Nate Hargreaves finishes second in Yamaha YZ65 Cup at Australian supercross GP
With the bright lights of Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium gleaming down, and tens of thousands watching on, a boy from Mackay with nerves of steel rose to the occasion. Discover his story.
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Board games, puzzles, or having a run around with the footy.
All normal activities you might expect an 11-year-old to get up to in their spare time.
How about racing Supercross in front of tens of thousands of people?
As it turns out, Nate Hargreaves is no normal 11-year-old.
Hailing from Mackay, but now residing in Bendigo, Nate was afforded the opportunity to compete in Yamaha’s YZ65 Cup.
For kids aged nine to 12, the Cup precedes the World Supercross Championship’s Australian Grand Prix, and by design replicates the experience of racing for Yamaha’s factory team.
“It’s just a great experience for the kids, it’s good for them to have the opportunity to experience that sort of calibre of event,” said Nate’s mum Leah Hargreaves.
“They got interviewed at the end by the presenter and were streamed live on TV, it was very cool.”
The kids competing also had posters made of them, took part in an autograph signing session, had a 10-minute practice session, and did a track walk.
Only 20 spots were available, with riders considered for the race based on their resume.
Nate excelled under the bright lights of Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium to finish second.
“I think there were 40,000 people there (watching), he did awesome,” reflected Leah on his performance.
“He said to me, ‘mum, I didn’t realise there were so many people there’ until he took his helmet off after the race.
“He was just so focussed - and probably shitting himself too - but he just blocked out the crowd and did his thing.”
The second-place finish was one of several significant milestones dotted along the bright career trajectory of Nate - who has been riding motorbikes since he was three.
The realm of supercross, with its indoor setting, tighter track, and more frequent jumps, was however an unfamiliar one to Nate, who specialises in Motocross.
He previously finished second in the Queensland state titles, and more recently came second in both the 65cc and 85cc categories at the Victorian State titles.
The family hopes they can travel to Western Australia next year to compete in the national titles.
“He’s always sort of the bridesmaid, he’s always second,” lamented Leah jokingly.
“But his bike’s stock, it’s hard when you’re competing against kids that have had all this work done to their bikes.”
She also noted how Nate isn’t afforded the luxury of having a motocross track in his own backyard as many kids are.
“He just hoons around the paddock,” she said.
“You’re competing against kids that have got all these extra tools in their kit, but it just comes down to the ability of the rider and the confidence.
“It’s such a head game, you’ve got to have a good mindset.
“In this sport if your head’s not in the right spot you’re in all sorts of trouble.”
Leah also credited the support Nate had received from In-Motion and Bullet Bikes in Mackay as pivotal to his successes to date.
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