Bracksy channels his MotoGP aspirations to prove an old dog can learn new tricks
For many years, if you wanted to race a motorbike as a nipper you were directed towards junior motocross or dirt track. Now though, youngsters as young as eight years old have avenues to ride in the strictly controlled environment of a go-kart track on suitably-sized bikes to learn and progress. A few years older and the avenue is there to actually go racing on bitumen, giving Aussie kids a head start in roadracing.
The instrument of choice is the dynamic little Ohvale.
There are three models to choose from: a beginner’s 110cc, a 160cc race version and a full-on 190cc/212cc version.
The first impression that hits you about riding even the Ohvale GP-0 110cc model is how precise one must be. The slightest wrong movement can have the mini GP-replica twitching dramatically with the feedback through the ’bars giving a decent head shake in protest!
With 10-inch diameter wheels, every input is either accepted with delight or if you move your body weight too much mid-corner, the feedback is dramatic. You have to be very precise with smoothness the number one priority as the Ohvale will reject your steering input with subtle feedback that you are doing it all wrong.
Myself and fellow ASBK commentator Phil Harlum have been let loose on these little weapons at various go-kart tracks along the eastern seaboard and in South Australia, thanks to trusting owners.
A go-kart track is the perfect place as the condensed layout means the corners come up really quick with plenty of switchbacks. So it’s all about precision and vision and attempting to be millimetre perfect on every lap. A lot easier said than successfully executed.
These machines are exceptional at teaching riders to take the weight off arms and hands and so take the pressure off the ’bars. Like a MotoGP or Superbike rider, a novice learns very quickly to weight the footpegs to be able to deftly slide over the bike in the rapid change of direction a go-kart track demands.
If you are over exuberant with throttle application, giving it the berries under the impression that it’s only a minibike, you’ll soon be over the ’bars. These little bikes sure can bite, but the advantage of being on a go-kart track means slower speeds and more safety in the event of a crash. While top speeds are around 120km/h being closer to the ground heightens the sensation of speed.
Wobbling around on these Ohvales gave both of us a great understanding of how talented these young kids are and how quickly they have learned to ride.
Here’s what Phil reckoned after a recent ride day: “There is nothing comparable to riding an Ohvale. Small, rigid, unforgiving and brutal if you don’t treat it with a level of respect, well, especially with my skill level. Quite simply, it is a pure racebike with one vision: to get you around a go-kart track as fast as possible. When you can string a good lap together on one, the feeling is absolutely surreal. I have ridden a few Superbikes on the track over the years, and I get the exact same rush from riding an Ohvale but at a fraction of the speed.”
Multiple ASBK champion Wayne Maxwell is largely responsible for the boom in Ohvale racing in Australia. He is a key player in Ohvale distribution here and has also invested a chunk of his time and knowledge mentoring the next generation of junior talent as well as helping a couple of old dogs like me and Phil ‘origami’ ourselves onto these pocket rockets.
Maxwell, promoter of the MotoMini series, says the philosophy behind the Ohvale is quite simple: “We try to get something like 10,000 hours/miles up to get experience under your belt, so it’s done by repetition. When you are on a go-kart track you can repeat the same corner every 50 seconds in a lap. So you’re doing 12-15 corners in a lap, getting your repetition up and understanding the bike and where it needs to be on the track. Because the corners are closer together it’s like riding a Superbike on those full-size tracks but in a very condensed form.”
I have to concur as Glenn Allerton, who won the last ASBK race of the current season, said to me a few years ago that an Ohvale on a kart track is the closest you will get to the experience of riding a Superbike. This is the reason many established racers here and overseas use them as a practice tool.
The confines of a go-kart track restrict speeds – but that is irrelevant as the fun factor is astronomic and the little bikes are exceptionally surprising. They have an amazing turn of speed as you hook through the four-speed gearbox but being on a go-kart track one doesn’t have to be flipping gears endlessly. This is because the torque of the little single-cylinder engines saves a lot of shifting – but these bikes also possess strong engine braking, which helps heaps.
To sum up, I reckon the Ohvale is the perfect training bike. Much mention is made of other learning tools for kids, such as the Yamaha R15 used in the Oceania Junior Cup run at selected ASBK rounds. Quite a few kids have doubled up in both series but the journey can start really early on tarmac with the Ohvale series as nine-year-olds have now got dispensation to race – and man, are they fast.
Now here’s the interesting part for parents and older fans of racing: the Ohvale race program also has classes for teenagers, those in their early 20s, as well as a Veterans class for old codgers like myself and Phil. The polite among our fellow track day riders describe us as the ‘elder statesmen’. You could be one of those.
Ohvales are relatively cheap for a GP-spec racebike.
Both Phil and I didn’t expect to be as impressed with this track test experience as we were. So if you get a chance to ride one, do it!
What’s an Ohvale?
Valerio Da Lio founded the Ohvale company in 2009 near Venice in the Italian province of Treviso, just up the road from Aprilia HQ. His plan was to construct a ‘GP-style’ bike for kids to learn on and progress. The bike proved to be so good that its popularity swept Europe and in 2022 it was used as the sole bike when the junior development programme of the FIM MiniGP series began as an extension of the Road to MotoGP through the Red Bull Rookies Cup. Minibike racing – or pocket bikes, as they were called – had been a staple in junior road racing in Europe for a couple of decades but the much higher-tech Ohvales took them to another level. Now many MotoGP top guns use them for training. www.ohvale.com.au
FIM world championship
The FIM MotoMIni, originally named the FIM MiniGP, is a worldwide initiative with 20 countries taking part to provide a pathway to motorcycle Grand Prix stardom.
There are two categories for two age groups with all competitors riding the same Ohvale motorcycles and competition limited to go-kart tracks.
The ‘junior’ segment is the 160cc class with 10-inch wheels for those aged 10-14 years, with the larger capacity 190cc machines with 12-inch wheels for older riders aged 12-16-years-old.
The series also doubles here as the Junior Australian Road Racing Championships.
There are five rounds in the championship, with the top two place-getters from the 160cc class and the top three from the 190cc class invited to the end-of-season FIM MiniGP World Cup, contested in the same week as the final MotoGP of the year at Valencia, Spain, this time in late November.
SPECIFICATIONS
OHVALE GP-0 110 AUTO – $7490
TARGET RIDER – Aged 6+ years
ENGINE – 110cc single-cylinder four-stroke
TRANSMISSION – Automatic
WHEELS – 10-inch
BRAKES – Disc front / rear
KEY POINTS – Ultimate first step into road racing with auto transmission removing complexity
OHVALE GP-0 160 – From $10,990
TARGET RIDER – Aged 8+ years
ENGINE – 160cc single-cylinder four-stroke
TRANSMISSION – 4-speed manual
CLUTCH – Wet multi-plate
WHEELS – 10-inch aluminium race
BRAKES – Disc front / rear
KEY POINTS – Race-focused with options to upgrade to fully adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes
OHVALE GP-2 190 –From $13,490
TARGET RIDER – Aged 12-16 years and adults
ENGINE – 190cc single-cylinder four-stroke (upgradeable to 212cc)
TRANSMISSION – 4-speed manual
CLUTCH – Wet multi-plate (slipper clutch optional)
QUICKSHIFTER – Optional electronic
WHEELS – 12-inch aluminium race
BRAKES – Disc front / rear (230mm floating front disc optional)
KEY POINTS – Race-focused package with adjustable ride height and steering geometry
