The original plan was just to go to the track and have some fun with friends.
Harrison Watts gives us an insight into the 14 year olds’ racing life.
Right now I’m still coming down from winning MiniGP! There was a lot of pressure over the entire weekend and it all came down to the final corners. After the problems with my brakes and not starting the race on Saturday, I was really nervous. Coming into the final race with an 11-point lead, I was feeling confident again, but I found myself in a four-bike battle with Judd Plaisted, Levi Russo and Jake Paige. I was very aware that if I had of dropped back, I wouldn’t have won the championship. When I have a lot of pressure I don’t tend to crack, I like to channel that pressure into almost an anger, and use the energy to focus on what I need to do.
On the last corner of the final race, Levi tried to get past me and I knew if I didn’t get decent drive there was a chance the other two could have overtaken me. After finishing second, coming back to the pits knowing I’d won the title was the best feeling ever. Then I was able to relax with my dad and just take it all in!
Harrison Watts talks Oceania Junior Cup (OJC).
MiniGP is very different to Oceania Junior Cup. You have to push and ride as hard as you can each and every lap, it’s not about positioning so much. It’s difficult over the 15-minute race, pushing the bike everywhere and not having a break, physically. In OJC, it’s nowhere near as physical – you go through the corner and sit in someone’s slipstream. You have to be much more focused on tactics and timing.
When we race OJC at the Phillip Island MotoGP round, it’s going to be the most spectators I’ve ever experienced while racing. It will be pretty nerve-wracking on the grid seeing everybody on the right-hand side, as well as seeing the pit wall lined with all the MotoGP guys and equipment. We have raced at Phillip Island before and I do like the track, plus there are some other exciting things going on. We were told the other day that we would be holding umbrellas on the grid for the MotoGP riders and that the top three from both OJC and MiniGP will be participating in the official MotoGP press conferences.
Harrison Watts talks Asia Talent Cup.
After MotoGP at Phillip Island I am flying out for Asia Talent Cup tryouts. If I’m successful in getting in to the Asia Talent Cup that would be really exciting, because my ambition is to ride in the MotoGP paddock. I’ll definitely be riding an Ohvale GP-2 next year regardless, because next year there will be a class for 12-16 year olds on the larger machine.
Unlike lots of other people I race against, I initially got into racing bikes riding a Kayo at Queensland Minimoto at Lakeside when I was 11 and then the Ohvale at Ipswich GoKart track. I’m 14 now and even though I don’t have a dirt-racing background, I still tend to let the bike slide and move around a lot and don’t feel like I am at a disadvantage for it. I get so much support from my parents, they are always helping with training and dad is often in the shed working on my bikes.
When I first started racing I certainly didn’t think it would go this far, the original plan was just to go to the track and have some fun with friends – but in a month or so I’ll be racing in Valencia representing Australia in the FIM MiniGP World Series! Wish me luck!