Tom Hathway is among Australia’s best off-road motorbike riders for his age after placing second in the national championship.
The Gunnedah South Public School student competed in the junior 65cc division of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship.
After 12 rounds of racing, Tom finished less than 20 points behind the top rider in the country but more than 20 points also ahead of his nearest rival in third.
The 11-year-old was leading the championship with just two rounds remaining but became stuck in a “big hole” which cost him valuable points.
Nevertheless, Tom said there were plenty of highlights during the series staged across four Australian states – Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.
The youngster overcame a challenging obstacle on the last lap of round two and was the only rider in his division to achieve the feat.
“There was a massive log lifted off the ground and I had barely any energy left,” Tom recalled.
“I had the option to go the ‘chicken run’ around the outside but I had hit the log instead and went over it.
“It felt really good.”
Tom competes in several race classes including long-distance enduro and shorter timed, sprint events but named the 90-minute cross country category as his favourite.
“I like to keep going, keep it in my mind and not have big breaks in between,” he said.
Challenges were many including a reversed Queensland circuit which featured huge wheel ruts.
“Some of the ruts last year were already too deep for a 65cc, so this year was really hard because the ruts were even bigger,” Tom said.
“The track was also made to flow the opposite way to what we had raced it before.”
Tom’s laid-back attitude to both racing and life generally, has set him in good stead during his short two years on the national off-road circuit.
When he’s not tearing up dirt on his motorbike, you will usually find Tom pedaling his push-bike, training at the boxing gym or building his next Lego creation.
His number one support team includes parents Sally-Ann and Matthew who travel to venues near and far for Tom’s competition.
“I’ve seen more of Australia in the last two year than I’ve ever seen,” Matt said.
Dad said young Tom takes on bike skill instruction with ease, while also balancing his school studies.
“What I’ve taught him, he’s taken it on, and for he’s age I think he’s doing it better than I was,” Matt said.
“He does it quite well considering a lot of the riders he’s competing against don’t study properly – they train with coaches, all year, several days a week but Tom just does it outside school.”
The race calendar shows no sign of slowing for Tom who is currently ranked second in the NSW off-road championship as well.
He is aiming for a top podium place in the state-based championship but said there is tight competition hot on his heels between third and fourth too.
If that wasn’t enough, Tom is also competing in the Grass Track Series – a three-round event staged in the hills surrounding Walcha.
“It’s one of my favourite races, I always look forward to it,” he said.
The Gunnedah rider won his division at the Walcha race last year and was due to compete again in September but the race was postponed due to rain.
Looking ahead, Tom’s future goal is to compete in the prestigious 2-Stroke Cup – a senior class the envy of every aspiring dirt bike professional.
“I like the power and the sound,” he said.
For now though, at least until he reaches the senior level, Tom is content to keep his ambition in check and aims to stay within the top three placegetters for remainder of the junior classes.
