Chinese hotshot lands to challenge local FIM MiniGP talents

2023 FIM MiniGP Australia Series
Round Four – Monarto, South Australia

This weekend (26-27 August), the FIM MiniGP Australia series spreads its wings with the fourth round of the exciting championship hitting the Monarto Go-Kart track, near Murray Bridge in South Australia, for the first time.

Fourteen-year-old, Rikki Henry, from Port Pirie, leads the series for the 10-14-year-olds that race the Ohvale GP-0 160cc bikes. Henry has been in stellar form with two wins and three more podiums over the previous six races and heads to Monarto with an eight-point lead over fellow race winners, Jake Paige, and Hunter Corney.

11-year-old, Monarto local, Judd “Rocket Ronny” Plaisted is on the comeback trail after an interrupted start to his season and is keen to add to his win tally after his breakthrough first race victory at the previous round at Ipswich, last month. Plaisted currently sits in sixth place after he missed the opening round. At Ipswich, he proved he is back to his best and aims to shine at his home track, although he has ridden at Monarto a lot less than other tracks used in the series.

Making his debut in the series will be another Croweater with 14-year-old, Archie Schmidt, from Mount Barker. He is also a very talented racer, as he sits second in the Oceania Junior Cup and has been on the top step in the class this year.

A wildcard at the event will be 15-year-old Chinese rider, Xuhou “William” Zhang who is broadening his horizons, competing in the FIM Mini GP 190cc class. The youngster faces a steep learning curve as he will be up against the likes of teenage tornados, Cameron Dunker, Harrison Watts, Bodie Paige, Levi Russo, Hudson Thompson, Josh Newman and Marcus Hamod.

Dunker leads last year’s OJC and FIM MiniGP 160cc class champ, Harrison Watts by 21 points with Newman, Paige, Thompson, and Russo fighting for third place with seven points covering the quartet, 33 points adrift from Watts.

After what has been witnessed in the series this year, there is no reason to doubt that the racing across the two races in each class will be anything but dynamite.

The quality of the contests over the previous three rounds in Melbourne, Newcastle, and Ipswich, has demonstrated that the level of competition and intensity has lifted a few notches.

Every one of the riders in the two FIM MiniGP fields have massive dreams as they navigate the learning curve. For most, this isn’t their only field of endeavour as a good percentage of the field take part in the support classes of the Australian Superbike Championships.

Most notably Cameron Dunker, who at just 15-years-old has set the Australian Supersport Championship record books ablaze as the youngest winning of a race in the prestigious series and continues to stun onlookers with his innate talent. At present he has three victories and sits second in the Australian Supersport Championship, behind Olly Simpson – an ex Red Bull Rookies who is taking part in the Supermoto class this weekend with his two brothers.

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18 countries take part in the global competition with the leading riders in each domestic series invited to attend the end of season shoot-out at the final round of this year’s MotoGP World Championship at Valencia, Spain in November.

At year’s end, the top two in the 160cc class and the top three from the 190cc class will head to Spain to face off with the other top place getters in each respective series.

The winners of that world-wide selection are guaranteed a ride in the Junior World Championships as part of the “Road To MotoGP”.

This year features five rounds spread over Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia, the final round is to be held next month in September, at Oakleigh in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.

Besides the main games, there are support races for the bLU cRU SA Junior Cup, a separate class for older riderr in the Ohvale GP 2 class, as well as the madness of the Veterans as the big kids carve each other up along with the Supermoto classes.

AMA Supermoto Champion, Josh McLean, who competes at every round in the Supermoto class will be joined by the three Simpson brothers; Olly, Mitch, and Jordy. That alone ensures plenty of bragging rights to battle over…

There will be qualifying for all classes and a race for the support classes on Saturday ahead of a full card of entertainment on Sunday, with the four FIM Mini GP races, as well as a further three races for each of the support classes.

Spectator entry is free and anyone who turns up will be thoroughly entertained.

FIM MINIGP 190 cc Standings

FIM MINIGP 160 cc Standings

Support Standings – OHVALE GP-2

Support Standings – VETERANS