If you should ever meet Max Rikys at his Kialla residence, you’ll quickly understand why the 22-year-old is one of the Goulburn Valley’s top motorcyclists.
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On arrival, circle round to the back of the house down to the shed, and you’ll find where his prized possessions glare brightly.
While the shed is littered with your average garage clutter, his hi-vis orange motorbikes glitter centre stage, its vibrancy detracting from the uninspiring surroundings.
If Rikys is off for a bit of practice, he’ll take his enduro bike, labelled with a number 33 after his placement in the 2024 Hattah Desert Race, further behind the house to an open paddock, where he and his father have worked on creating their own desert race circuit.
In fact, they’re working on more upgrades right now, to create a trail that aims to rival tracks accessible to the public.
Rikys’ passion began as a child fresh out of toddler years, riding around on a little bike in paddocks at the age of three, but as Rikys aged, his competitive edge grew too, and soon enough he was competing in races.
Although, it wasn’t until the turn of the decade that Rikys fully indulged in the endurance sphere of riding.
Riding in motocross as a junior, as well as taking footy “pretty seriously” throughout high school, Rikys considered endurance motorbike riding more of a pastime until the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I actually got into the off-road scene of racing a little bit later,” he said.
“A lot of the motocross tracks around here are a little bit more accessible to ride. You don't travel as far which is a little bit easier.
“I played a lot of football growing up and up until even 18 I took football pretty seriously, and racing was more just for fun.
“Then when COVID hit I actually made the switch across to racing and I had my licence and that sort of thing, so I ventured out to some of the off-road scene a little bit more.”
With such passion, dedication and generations of love for the sport, it’s evident how Rikys has rapidly asserted himself as one of the Goulburn Valley’s best products.
Time out riding on the two wheels is the key for Rikys, noting that his fitness is his strongest asset.
When it comes to a sport like endurance riding, fitness may fly under the radar to the casual viewer, but its importance is paramount for a successful ride, especially for the Hattah Desert Race.
The Hattah Desert Race runs typically for four hours, an hour longer than most other endurance races Rikys competes in.
“It’s completely different (to other sports), it's definitely its own thing,” Rikys said.
“It's different muscle groups that you're using, especially in the endurance side of it.
“There's a lot of people who are fit for a 30-minute motocross race and that doesn't really transfer over to enduro.”
The Hattah Desert Race is composed of eight laps of the track, which take on average 30 minutes to complete, resulting in the aforementioned four-hour race.
The weekend starts with a thorough scrutineering night, before the prologue the next day, a qualifying lap where Rikys’ starting position is determined.
“I did have one small tip over just in the late parts of that prologue lap, which was a little bit unfortunate.
“I was on for a pretty good lap, I thought, just an unlucky little tip over at the end sort of just set me back just a little bit.
“But I started the race in 38th which is a good starting position, on the first row’s always good.”
In his sixth Hattah event since his first as a 16-year-old in 2019, Rikys knows the ins and outs of the race off by heart, and how to approach the ride when in a starting position further back than anticipated.
“There's a little bit of a game plan, a little bit of strategising that goes in to it,” Rikys said.
Rikys’ tactics were apparent early on, immediately flicking his mentality into second gear to overtake as many racers as possible before the track breaks down.
Once ground had been made on the leaders, Rikys pumped the brakes on his full-steam-ahead approach and maintained a consistent pace, before a home stretch acceleration in the final lap to sprint to the finish.
Rikys finished 22nd outright and seventh in his class.
On the Sunday 438 riders took to the track, placing Rikys in the top five per cent of racers.
The result adds to his strong record, with Rikys currently leading the Victorian Off Road Championship and is ranked fourth in the Australian Enduro Championship, both respectively for the E3 class.
His top 40 finish means the Kialla rider earns automatic entry into next year’s race, with Rikys hoping a further 12 months of progress could have him ascend into a top 15 placement.
“The last couple of years has been where I've sort of really tried to knuckle down, it's my favourite race of the year,” Rikys said.
“It’s lit the fire a little bit with getting a bit closer to the front.
“The guys in the top five and 10, they're on a whole different level again, like they're riding is unreal.
“But I do think it is achievable to get back there and maybe get towards the top 15.”