The Goulburn Valley could have a new motocross queen after Kialla racing prodigy Madi Healey was crucial in securing Team Australia’s recent win at the inaugural FIM Oceania Motocross Cup in New Zealand.
The competition was the first of its kind and had six riders from Australia take on a New Zealand team across three races.
The Aussies blitzed the Kiwis throughout the tournament to win 53 points to New Zealand’s 128.
Healey, 19, was influential for her country as she finished in sixth, third and fourth in the 12-person races.
After consistent performances Healey finished fourth overall, narrowly missing out on a podium finish by one point after an official countback.
But Healey wasn’t too fussed about the result, as she believes the experience of travelling overseas with other talented riders was highly beneficial for her growth.
“Going over there to represent your own country and see how well other girls overseas are competing was really cool,” she said.
“It was really good just to test the waters.
“I rode really good, so I was happy with that.”
The most significant influence growing up in motocross racing for Healey was her family, as her father, Gary Healey, started racing after Madi was born.
Her two brothers, Brock and Levi, soon followed in their father’s footsteps and, naturally, so did Madi.
“I started racing when I was six, so it’s been a long journey now that I am 19,” she said. “
“I’ve never really stopped I guess; every winter season or race season has been full-blown. I guess that’s how it has gone since I started.”
Having raced all across Australia, the competition in New Zealand was the first time Healey had ridden overseas.
The experience of racing professionally in another country is something Healey said she valued highly, as the young rider believed it would help her achieve her goal of competing for world titles in Europe.
“I have joined a new team this year with GasGas Elliot Bros Racing Team in Bendigo,” she said.
“It’s really good to be on a new bike this year and work towards my highest step, which would be to podium here in Australia, look for that number one (rank) and hopefully go overseas to Europe and start racing there for the women’s world title.
“I would like to head over to Europe to race in the MXGPs just to get up towards the head of the field and show my potential to others and keep supporting the women in this sport.”
Healey hopes competitions like the FIM Oceania Motocross Cup keep being created, as she knows it will help boost the sport’s female participation.
And, while her successes are her own, Healey expressed how grateful she was to her family and sponsors for allowing her to compete in the sport she loves.
“It’s very rare for girls to race motocross, but it is awesome to see how far we have come,’’ she said.
“I would like to thank my whole family for supporting me and Fox Australia, Elliot Bros GasGas Team, Tunetech Suspension and VRPT Lifestyle; without them it wouldn’t have been possible to do any of this.”