From the very beginning, Australian motocross riders have been competitive internationally.

Our earliest pioneers of the sport date back to the 1950-60s, with Tim Gibbes from New South Wales winning two European Motocross Grand Prix events.

Gibbes – the first Australian to win a Gold ISDE medal – also won a round of the European 500cc Championship in Czechoslovakia on 22 May 1960, then the Polish Grand Prix a week later.

On 14 October 1963, Gibbes was also a member of the Australian team who beat the British in a scrambling test match at Pembury, near Brands Hatch.

The winning team that year also included Charlie West (WA), Kelvin Franks (SA), Bob Walpole (VIC), Ray East (NSW), Ray Fisher (VIC) and Jack Pringle (NSW).

After winning the 1979 World Mini Grand Prix in the US for his age group, Western Australian rider Jeff Leisk won every major event in Australia then pursued an international motocross career in the US (1986-1988), then in Europe (1989-1990).

Leisk achieved many firsts – the first Australian to win a World Junior Motocross Championship, the first Aussie to win a moto in the professional United States AMA Motocross series (1987) and the first to place in the World Motocross Championships, finishing second in in 1989, behind David Thorpe of Great Britain.

Since that time, three other Australian riders have forged successful international careers in both motocross and supercross:

• Chad Reed (NSW, 1998-2010)
• the late Andrew McFarlane (QLD, 2000-2008), and
• Brett Metcalfe (SA, 2001…).

Their performances helped focus international attention on Australian motocross talent, paving the way for more Australian motorcyclists to compete in both Europe and the United States.