September 4, 2015
Murgon high school student Neil Collard will be having an operation next week to fix a torn knee ligament … not an unusual injury for any sportsman to suffer.
But what is unusual is that Neil, who races enduro motorbikes, suffered the injury two weekends before his season of racing officially began this year. And he still managed to come 6th in Australia in the Under 19 Class!
Rounds 1-2 of the Australian Off-Road Championships were held at Kilkivan, then Neil headed off to more rounds in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and elsewhere in Queensland.
Neil also raced in the Expert (All Power) class at the two-day Queensland titles, gaining experience against much older riders on more powerful bikes.
This is only the second year Neil has been racing Enduro bikes.
During his first season, he worked his way to 2nd spot in Queensland in the junior class.
He does most of his training at Gympie under the watchful eye of his coach Stan Jorgensen.
Neil says his sponsors – Gympie Motorcycles, Struddy Sports, Bryan’s Haulage, The Tackle Box, North Coast Petroleum and, of course, Collards Fuel Supplies – have all helped him get to where he is.
His racing is now over for 2015 but he hopes to come back bigger and better next year.
Neil plans to trade his Yamaha YZ250F for a 450cc and has set his sights on doing well in the Pro Class.
