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Australian MX3 Champions and history of junior racing
Photos [Clockwise] 2019 Australian MX3 Champion Regan Duffy in action (WA, KTM); the Leisk Family were heavily involved in the establishment of junior motocross in Western Australia; and a young Lee Hogan who raced Junior minibikes in WA before moving to Victoria to pursue his senior racing career.
How junior motocross evolved from minibikes to the MX3 class
In 2007, Queenslander Brenden Harrison became the first rider to win the Australian MX3 Championship aboard a Yamaha.
Formerly known as “MXD”, this class is an opportunity for up and coming young riders to compete in the Australian Championships and learn the style of racing and track conditions of the professional racing circuits.
As part of the Penrite AMX Pro Australian Championship series, in 2022 the MX3 age structure was modified to include riders from 14 to under 18 to be able to compete on 122cc to 150cc 2-Stroke & 200cc to 250cc 4-Stroke capacity machines.
Riders with exceptional talent and speed are able to graduate early into the MX2 category at 15, to be more in line with FIM international age groupings.
The early junior motocross riders
Junior riders first started racing motocross in the late 1950s. But in those days, everyone raced together – regardless of your age or size – and rode the same bikes, which were road bikes converted for the dirt.
To get an Auto Cycle Council of Australia (ACCA) – now Motorcycling Australia – competition license, you needed to hold a road traffic license.
In 1959, Bunbury rider Don Collins, who was aged 14 at the time, had his license application knocked back from the ACCA of WA for this reason. However, later that year, the WA Police Department issued Collins a special license to ride only on dirt tracks.
At the time, Collins road a BSA in the ‘Up to 350cc’ class and had to be lifted onto the bike by his uncle, who balanced the bike for him on the start line before the race started.
Collins, who started racing at age 12, went on to win multiple WA State motocross titles, as well as a South Australian 250cc title when he competed in Adelaide at the 1967 National titles, where he finished fourth aboard a Husqvarna.
Two years earlier (in 1965) he became the first ‘Husky’ owner in Australia.
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Photos: [Left to right] 1959 Daily News article featuring 14-year-old scrambler Don Collins from Bunbury (WA); Collins (at 17) racing against the seniors in the 1962 Mandurah Scramble; and in 1965 Collins became the first Australian to own a Husqvarna scramble bike.
First Aussie Junior Motocross titles in senior ranks
The ACCA first introduced a National Championship for junior riders in the mid-1970s, called the ‘Restricted License Holder Class’ for 14 to 16 year-olds.
The earliest available records discovered by AMX History, indicate that on 16 November 1975 South Australian Don Bowey became the first Australian RLH Champion at the South Arm Road circuit in Sanford, Tasmania.
Western Australian Jeff Leisk twice won the Australian RLH – in 1979 at Wanneroo (WA) and 1980 at Dargle (NSW), with these competitions becoming a springboard for his success an National and International level.
Other Australian RLH champions included Lee Hogan (WA/VIC), Stewart Bennett, Phil Robinson and Anthony Gobert (NSW) and Phil Sargent, Rodney Hamilton and Stephen Maguire (VIC).
New South Wales rider Anthony Gobert – 1990 Australian Junior RLH Motocross Champion
Minibike competitions emerge across the country
In the early 1970s, separate motocross minibike competitions took off across Australia, which were not controlled by the ACCA. Races were held for all junior age groups and bike sizes, with bikes ranging from 50cc Pee Wees up to 125cc machines.
Jeff Leisk’s father Bob was involved in the embryonic stages of minibike racing in WA and his sons Jeff and Mark competed in the very first competitive events to be held in the state.
In 1974, Jeff and Mark also competed in the first ever Australian Mini Cycle Championship in Pakenham, Victoria with Jeff winning his class in his first attempt.
Jeff Leisk won this Championship three times between 1975 to 1978, becoming the World Minibike champion for his age group in 1978 in the United States.
In 1979, Jeff Leisk took out the World Minibike Grand Prix for his age group in the United States
How junior motocross has evolved internationally
Motorcycling Australia now regulates junior motocross, including the National Junior Motocross Championships. The likes of Chad Reed, Craig Anderson, the Lawrence Brothers (Hunter and Jett) and Jed Beaton all rose through junior ranks to win Australian Junior Motocross titles and succeed internationally.
World Junior Motocross Championships are now also held, including a Junior Motocross des Nations. In 2009, Australia won the Nations Trophy at the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand.
At that same event, 85cc rider Jay Wilson became Australia’s first ever Motocross World Champion held by the FIM, while 125cc rider Tye Simmonds finished second in his class to ensure the title for Australia.
Queensland rider Jett Lawrence at the South East Queensland Junior Motocross series in Kilcoy 7 August 2009 (By Peter Coward)
Australian MX3
Motocross Champions
2021 MX3 Champion Blake Fox (NSW, GasGas)
2007 Brenden Harrison (QLD, Yamaha)
2008 Tye Simmonds (NSW, K.T.M.)
2009 Luke Styke (NSW, Yamaha)
2010 Josh Cachia (VIC, K.T.M.)
2011 Errol Willis (NSW, Suzuki)
2012 Kayne Lamont (NZ, K.T.M.)
2013 Hamish Harwood (NZ, K.T.M.)
2014 Egan Mastin (NSW, Husqvarna)
2015 Wilson Todd (QLD, Yamaha)
2016 Mitchell Evans (QLD, Yamaha)
2017 Cody Dyce (VIC, Yamaha)
2018 Bailey Malkiewicz (VIC, Yamaha)
2019 Regan Duffy (WA, K.T.M.)
2020 Not held
2021 Blake Fox (NSW, GasGas)
2022 Kayden Minear (WA, K.T.M.)
2023 Byron Dennis (NSW, GasGas)
2024 Jake Cannon (QLD, Yamaha)
2025 Kade Kingsford (NSW, Honda)
Photo Gallery
Victorian juniors Robin and Andrew Bailey in 1974 started racing juniors in Frankston, Victoria (Courtesy: Robin Bailey)
That same year, Jeff Leisk won his first Australian Junior Minibike Championship in Pakenham, Victoria
The late Paul Broomfield came up through junior minibike ranks to win two Australian Junior titles and forge a professional racing career
Queenslander Wilson Todd leads his class at the 2007 Australian Junior titles in Coolum, Queensland (By Peter Coward)
Jared McNeil, who hails from the NSW / VIC boarder region, won his class in the 2007 Aussie Junior titles at Coolum (By Peter Coward)
2022 Penrite AMX Pro – Rnd 2 MX3 – 1 Kayden Minear, Ryan Alexanderson and Cambell Williams – Junior MX has come a long way
Videos
Australian Junior and MX3
Championships
Fabry Films – Hunter Lawrence at the 2015 Australian Junior MX titles in Bunbury, WA
Blake Rountree – 2018 KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship in Penguin, Tasmania
Motorsports TV – Penrite Australian MX1, MX2 & MX3 – Round 3 Wodonga VIC – 1 May 2022
MX3 Timeline
1950s
First junior riders allowed to compete in senior motocross (scrambles) competition
1971
First time the ACCU of WA hosted separate junior races at senior events – at Herne Hill, on the outskirts of Perth.
1974
The inaugural Australian Mini Cycle Championship was held in Pakenham, Victoria
1975
South Australian Don Bowey became the first Australian Junior (Restricted License Holder) Champion at the South Arm Road circuit in Sanford, Tasmania.
1978
Jeff Leisk wins World Mini World championship for his age group in the United States
1980
WA rider Jeff Leisk wins back-to-back Australian Junior Motocross Championships at Dargle in New South Wales
2007
Brenden Harrison becomes the inaugural Australian MX3 Champion, first Queenslander to win the title and wins Yamaha’s first title in this class.
2008
New South Wales rider Tye Simmons becomes the first rider from New South Wales to win the MX3 title and chalks up the first win for KTM.
2009
Australia wins FIM Junior Motocross des Nations Trophy, with Jay Wilson winning World 85cc Championship.
2011
KTM rider Josh Cachia becomes the first Victorian rider to win the MX3 Championship.
2013
New Zealand rider Hamish Harwood wins K.T.M.’s fourth constructor’s championship.
2015
Victorian rider Cody Dyce wins Yamaha’s fifth MX3 title to overtake KTM to lead the constructor’s championship.
2018
Victorian rider Bailey Malkiewicz wins the MX3 title to extend Yamaha’s wins in the constructor’s championship to six.
2019
KTM rider Regan Duffy becomes the first Western Australian to win the MX3 Championship and notches up KTM’s fifth title in the constructor’s championship.
2020
Penrite ProMX Australian Championship series canceeled due to Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
2022
2022 MX3 class age group changed from Under 19’s to include riders from 14 to under 18.
Other Australian Champions (by class)
Click on the photos below to view the Australian Champions list for all classes
