Aussie Junior trophy team, Kyron Bacon, Korey McMahon and Blake Hollis, head to France for their first International Six Day Enduro (ISDE).

Three years have passed since the worldwide pandemic interrupted Australia’s consistent string of successes at the ISDE. As the full Aussie contingent prepare to fly out to France this coming weekend, our Senior team and Women’s team are all acknowledged champions with a large cache of ISDE gold medals between them – and, as such, are among the more favoured nations to win the Olympics of motorcycling.

Not so our Junior trophy team, made up of Kyron Bacon, Korey McMahon and Blake Hollis, all of whom are ISDE rookies yet to celebrate their 21st birthdays. In fact the youngest, Blake Hollis, was the highest-placed under-19 rider at the 2022 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE).

“To be honest, being selected for the ISDE is hard to take in,” says Hollis. “Only six months ago I was the junior member on the Queensland team which won the state title at the A4DE. Now I’m heading overseas to represent Australia.”

Under FIM regulations, Hollis is eligible to spend a further four years in the Junior division, making this an exceptional opportunity to demonstrate his ability at such a young age.

“All three riders’ times count towards the Junior trophy,” he continues. “I’m excited and nervous, but I just need to focus on what I have to do to finish. Once we get in amongst it I’ll be okay.”

Closely shadowed by Korey McMahon, Kyron Bacon has commanded the top step of the E1 podium at every round of the 2022 AORC, and following a sensational victory in the A4DE, he has a pragmatic sense of anticipation about his first international event.

“I’ve been competing against Korey since we were 15 so I’m really looking forward to seeing where we both stack up compared to the rest of the world,” Bacon said. “We know the ISDE special tests are much tighter and slower than the AORC, but that’s just the type of terrain on the west coast of Tasmania where I grew up.”

McMahon is just as keen to see how his skills measure up against the world’s elite enduro champions, including host country France and reigning champions Italy. Having spent 2022 contesting the E1 class in the AORC, McMahon is switching to the E2 class on a GasGas EX350 F.

“I’ve had three years experience on a 350,” starts McMahon. “And for the past few months I’ve been racking up the hours on the Gas Gas, running FIM-approved Kenda intermediate tyres to fine-tune my suspension settings. The power delivery is different, though the power-to-weight ratio is much the same, so that is all squared away before we fly out. Australia’s last Junior Trophy team back in 2019 were all rookies, so we know what can be done. Now it’s up to us.”

The Australian team manager and ISDE veteran AJ Roberts fully understands what his young charges face.

“Naturally the host nation enjoys a considerable advantage,” he said. “The French team may not be allowed to pre-run any of the special tests but they’ll be familiar with the terrain and local road signage on the liaison stages. Having the support of partisan friends and spectators is also a great incentive.

“Our Juniors are away from home for more than two weeks and, because of the two year layoff, have had to organise their own equipment. It’s a difficult call but I reckon they’re our best chance of a Team trophy.”

It’s a well-worn cliché that in order to finish first, first you must finish. But to win the Junior team trophy, it’s an imperative. In many past years the spoils has been awarded to the nation which had all three riders complete all six days. Setting fastest times becomes immaterial if competitors don’t register at every single passage control – many of which are in secret locations. For our less-travelled competitors, even the standard road rules can be a little intimidating.

“My dad Andrew will be coming to assist with the team logistics and administration,” adds Bacon. “But other than him and my teammates, it’ll be a strange new world. The culture, the language, the food and over 650 competitors in the bivouac. But I know that once I’m out on the track I’ll be able to focus on the only thing that counts.”

Facing five special tests each day for five consecutive days, incorporating 13 different loops followed by an intense motocross, these boys are capable of taking over the podiums vacated by our pre-pandemic champions to bring home Australia’s third Junior World Trophy.  

WORDS // PETER WHITAKER