AMX History pays tribute to the late Jono Porter – one of Australia’s top motocross, supercross and freestyle motocross riders in the early 2000’s.  R.I.P. Jono (12-5-1981 to 9-6-2004).

The Queensland rider died on 9 June 2004, following a racing accident three days earlier at the Australian Motocross Championships in Coolum, Queensland. He crashed while leading the pack and was run over by riders behind him and died of multiple injuries.

Jono was born in Biloela in Queensland on May 12, 1981 and later moved to Gladstone.  He was an Australian 80cc Australian Motocross Champion in 1994, going on to become one of Australia’s top motocross and supercross riders in senior ranks – winning the Melbourne Supercross Masters in 2002.

A factory Suzuki Australia rider, Jono later formed his own motocross team and company, JPI Industries.  He was a natural racer and excelled in all branches of the sport and was a pioneer of Freestyle Motocross (FMX) in Australia – winning the 2002 Planet X Games. 

Jono held world records for distance jumping and was the first Australian to perform a backflip on a motocross bike in an Australian FMX competition.

He was very popular and in his honor after his death ‘The Jono Porter Award’ was announced and is presented to the annual winner of the Australian FMX Title.  The Gladstone District Dirt Riders Club in Queensland, which he was a member of, established the annual Jono Porter race award with the road leading up to the Banarby Motocross track also named after him.