You started your pro riding career two decades ago and have always had a knack for attracting attention and doing things differently. Tell us about the time you almost rode the whole range of KTM bikes to victory in America’s Grand National Cross Country?

Just a pissing contest, that’s all it was. Just to prove a point. One of the dickheads over there – one of the guys I was racing against – said I could only win on a 125. I heard that on the break over Christmas after winning the previous year (1999). KTM wanted me to ride a 200 in the first round for marketing purposes, which I did and won, but then I wanted to one-up that. There were 14 rounds that year (2000) in the GNCC, and KTM had seven different models in their off-road range and I managed to ride six that year to take the championship. The following year I ticked the last model off the list.

You made a name for yourself on the world stage by tearing up the enduro championships on a 125. At the time, it was a revelation. How did this come about?

The two years before I won the world championship in the 125cc class, I rode a 250cc in what was the premier class.  The team owner and manager for the KTM Team in Europe I was riding for channelled me in to doing a test on the 125cc at the end of the ’96 season right after the last round and I was actually faster than I was on the 250. So that cemented it for me. They were going to pay me more and give me more support on the 125, so it came about from the KTM Factory team convincing me that I should ride it. We went for it and won the world championship in ’97, and then came back and won the ICE in ’98. It had plenty of power.

Now you’re back in Oz…

I’ve been over there (the US) for 17 years, and moved back to Maffra in Victoria, where I grew up. My priority at the moment is family. I take the kids dirt biking, riding or camping. We go down to the river for a swim.

This is the best country ever, and we’re just going to see how things go for the next couple of years. I’ve done plenty of schools here in the past, around a half-dozen since I got back, and I fly back and forth to the States fairly regularly to run schools there.

You recently competed in the A4DE at Merrijig after a long time away from competition. Why was that?

I’ve been gone for so long, and it’s a great way to meet up with old friends. And I wanted to see where the sport was at and get a feel for the competition. It certainly wasn’t for the result! It was 10 years since I’ve done a four-day.

What do you think of the current crop of Aussie talent? Any favourites?

Matty Phillips needs to be given huge props for what he’s achieved in the World Enduro Championship. He’s doing awesome. Strang over in America is doing good and I think he’s got the potential to win and beat Kailb Russell again. Daniel Sanders smashed everyone over here last year and is going to the world championship now so he’s one to watch. And Toby Price has done magnificently in the rally and desert racing side of things, so got to give him credit. They’re the standouts in my opinion.

Any racing on the cards for 2017?

I’d like to do the four-day again, and I definitely want to do Hattah – I’ve never done that. The other one that’s on my list is the 24-hour reliability trial in South Australia, I’ve always wanted to do that. And sometime in the future I want to hit up Finke, just purely for pleasure; not for the result, just to experience it.   

by Paul McCann