Exclusive: Introducing Jordan Gillies

Australian freestyle motocrosser, Jordan Gillies from Victoria, made the transition from BMX to FMX no more than two years ago, and has been giving it a red-hot go ever since. He’s been riding FMX demonstrations around the country, and also won the Amateur Cup at the Australian FMX titles. Jordan recently teamed up with Tom Scott from Wilfy Media to produce the smooth edit below, screening for the first time right here on Transmoto’s website. I caught up with Jordan to talk about Mini Flips, riding through flames and more. 

Video

Interview

Ben: What’s been happening in your world, man?
Jordan: The last six months has been pretty crazy with a heap of shows and demos, along with the Australian FMX titles where I put together a good enough run to place first in the Amateur Cup and got a wildcard spot for the Main Event to ride with some of the biggest names in the sport. That was a crazy weekend (laughs).

You recently popped up on my news feed getting a little wild upside down with fire involved (watch the video on Instagram @gillies_777). Is there a movie stuntman career in the works?
If the opening came up, I would jump at it for sure (laughs). I’m always trying to find new ways to mix it up, but the back of my bike is looking pretty melted after that stunt!

I see that you’re keeping it real with short guards and a blacked-out bike. What’s your outlook on the Australian FMX scene at the moment?
The FMX scene in Australia is pretty tight going off my short time in the sport. Everyone I’ve met has been happy to help out with trick tips, or offer up a place to ride or sleep. It helps keep the sport alive, and the SAFMX competitions are bringing riders together from all over Australia – something everyone looks forward to every year. It’s growing in size every year which is awesome, and is really helping the scene. As for the cut guards and blacked-out bike, I feel as though freestyle is about expressing yourself and not conforming to the norm. The old crusty DVDs were a big influence on the look of my bike, that’s for sure.

Tell me about the Mini Flips you’ve been doing – how did you shake the nerves to try one of those?
Yeah, well I had just picked up a fresh bike from Rightline Motorcycles and went out the bush to run it in, and James Wild put me under a lot of pressure to try one out of a gully (laughs). At the start, I said, “No, there’s no way I’m doing that!” Anyway, he convinced me to take some speed runs at it and it felt poppy, so I just committed and looped one, which didn’t go so well. I bruised my heels, but got back up and landed a few smoothly, which was an awesome feeling I tell you, but also one of the scariest things I’ve done!

Are you working on any other cool tricks?
I’m working on Flip tricks at the minute, which are proving to be harder than expected. Wanting to try Double Flips into the pit soon, and going to take the Mini Flip to a few rad locations in the near future, so stay tuned for that!

You don’t hold back when it comes to progression. What pushes you to learn new things on your dirt bike?
I get a buzz when I learn something new, so for me, every ride is about progression and working on something new. It’s all about chasing that rush. I also seem to progress a lot faster when I’m riding with guys that make me push my limits!

What are your plans for the rest of the year and where do you want to go with the sport?
I’m hoping to be able to ride all the SAFMX rounds, and I have been asked to go ride shows overseas for a few months. And in between all that, I’ll probably be road tripping to Adelaide most weekends to ride with the SA crew. I want to keep progressing and pushing myself every ride and see where it takes me, but most of all, keep my style of riding. I’ve already been amazed at what’s happened in the two years I’ve been riding FMX. I would also love to one day travel Australia riding shows and mentoring kids, and also being a positive role model.

Cheers for the words, Jordan. Keep on kicking goals!
Thanks, Ben. I just want to thank my sponsors – B&B Engineering, JCS Suspension, Freedom Felons Aus, Filth, Holeshot Hog, Mototech and Khaos Design – for helping me out. Thanks to Transmoto and yourself for dropping my new edit and the opportunity to do this interview. Big thanks to Tom Scott for taking the time to film and edit this video for me, and D’Arcy Morris for giving me the use of his compound. And to all the lovely ladies out there, here’s the answer to the question that’s on your mind; yes, I am single (laughs).