Personal History
My name is Archie Pledger. I have only just turned 7 and have a little brother named Benji and a baby brother named Sonny. I'm a fun loving kid that loves to hang with my friends and meet new kids, especially at the race track. I love Motocross! Benji and I watch MX videos before school every morning. We watch it so much that I know every word the commentator says in the broadcast. Its our favourite thing to do. I love riding my scooter at the skate park, riding in the bowl and dropping in from the 4 meter drop in. I love riding my BMX and jumping on the trampoline where I practice my flips. I'm a great athlete for my age. Strong at football, soccer and cross country running. Strong at swimming and surfing.
My dad first had me on my cousins PW50 when I was only 3. Turns out I was a natural! Able to ride without training wheels right from the start. That Christmas I asked Santa for my very own PW50 and he delivered. It was one of the greatest days of my life. I remember walking out to the lounge room on Christmas morning and seeing my very own moto. I loved it! I was practicing and getting more and more confident but then 2 weeks later a devastating accident effected our family. We received a call that my Dads brother, Uncle Dan had tragically been killed trail riding on a dirt bike with a friend. The news was devastating to our family and something we all live with each day but he loved it when I got my first bike and loved watching me ride.
I wasn't four years old for three more months after the accident but was too young to understand and my love for motorbikes was as strong. Mum and Dad decided that although a devastating accident occurred, that they didn't restrict my love of the sport. Dad was more determined to make sure I continued riding so that I had the skills to ride.
Later that year I started in my first race at the local motorcycle club. It was a flat track/dirt track race day. I rode in the 4-9 Demo class and from my opening race day I was fast. I was beating most kids while I was 5. Racing in Australia is a lot different to that of racing in the USA. Here there is a non competitive 4-9 years class which is non point scored and competitive racing doesn't start until you are 7 or older. The 50cc Division 2 is the premier class for kids aged 7-10 however this has its draw backs. It's a tough ask as a 7 year old racing kids 3 years older the you but riding against older kids can also make you a better rider.
In June 2015 my Dad bought me a KTM 50sx Mini after I had out grown my PW50. I raced on this in both motocross and dirt track and was the leading rider in my class. In comparison to riders my age, I am the fastest rider in the region that covers a large area. In June 2016 Dad bought me the upgraded 2016 KTM 50sx.
Riding Goals
Continue in my first racing year trying my best and getting better and stronger each race day. I'd like to continue with my strong start to the season and aiming for more podiums. I'd like to also focus on improving in areas like corner speed, jumping doubles and starts. My local track is very hard for small bikes. It is very wet and develops massive ruts. The ruts are at least 12 inches deep and more then 8 rut lines the whole way around the track. It's very intimidating and most people that come to the track either don't like it or they complain about the conditions. Archie rides extremely well here considering and these conditions develope his skills immensely.
Id like to also start traveling and riding interstate.
Currently being updated. More coming shortly.
Competitive Highlights
In Jan 2016 I competed in my first major event. Stadium MX was open to National riders and I was a standout rider in the non competitive class field of about 20 kids.
June 2016 I competed in the North Coast Series at Grafton and Maclean MX clubs.
in Jan 2017 I completed in the same event. It was my last non competitive race before I turned 7. In all 4 races, I was by far the fastest kid in the class. In the first two races I lapped the entire field of riders. It was a full field of about 30 kids, from all over the state.
Currently being updated. More coming shortly.