Professional motocross racers across the world are always trying to find the upper edge on their rivals, and it’s no different in Australia. The level over the past decade has ratcheted up to such a high level here that a couple tenths of a second every lap can be the difference between taking victory -and a decent pay-check – and spending your races running midpack. It’s no surprise that racers are pretty motivated to try anything (legally) possible to eke out an extra couple of per cent from their bodies and machines.
“I treat my job with the same desire and passion as when I was a racer. I’m invested in it 100%.”
– Ford Dale
While high-performance training businesses such as the Millsaps Training Facility and the Carmichael GOAT Farm have been established for decades in the US, it’s not really a done thing in Australia. The soaring price of land, and the threat of neighbours frantically grabbing the phone at the mere suggestion of dust means the whole training facility caper hasn’t really taken off.
However, over the past six to eight years, an interesting type of hybrid training system has begun emerging here, largely spearheaded by former pro racer Ross Beaton (the older brother of Jed Beaton) in Victoria and 2012 Australian Motocross Champion Ford Dale on the Sunshine Coast. Former pro racer Nathan Crawford (00 Elite Rider Training) also has another training facility in Queensland, but his is run a little differently to what Beaton and