Colleen Millsaps Reports on Australian Junior Motocross Championship
October 6, 2009, 6:45pm
Millsaps Training Facility: Cairo, Georgia: Joey Savatgy won two national titles and Kyle Peters won another in the recently completed Australian Honda Junior Motocross Championships September 26 - October 3 at the Newry Motocross Complex in Victoria, Australia.
Savatgy won both his events, the “100-150cc 2 stroke 13-U.15 years” and the “200-250cc 4 stroke 13-U.15 years” while Peters won a title in the “200-250cc 4 stroke 15 years”. Kyle missed out on another possible title in the 2 stroke class when his borrowed bike blew up in the middle of a moto.
Colleen Millsaps, who accompanied the riders to Australia, provides this account of their trip down under.
“I was so proud of how Kyle and Joey handled themselves both on the track and off. They were professional and appreciative to all the folks who put this together for them. They were exciting to watch on the track and found a level of competition that forced them to bring their top game to the gate each time they lined up. They had many hurdles to jump as well, with bike set up, new and different types of track, an unfamiliar environment, time changes and inclement weather. I could not have asked for anything more from the two boys than they gave. They not only made me proud as their coach, but would have made us all proud as Americans on foreign soil competing against Australia’s best youth riders.
The young Australian riders have strong hearts and a burning desire to win. I think very soon they will be a force to be reckoned with internationally as we are already seeing with some of the top guys coming out of that region. They seem a bit younger as a sport than the U.S., but are fast coming. I even feel there are things we could learn from the way they run things as they tend to make the riders more accountable for their choices and actions at a younger age.
I think Joey and Kyle see now that they are not only in competition with the riders they see race after race, ones they know personally by name and number, but also with riders they have never seen or heard of, from faraway places, with the same dreams of riding as a pro here in the U.S. under the factory rigs. It really is going to come down to one thing in the end. Who wants it more, and who is willing to work harder to get it.
Great job Joey and Kyle, you made us all very proud.
Savatgy won both his events, the “100-150cc 2 stroke 13-U.15 years” and the “200-250cc 4 stroke 13-U.15 years” while Peters won a title in the “200-250cc 4 stroke 15 years”. Kyle missed out on another possible title in the 2 stroke class when his borrowed bike blew up in the middle of a moto.
Colleen Millsaps, who accompanied the riders to Australia, provides this account of their trip down under.
“I was so proud of how Kyle and Joey handled themselves both on the track and off. They were professional and appreciative to all the folks who put this together for them. They were exciting to watch on the track and found a level of competition that forced them to bring their top game to the gate each time they lined up. They had many hurdles to jump as well, with bike set up, new and different types of track, an unfamiliar environment, time changes and inclement weather. I could not have asked for anything more from the two boys than they gave. They not only made me proud as their coach, but would have made us all proud as Americans on foreign soil competing against Australia’s best youth riders.
The young Australian riders have strong hearts and a burning desire to win. I think very soon they will be a force to be reckoned with internationally as we are already seeing with some of the top guys coming out of that region. They seem a bit younger as a sport than the U.S., but are fast coming. I even feel there are things we could learn from the way they run things as they tend to make the riders more accountable for their choices and actions at a younger age.
I think Joey and Kyle see now that they are not only in competition with the riders they see race after race, ones they know personally by name and number, but also with riders they have never seen or heard of, from faraway places, with the same dreams of riding as a pro here in the U.S. under the factory rigs. It really is going to come down to one thing in the end. Who wants it more, and who is willing to work harder to get it.
Great job Joey and Kyle, you made us all very proud.
