Oceania Junior Cup riders shine in the MotoGP spotlight
It was a spectacular return to the MotoGP paddock for the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup fraternity during the 2024 Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island from October 18-20.
The 18 riders not only competed in three seven-lap races on Saturday and Sunday – Hunter Corney the overall winner to all but guarantee championship success in 2024 – but they also got to spend time and pick the brains of five-time Aussie 500GP champion Mick Doohan and current MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins and Johann Zarco.
The OJC riders also visited Ikon Park, the home of the Carlton Football Club in Melbourne, to get a guided tour of a high-performance sporting facility.
Related:
Register your interest to join the OJC grid in 2025
The OJC riders were lucky enough to have a tour of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP pit area!
After such a whirlwind few days, it was back to business on Friday with a combined practice and qualifying session in the afternoon, with Nikolas Lazos securing his first SpeedAngle OJC pole position ahead of Rossi McAdam and Ethan Johnson.
Corney qualified in seventh, but the 13-year-old – as so often the case this season – played the last-gasp role to perfection, winning a close battle in race one from McAdam, Johnson and Lazos.
Race two was a similar pattern, but this time Hunter Charlett, Connor Lewis, Johnson, Phoenix O’Brien and Jai Strugnell flashed across the finish line behind the Queenslander – just 0.226 seconds separating the top six.
In the finale, on Sunday morning, the front-running OJC freight train grew to eight, with Johnson edging out Corney, race two faller Lazos, McAdam, O’Brien, Strugnell, Lewis and Charlett.
Corney set the fastest lap of the weekend (2:09.843) in the race three stunner, but the circuit benchmark still remains with 2023 OJC alumni Haydn Fordyce (2:09.416).
Four wide heading into turn 10 at Phillip Island!
With only one round remaining, at The Bend (SA) during the grand finale of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, from November 8-10, Corney only has to keep his powder dry in race one to clinch the championship.
He’s now on 350pts, ahead of Johnson (279), Charlett (220), Lazos (218) and McAdam (203).
Keen to join the OJC grid in 2025? Expressions of interest are still open to join Australia’s foremost junior road racing academy. For more information and to apply, click here.
The blu cRU Oceania Junior Cup round five podium at the Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (L to R): Ethan Johnson, Hunter Corney and Rossi McAdam
Images: RbMotoLens
