Brutal conditions, broken bikes and shattered Trophy dreams couldn’t stop Australia’s next generation from striking gold in Portugal
With predictions of dry, sandy conditions in Grândola for the 100th edition of the ISDE, the Aussie veterans were confident of improvement after the slippery slopes of the Italian Alps in 2025. The rookies were simply delighted their dreams had come true. But the impenetrable clouds of bulldust dismayed everyone – competitors, officials and the huge crowds of spectators.
The contemporary 6Days is far more a test of rider resilience than mechanical reliability, but Korey McMahon was not the only competitor to suffer fuel pump problems. Had this occurred on a liaison, the problem may have been rectified, but that was impossible on a section timed to the tenth of a second. Despite his efforts to push his bike to the end of the special test, Korey timed out, terminating Australia’s World Trophy ambitions on Day One. Teammates Angus Riordan, Kyron Bacon and Josh Strang all pushed on to win individual Gold.
Day Two was described as brutal, with riders having to regularly change air filters, manage frying clutches and avoid each other in the clouds of dust. Junior Trophy contenders Will Dennett and Kogan Lock both suffered time-consuming crashes, and by day’s end the team had fallen well adrift of the leaders. Official timing problems on the third day reduced the number of special tests, limiting anyone’s chances of catching the French team, which had built a winning margin.
This came to nought the following day when Thibault Giraudon’s bike called in sick, ruling the French Juniors out of contention and moving Australia up to fourth. The Aussies responded by winning the Junior category the following day before finishing second to Italy in the final motocross – not quite enough to lift them onto the podium.
Australia’s Women’s World Trophy team has won more 6Days Trophies than the Seniors and Juniors combined. Team leader (and Hall of Famer) Jessica Gardiner has more 6Days Gold medals than any other Aussie, so my guess is that Jess won’t be too disappointed with the Aussie women finishing second in 2026. Or that she finished a few positions behind her two teammates, Danielle McDonald and rookie Madi Simpson.
For fellow rookie Max Midwinter, simply making the start line was a dream come true. The 20-year-old South Australian was a late call-up to the Junior Trophy team after Riley McGillivray withdrew through injury. Already enjoying a standout domestic season, Midwinter made the most of his unexpected opportunity, collecting an individual Gold medal on debut.
As for the rookies, perhaps Kogan Lock defined it best when he told AMCN: “I just finished school last year and started an Electrical Apprenticeship. But I can do that when I turn 50. I won’t be able to do this when I turn 50.”
Not that Josh Strang is anywhere near 50, but this was the 10th time he’s represented Australia, so it was only fitting that he finished in the top 10 of 123 riders and FIRST in the E3 category of the final motocross. Way to go, Josh!
WORLD TROPHY
1. Italy 2. France 3. Sweden 4. USA 5. Spain
JUNIOR TROPHY
1. Italy 2. USA 3. Spain 4. Australia 5. Czech Republic
WOMEN’S TROPHY
1. USA 2. Australia 3. France 4. New Zealand 5. FIM LA
