Brierley Climbing for Glory at Broken Hill

18-year-old Josh Brierley is a rider who is on a mission in this year’s Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). After six rounds in this year’s EJ (Under 18’s) Championship, Brierley has stood on the podium in five out of those six rounds.
The Nowra Motorcycle Husqvarna pilot sits down and talks ahead of the seventh round of the AORC, which takes place at Broken Hill in New South Wales.

We sat down with Josh to get his thoughts on the season so far and the remaining rounds in the 2019 season.

You’re currently sitting second in the EJ (Under 18’s) championship fight. Thus far you have scored a podium in every round in 2018 and every round in 2019, bar round five this year. How do you believe you can crack the top step on the podium?

Well, I just have to have the perfect weekend, I guess. So far this year I have been finishing on top in a few tests. However, I have just been able to put it all together for a whole day. So hopefully at Broken Hill I’ll be able to put it all together for an entire day and come out on top for the round itself.

How are you feeling heading into next weekend’s AORC round at Broken Hill after what was an up-and-down weekend at Kyogle?

Yeah, I’m feeling good and ready to go. Round five was definitely a down point in the championship for myself. I was leading on the Saturday. However, I had a crash and ended up stuck in a gully for five minutes. That mistake resulted me in finishing fourth for the round. It was disappointing as it was the first time I was leading with a good margin in hand. 

Hopefully if I’m in that position again at Broken Hill I don’t make the same mistake.

Obviously, some riders are different in terms of how they bounce back the following day after they have bad days. But tell us, how do you regroup and go again after a disappointing round?

Pretty simple, I just went into the day with a fresh mind and didn’t think about the previous day. I already knew I had the speed, so I just tried to stay consistent and get some good tests under my belt throughout the day.

As I was pushing the limits in round five, I knew it was so important to bring home good points for the championship, which I did.

Do you enjoy the track at Broken Hill? If yes, why?

I really enjoy Broken Hill, that’s for sure. It was probably one of my best rounds in 2018. I love the desert type racing, which is why I also enjoy the Hattah Desert Race.

Hopefully I can have a good round out there next weekend. I have heard that there has been a bit of rain out in Broken Hill as late, which should make the conditions even better to go racing on.

With the remaining five rounds in the 2019 season to go, apart from Broken Hill, which rounds do you think will suit your riding style the most and why?

Well I do enjoy the sandy conditions. In saying that, we have been at Hedley in Victoria for a lot of years now, so I’m kind of getting over racing there. Its an alright track, so I don’t mind racing there. It should be a good last round there.

I am however looking forward to heading to Coonalpyn in South Australia in late August. I believe that round will be sandy as well, so I can’t wait to get over there.

Do a bit of crystal balling, if you were to win this years EJ championship, where would it rank amaoungst your J2, J3 and J4 Championship? Would it mean more to you to win an EJ championship?

To win the EJ Championship without a doubt would mean a lot more to win, as it would be my first championship win in the major classes so to speak. It sure has been a good battle thus far between Kyron Bacon and I this year. As there has been a lot more work put into this year, it would mean a lot more if I were to be able to win the championship. We’ll just keep chipping away and hopefully come September at Hedley we can have a shot at winning the EJ Championship.