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Australian Motocross Legend Jim Scaysbrook
Photos: [Left ] Jim Scaysbrook in action at the 1972 Australian Motocross Championships at Wallan (VIC) riding a 125 KTM; and [Centre and right] Together with Laurie Alderton, in 1973 the pair became the first Australians to contest the Trans-AMA motocross series in the United States (Credit: Jim Scaysbrook Collection)
Jim Scaysbrook: The long ride to motorcycling legendary status
Renowned Australian motorcyclist Jim Scaysbrook from New South Wales has been inducted into the AMX History Legends section, becoming the first honouree recognised as a “true legend, both on and off the track.”
A racer first and foremost, Scaysbrook rose to prominence as one of Australia’s leading motocross competitors from the mid-1960s through to the mid-1970s. His versatility set him apart. Beyond motocross, he competed with distinction in dirt track, reliability trials, desert racing, enduro, and dabbled in speedway, later extending his competitive career into road racing, then historic and vintage racing.
Alongside his racing achievements, he went on to make a lasting impact on motorcycle journalism, helping document and shape the sport’s history in Australia.
In motocross, Scaysbrook was a consistent presence at the highest level. At age 18, Jim contested his first Australian Championship at Christmas Hills, Victoria, in 1966, and went on to compete at other National titles, including at Mt Kembla (NSW, 1967), Tivoli (QLD, 1970), Clarendon (SA, 1971), Wallan (VIC, 1972) and Mulbring (NSW, 1973).
His standout national result came at Mulbring where he rode a German-built Maico to finish third in the Australian 500cc Motocross Championship, behind Victorians Trevor Flood (Yamaha) and Jack Pengally (Maico).
The podium finish echoed a remarkable family legacy: 17 years earlier, his father, Charlie Scaysbrook, had also finished third in the same 500cc class at Moorebank, NSW in 1956. At the time, Jim was just eight years old — watching the foundations of his own future in the sport being laid.
The 1973 season proved pivotal for Jim Scaysbrook, delivering one of the defining moments of his career.
On 23 September at Springville, New York, he and fellow Australian Laurie Alderton became the first Australians to contest a round of the AMA National Motocross Championship — breaking new ground and helping open the door for future generations of Australians to compete in the United States.
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Jim's key role in shaping the prestigious Mister Motocross series
Photo: 17-year-old Jim Scaysbrook on his 350 AJS in 1965 – He began racing motocross in a year earlier with the St George MCC.
Photo: Per Klitland leads Jim Scaysbrook and Terry Gunter at Foster Park NSW in the 1973 National titles
Jim Scaysbrook’s last national race – the 1975 Mr MX series at Amaroo Park (by Ray Ryan)
Before departing for America, Jim also helped shape what would become a landmark chapter in Australian motocross. Working alongside promoter Vince Tesoeiro, he played a key role in developing the NSW versus Victoria concept staged at Amaroo Park, which evolved into the Mister Motocross (Mr. MX) Series, which ran from 1974 through to 1990 and became the biggest national motocross promotion in Australian history.
Living in the same apartment with Vince at the time, the pair devised an innovative, rapid-fire race format designed to maximise spectator excitement. The inaugural NSW vs VIC event was held on 23 April 1973, with Jim captaining the NSW’s team and Trevor Flood leading the “Big V” lineup. The format proved an immediate success, drawing a record crowd and overwhelming approval, with Mr. MX kicking off in 1974.
Fittingly, the final round of the 1975 Mr. MX Series marked Jim’s last competitive national motocross race before transitioning to road racing at State, National and International level. He went on to compete at iconic events including the Isle of Man TT, as well as meetings in Malaysia, Macau and Australia, racing Yamaha TZ500s and Ducati’s at the highest level.
Jim modestly describes himself as a “jack of all trades” — though his career suggests far more.
He began racing motocross in 1964 at just 16 years of age with the St George Motor Cycle Club, campaigning well-worn British four-stroke machinery. More than a decade later, he concluded his motocross career with the Willoughby MCC in 1975, just as the sport was being transformed by a new generation of lightweight two-stroke machines.
That same year, newly crowned 125cc World Champion Gaston Rahier toured Australia alongside a contingent of leading international riders to promote Suzuki’s emerging lightweight motocross models. The visit marked a turning point, accelerating the shift toward high-revving Japanese two-strokes and reshaping the Australian motocross landscape almost overnight.
Away from the track — often while still actively competing — Jim built an equally diverse professional life. He worked as a copywriter, motorcycle dealer, restored vintage machines, authored numerous works, and in 2006 became the founding editor of Old Bike Australasia magazine, further cementing his influence on Australia’s motorcycling heritage.
On 27 November 2020, his lifelong contribution to the sport was formally recognised when he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). He received the honour at a ceremony at Government House, Sydney, acknowledging decades of service to motorcycling both on and off the track.
How Jim got into motorcycling
Born on 1 August 1948 in Sydney’s southern suburbs to Charlie (“Chaz”) and June Scaysbrook — who had married the year before — Jim was raised in a household where motorcycles were part of everyday life.
His father Chaz was a prominent scrambles rider throughout the 1950s and a leading competitor at both State and National level. In 1956, he finished third in the Australian 500cc Championship at Moorebank, New South Wales — a milestone moment witnessed by eight-year-old Jim from the sidelines.
An active member of the St George MCC, Chaz played a hands-on role in constructing the famed Moorebank circuit, which later hosted major meetings including the Australian Motocross Championships in 1956 and 1961.
Jim and his brother Peter grew up immersed in the sport, regularly watching their father compete and absorbing the atmosphere of club racing. While attending Blakehurst High School on Woniora Road, Jim and Peter began building motorcycles from spare parts in their father’s garage — early mechanical lessons that would shape Jim’s lifelong technical skill.
The brothers rode their creations at the Currarong mud flats, honing their abilities well before they formally entered competition.
In 1963, at just 15 years old, Jim joined the St George MCC and began competing in club events on an early 350cc Matchless/AJS bitza at Moorebank alongside his father. The following year, he built a 350cc AJS and entered his first official scramble.
At one memorable club meeting, Jim, his father Chaz and brother Peter each won a race — a fitting snapshot of a family deeply woven into Australian motorcycling history.
Photo: Jim with his father Charlie at Moorebank NSW in 1966.
Photo: Jim racing a 360 CZ at Moorebank (NSW) in 1969.
Competing in motocross at State and National level
Photo: Jim in action during 1967 on his Bultaco Pursang – his very first brand new motocross bike
Photo: In 1969 Jim Scaysbrook (34) joined Matt Daley (15) in Bill Watson’s CZ Racing Team,
Jim Scaysbrook’ s rise through the motocross ranks continued steadily and, in 1965, he stepped up into open competition.
At just 17 years of age, he finished third in the New South Wales 500cc State Championship on his 350cc AJS, behind two of the sport’s heavyweights — Ray Fisher, who would go on to win the National title at Clarendon that year, and Laurie Alderton (who he would later create history with).
Now firmly established as one of New South Wales’ leading riders, Jim was selected in 1966 to represent his State in the 250cc class at the Australian Motocross Championships at Christmas Hills, Victoria.
He began the season aboard a 250cc Cotton purchased from Blair Harley, but in the lead-up to the Championships secured his first sponsorship deal. Riding a CZ 250 provided by Hazell and Moore, he delivered an impressive top-10 finish at his first attempt on the national stage.
In 1967, Jim purchased his first brand-new motorcycle — a Bultaco — though his debut outing on the machine at Mount Kembla, near Wollongong, ended in a heavy crash. Undeterred, he regrouped and continued to build momentum.
The 1968 season saw him campaign a Yamaha DT-1, capturing the Queensland Unlimited Championship after race favourite Matt Daley crashed while leading and broke both collarbones. However, the same meeting proved costly for Jim; a crash in the 250cc event left him with a dislocated shoulder and elbow, sidelining him for several months.
By 1969, Jim had joined Bill Watson’s CZ Racing Team alongside Matt Daley. The pair contested the inaugural Steeplechase event at the Sydney Showgrounds — an early precursor to what would later become known as supercross. Daley and Scaysbrook finished first and second, launching a dominant run that saw Jim claim victory in the event for the following two years.
Jim's international racing ambitions
In 1971, Jim resigned from his position at John Sands to take up a role in the graphic arts department of The Land newspaper — a move that reflected his growing interest in publishing and media. Yet his ambitions stretched far beyond the drawing board. Determined to pursue international racing, he soon left that role as well and placed a deposit on a P&O passage to England.
Fate intervened. When he was offered a Honda dealership in Gladesville, Sydney, Jim recognised the opportunity as too good to refuse and postponed his plans to race overseas.
That international dream, however, was only deferred — not abandoned. Inspired by the calibre of riders who contested Australia’s 1972 International Series, including two reigning World Champions — Belgium’s Joël Robert and Roger De Coster — Jim reignited his determination to compete abroad.
Photo: 1973 Jim Scaysbrook racing in Texas USA (Jim Scaysbrook Collection)
In 1973, he and fellow New South Wales rider Laurie Alderton travelled to the United States, becoming the first Australians to contest the Trans-AMA motocross series. The opening round was held on 23 September in Springville, New York. For three months, the Australians lined up against — and mixed with — the world’s best American and international riders. Jim campaigned a near-standard Maico, while Alderton rode a stock CZ, both taking on the might of the factory-backed teams.
The Trans-AMA series ran in conjunction with the AMA National 500cc Championship, with combined points determining the National title. Dutch rider Pierre Karsmakers, competing under a U.S. licence, led the 500cc standings and ultimately secured the championship. Meanwhile, after finishing runner-up in the World 250cc Championship aboard a Maico, West Germany’s Adolf Weil joined the international contingent and was crowned Trans-AMA Champion at the final round in Orange, California, on 2 December 1973.
The two Aussies struggled early and were no match for the internationals on works machinery. But they enjoyed the experience and gradually improved in each outing.
Upon returning to Australia in 1974, Alderton established a frame-straightening business in Sydney’s west and transitioned from motocross to enduro competition. He later represented Australia at the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) and, in later years, returned to the sport through the growing VMX (veteran motocross) movement.
Shifting his focus to road racing, and life after motocross
Jim experienced a similar turning point soon after his American motocross campaign, shifting his focus to road racing — a discipline that would become his next great passion.
Among the highlights of his road racing career was partnering with the legendary Mike Hailwood in the 1977 Castrol Six Hour at Amaroo Park.
He also contested the 1978 Isle of Man TT during its celebrated Formula One-era resurgence, riding a Ducati 900F1, and competed again in the 1978 Castrol Six Hour. That same year, he claimed victory in the 750cc Production race at Bathurst, setting a new lap record in the process — a performance that cemented his credentials on the tarmac as firmly as he had on the dirt.
Off the track — often concurrently with his racing career — Jim built an equally substantial professional life. He first apprenticed as a Photolitho Camera Operator in 1966, then worked as a copywriter for a leading Sydney advertising agency, operated as a motorcycle dealer, restored vintage machines, and became a respected author. Over the decades, he has written more than a dozen books chronicling Australian motorcycle history, including his autobiography Along for the Ride and the acclaimed Riding Through Time.
In 2006, he founded Old Bike Australasia, which has since become Australia’s premier historic and classic motorcycle magazine, further underscoring his commitment to preserving the nation’s motorcycling heritage.
On 27 November 2020, Jim’s lifelong contribution to the sport was formally recognised when he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) at Government House, Sydney. The honour acknowledged decades of outstanding service to motorcycling.
Other Australian road racing greats to receive the OAM include Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner — a distinguished group whose achievements have significantly advanced the sport both nationally and internationally.
Photos: [Top] 1977 Jim Scaysbrook (left) and Mike Hailwood before the 1977 Castrol Six Hour race – By Phil Aynsley; and the Old Bike Australasia magzine founded by Jim Scaysbrook in 2006.
Australian Championship results and photos
Click on the links below to view Australian Motocross Championship results back to 1953, event photos or rider profiles.
Australian Motocross Champions 500cc
Australian Motocross Champions List (All classes)
Australian Motocross Legends
