Sport
6 December, 2024
Motorcycle club gains licence in big boost
Exciting news is on the way for the Maryborough and District Motorcycle Club, who are ready to reopen their track after extensive works which has seen them recently regain their venue licence.
Almost two and a half years have passed since their last meeting due to insurance cost issues which has plagued the track — as well as many others across Victoria.
But, thanks to the hard work of a new committee and local sponsor-ship, the track is almost ready to reopen to current and prospective motocross riders — with a focus on youth key to the future success of the club.
The venue licence was finally secured on November 21 this year after months of hard work.
President Ryan Oakley took over in May, having taken advantage of an opportunity which arose after participating with the Bacchus Marsh Motorcycle Club.
“It started over 12 months ago. I was involved with the Bacchus Marsh Motorcycle Club for about four or five years, and we had an opportunity to move back home for a local hospital job, picking up a contract there. I thought while we were here, we’d check out the motorcycle track and see what they’re up to,” he said.
“We held an AGM, which we had about seven or eight people show up, which is okay considering it hadn’t been open for a few years.
“I took the president’s role off Beau Collicoat, Brendan Neilsen is still on board as the treasurer. Matt Scobie from Ballarat is vice-president and I’ve managed to get my wife, Tanya to do the secretary role.
“What we’ve done (since) is gone to the top of the table, contacted Motorcycle Victoria, started the process over 12 months ago, and given us guidelines to follow. The guideline list was as long as an arm.
“Financially, I thought it was impossible at the start, but now that we’ve worked our way through it and got some local sponsors on board, we have been able to get the track to the standard to get the licence and have the proper insurance. So we’re pretty happy with that.”
Luckily, sponsors — both local and across the state — were ready to step up for the club.
“We’ve been lucky enough to get Craig Doran Earthmoving onboard, as a number one go-to man,” Oakley said.
“We spoke about re-designing the whole track to make it wide enough — the biggest problem with the track was it didn’t comply with Motorcycle Victoria standards to have the right width, so we had to cut down the jumps and make the track six metres wide.
“The whole process has been huge to move the dirt and do what they’ve done. Craig Doran has donated back some of the cost and he’s put us on a payment plan which wouldn’t have been doable without him.
“Maryborough IGA is onboard and have helped us out with a couple of working bee barbecues, Shay Excavations have sent out a truck and also an excavator on our working bees.
“Centre State Printing have done the new track map and the printing requirements. Kane Quick Plumbing from Ballarat, Kale Makeham, an ex-pro racer, is involved in MWMX, and donated some money to get us up and running, which is unbelievable.
“Hynes Couriers in Sunshine, Swift Transport in Dandenong South have donated some cash recently to help out with whatever we need, Convic Australia donated over $800 worth of pipe underneath the jumps and drainage pipes.
“Working with the Bacchus Marsh Motocross Club, we’ve obtained a tractor that we didn’t have and they’ve let us pay it off in due course, whenever we can afford it, and local families have helped us out, which has been unbelievable.”
Being involved in motocross is a thrill which runs in the Oakley family.
Oakley’s son, Max, participated in the supercross series across Australia, which included a round at Marvel Stadium in front of a big crowd last weekend.
“Max is lucky enough to have parents to take him to these events. We’ve raced in state titles, national titles in Horsham and Gillman in South Australia, we’ve also been to the last couple of nationals in Rockhampton and Darwin, and to come back and join the supercross series in Brisbane, Redcliffe, Wollongong, Adelaide and Marvel Stadium last weekend,” Oakley said.
Oakley is keen to bring many more big names back with him to Maryborough as a result, including as a potential test facility and for future ride days.
“The amount of riders who want to come and ride this track are good friends of ours who have gone from junior 50s to senior A grade, pro national riders,” he said.
“I have had conversations with a few pro teams, the boss of Honda, who won the series this year, and CDR Yamaha, who like to hire tracks like this to test on, and we’ve given them the okay to do that, so we would expect to see them in the new year to train, which is unbelievable.
“Our future plans and targets are practice days, which will be through Motorcycle Victoria.
“There will be at least four come and try days, where you don’t need a licence, next year, so anybody can come and try the sport. Motorcycle Victoria will grant us the permit for that.
“Later in the year, we are looking at a race event, which would be a club day race or two or three before the end of next year.
“Our big target is a two-day race meeting, one day or a western region event, which is the main goal for this club.”
Before then, Oakley is keen to achieve a few more goals to make Maryborough an envy of riders around the state.
“The biggest thing we’re after and what we’re really wanting to target is a medical buggy of some sort, to get injured riders back and forth to first aid, a defibrilator is our number one priority, we’d love to have one of those sitting on the wall.
“Anybody who can help out, we would appreciate $50 or $500, whatever it is, if it’s cash or supplies, things to maintain the track to keep the riders here. If we can keep the track up to the standard I think we can, we can get some really good riders and have some good events in the future.
“It’s not just a normal sport where you buy a pair of footy boots, head down and have a kick, that’s what I grew up doing, but I always wanted to do this and didn’t get the opportunity.
“Now I want to give back to my son, and it’s something I want the whole town to get back to where it was when it ran the Golden Wattle Masters in the 80s.
“It’s huge for every small town. The amount of kids who ride around the region in Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Ararat, there’s clubs who have been struggling with the same problem. To get to where we are now after a hard year, it’s definitely been worthwhile and it will certainly draw a lot of people to the town.”
Oakley is hoping local members jump on board to preserve the future of the club.
“We are after more general committee members. We’ll hold another meeting before Christmas or January and get a few more members, and a few more helpers always helps,” he said.
“I would love to say I’m here for the future of the town and the kids in the sport and whatever else, but we do wonder where my son will end up in the sport, so we just need people involved at a younger age so we can hand it on and make sure this place runs.
“I rode a 50 here in 1984 or 1985 around the carpark, and I’m back here now. So I hope we have young parents involved and keep it rolling for another 100 years.”