Sixteen-year-old Pacific Pines High School student Rory McQualter joins an impressive list of Gold Coast motorsport talent who have left Australian shores to take on the world’s best.
McQualter jets out this week to Du Quoin, Illinois to contest the 250cc class in the 2023 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship on June 14 -20. The Flat Track Grand Championship is the premier Amateur event in the USA and sees competitors race four different track configurations over the course of race week. Accompanied by his father Andy, Rory will familiarise himself with the local competition by racing two regional events in Van Wert, Ohio (3 June) and Harpster, Ohio (10 – 11 June) before heading to Illinois.
McQualter has been racing dirtbikes since he was 7 years of age and has been a dominant force in the sport with six Australian Titles and dozens of State titles to his name.
The current Australian 150cc and 250cc Dirt Track Champion honed his craft at the Mike Hatcher Junior Motorcycle Club in Arundel and joins a distinguished group of racers who have come through the club to race at an elite level including world champions Mick Doohan, Troy Bayliss, Jason Crump and Casey Stoner.
McQualter is excited for the opportunity said and is looking forward to his first overseas trip.
“Racing at the Flat Track Grand Championship has been a dream of mine and I am excited to get over there and see these different tracks,” McQualter said.
“Most of all I am grateful to Dad and the family for helping me achieve my dream. Everyone has had to make a sacrifice for us to make this happen.
“It will also be pretty special to be representing my home club Mike Hatcher Junior Motorcycle Club on the world stage,” he added.
Considered a mainstream sport in the USA in the 70’s and 80’s, Flat track has seen a massive resurgence in recent years. The sport is the pathway into road racing and was the launch pad for Moto GP world champions Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez. Following these events, McQualter will return to Australia to debut as a senior rider in the new Australian Flat Track Nationals Series where he will compete for an impressive prize pool across six events in New South Wales and Queensland.