BENDIGO motocross racer Courtney Whyte-Dennis is getting ready to put her skills to the test on the international stage in Europe.
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Whyte-Dennis, 24, has been offered an opportunity to compete at the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship where she will race in the final two rounds.
Racing for the iFly JK Yamaha team, her first competition will be at Assen in the Netherlands on September 9 and 10, before she races at Villars sous Ecot in France for the second event the following week.
“My best friend (Madison Brown) has been racing over there all year and the team she has been riding for has a spare bike. She asked if I would like to go over and borrow the bike and compete, so that’s how this opportunity has come about and it’s one I’m really excited about,” Whyte-Dennis said this week.
Whyte-Dennis – who will ride a Yamaha YZ250F in Europe – was introduced to motorbikes when she got a Pee Wee 50 for Christmas as a three-year-old.
“I didn’t begin racing until I was 14 at club level and started getting competitive at a national level about five years ago in both women’s and men’s competition,” she said.
She finished second at the Victoria Motocross Titles earlier this year.
Whyte-Dennis’ trip to Europe comes on the back of her having just finished fourth at the Australian Motocross Championships in Coolum, Queensland, contested over four races.
“I got fifth, fourth, fourth and third over the four races. There were a few setbacks with some some bad starts and in the third race I got a flat tyre,” Whyte-Dennis said.
“I still managed to complete all the races to finish fourth overall, but it was nowhere near what I could have potentially got had things gone my way, but that’s racing.”
Four rounds of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship have already been raced in Indonesia, Italy, France and the Czech Republic.
New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan racing for the Altherm JCR Yamaha team currently leads the series.
