Brothers Hamish and William McFarlane want to make it big with motocross.
Aidan Stabback has competed in a number of motocross events since he began riding at the age of four.
THE Avon Valley was well represented at the WesTrac Manjimup 15,000 International Motocross meeting over the long weekend, with riders from Bakers Hill, Toodyay, Kellerberrin, Tammin and York heading south for the event.
Brothers William and Hamish McFarlane of Greenhills were among those keen to compete against the nation’s best, making their way to Manjimup for the junior races on the first day of the competition.
The boys are no strangers to a dirt track, having competed in national competitions interstate and travelled extensively around Western Australia for motocross events.
Both 11-year-old Hamish and 10-year-old William competed in the nine to under 12s event, battling it out against each other on the Cosy Creek circuit.
Mum Michelle said there was a strong sibling rivalry between the boys, although William had been riding longer than his older brother.
“William has been riding for about two years, whereas Hamish has been riding for a year or so,” she said.
“Because they are so close in age they usually compete against each other so there is a fair bit of rivalry.”
William ended up finishing 15th overall in his age group, with Hamish at 26th.
Not bad results considering the boys were riding against the best in WA, and the third-ranked motocross rider in Australia for their age group, Caleb Grothues.
Both boys hope to compete in the seniors section one day amongst the world’s best, and are already sponsored by Bunbury KTM and Action Drill and Blast.
Bakers Hill local Aidan Stabback was also at Manjimup chasing the dream, competing in the open division on the Sunday of the long weekend.
Aidan got into motocross at the age of four after his older brother Kieran started riding, and has kept it up ever since.
Like most riders he has had a few broken bones along the way, breaking his leg and collarbone at a young age, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade Aidan from competing in his first senior’s event.
Like the McFarlane boys, Aidan has also travelled across Australia to attend motocross competitions, and has already raced once on the Manjimup track.
“I’ve competed in state rounds in Esperance, Australian nationals in Queensland, Tasmania, Adelaide and Melbourne,” he said.
The 16-year-old qualified for the top 40 of 120 riders in Manjimup, and finished 20th in his final race.
Aidan also hopes one day to be part of the top riders in the world, known as the ‘All Stars.’