022 KTM Australian Junior MX Championship held at Rockhampton & District Motocross Club Inc. In the lead up to the 2022 KTM Australian Junior MX Championship Aiden dedicated his time to track practice, attended a two-day Jades Oates MX coaching clinic and a two-day Ben Schodel MX coaching clinic when not at school to build on existing skills and to gain as much bike time as possible.
For 2022 Yamaha YZ65Cup Round 3 Australian Supercross Championship Aiden was fortunate enough to have been offered a YZ65cc loan bike from Yamaha Australia. Aiden along with his parents were very appreciative and thankful of their help as this made the logistics of Aiden competing a lot easier. Aiden would not have been able to participate given the distance his family would have had to travel by road from Darwin, NT to Newcastle.
The 2022 KTM Australian Junior MX Championship was Aiden’s first interstate championship competition which saw 59 rider nominations received for the 65cc 7-9 class. This resulted in the class being split into A and B groups and required riders to compete in three race heats to qualify in the final 3 rounds. In the 2nd heat race Aiden finished 10th place. Although gruelling, Aiden was keen to show what he had worked hard at in the lead up to the Championship and qualified 32nd in the top 40 for the 2022 KTM Australian Junior MX Championship 65cc 7-9 class. This result proved the hard work and commitment Aiden gave and provided him with so much more confidence personally and competitively.
The 2022 race season presented many challenges both physically and mentally for Aiden. However, this did not prevent Aiden from reaching his personal goals both on and off the track. Aiden’s achievements for the year include TEMCCs Junior Highest Scorer 65cc 7-9 (5th place), DMCCs MR MX Junior of the Year and the 2022 NT Motorsports Awards Junior MX Rider of the Year.
2023 was a productive year for Aiden. He raced locally here in the NT, competing in the DMCC Thumpers Series (P1 65cc and P2 85CC SW), TEMCC MR MX Series, and the Alice Springs Motorcycle Club Natural Terrain Series (P1 65cc and P2 85ccSW).
The 2023 KTM Australian Junior MX Championship was Aiden’s 2nd interstate championship competition with over 30 rider nomination received for the 65cc 10-U12 class held at his home track at Acacia Hills MX, NT. Aiden placed 18th. In the lead up to the 2023 KTM Australian Junior MX Championship, Aiden attended a four-day LR110 Elite Motocross training clinic, two x two-day Jades Oates Coaching Clinics, two x two-day BSMX Coaching Clinics and four x one-day Tyler McCoy Coaching sessions. In between professional coaching clinics Aiden dedicated his time to track practice in between race events.
Aiden also competed interstate, competing in the Somerset Series Round 2 (65cc 10–U12 B Grade P1) and at Toowoomba Race Day 7 (65cc 10–U12 B Grade P2). Both events each saw over 20 rider nominations and challenging track conditions. This did not deter Aiden’s effort to race as prior track experience gained through racing interstate on various tracks proved the hard work and commitment Aiden gave throughout 2022.