MARANDING’s Joel Green was victorious last weekend taking out the hotly-contested Pro Open title at the final round of the Honda Genuine Parts & Accessories 2016 Victorian Senior Motocross Championships Presented by Bridgestone at Swan Hill Motorcycle Club last weekend, July 23-24.
The 23-year-old MX Nationals rider won the top class by 56 points over Brodie Sims from Bylands and Joel Milesevic from Ballarat.
In his first full-season of racing a 450cc motorbike, Joel’s expectations weren’t too high following 6 months out of the sport due to a wrist injury. “I just went into the season to have a bit of fun. The first round at Blue Rock Motorcycle Club in Newborough in March went better than expected.
“As the year went on I got a little more serious and started to do the MX Nationals,” Joel said.
After the second round of the VSMXC at Colac in April, winning two out of three motos, Joel for the first time ever lead a championship.
“After the second round it was a bit of a shock to the system as I don’t think I ever lead a championship before. From then on in, I made sure I kept it consistent and tried to win a race when I could, and luckily enough I came away with the win,” Joel added.
“The guys at Swan Hill did an amazing job getting the track ready. They had quite a bit of rain on Saturday but the track was really fun to ride.
“I managed to get two seconds in the first two races and in the last race I stayed on and Joel Milesevic made a bit of an error which gave me second-place overall for round,” Joel continued.
“After the second race I knew I’d won the championship. I’m super happy winning. I’m over the moon,” Joel added.
Joel also competes in the 2016 Motul MX Nationals in the MX1 450 Pro class and is currently in 13th position overall. “I had a top ten finish at Conondale in July and I think the next goal is to put two consistent races together and get a top ten overall for the series.
“Hopefully, next year, I want to have a decent crack at it and do the full series,” Joel added.
“I’d really like to thank first and foremost my family, especially my Mum and Dad, who have travelled all over the place to support me and my racing. I would also like to thank Vict Rider Training, Kickstart Industries, Eze Race Products, Wildlife Clothing and Motorcycling Victoria’s Motocross Management Committee who have done an amazing job all season,” Joel praised.
Joel also plans on defending his title at next year’s state championships: “I’m pretty excited at being able to put a number one plate on my bike. I’m going to have to lift my game a little bit,” Joel added.