AORC & ISDE Winner: Tom Mason

Last year, as a 17-year-old, Victorian off-road racer Tom Mason ran a very respectable third (to Daniel “Chucky” Sanders and Broc Grabham) in the AORC’s Transmoto 19 & Under class. This year, despite being sidelined through injury for two rounds, the Bolton’s KTM rider won the title. We spoke to the quietly spoken youngster about his up-and-down AORC season, and the experience in Slovakia, where he was a member of Australia’s ISDE-winning Junior team.

Transmoto: You ran third on debut in the Transmoto 19 & Under class last year, so with the two guys who beat you moving into the Pro classes this year, you were a shoe-in for the win, right?
Tom: Well, with Daniel Sanders and Broc Grabham moving up, I thought I had a good chance of winning this year. But enduro racing is about being smart and consistent and injury-free over all 12 rounds, so I certainly didn’t want to be overly confident coming into the season. And if you look at what happened with the frontrunners in the 19s class this year, none of us were that consistent.

You’re referring to the fact you missed two rounds through injury, and several of the other guys missed rounds for one reason or another too, right?
Exactly. I missed two rounds in Queensland with collarbone and wrist injuries, but a few of the other top guys also missed rounds too. So it all kind of evened out by the end of the season. Will Ruprecht missed two rounds in South Australia. Lyndon Snodgrass missed a round when he had a mechanical issue. And Peter Daniel Allen also missed a round through injury. I definitely felt like the class championship might have slipped away when I had the time on the sidelines, so I got pretty lucky really.

You kept things the same for 2015 – the same sponsors, the same KTM 300 two-stroke, the same help from your dad, etcetera. Was that intentional?
I was tempted to race a KTM 200 – which I raced in Juniors in previous years – but I’m glad I stuck with what I know in the 300. Aside from that, I think this season’s tracks were generally faster and more flowing, which the 300 suited. Not changing things up – keeping everything comfortable and familiar – was definitely a good decision for me this year.

Having raced the 19 & Under class for two years now, what’s your take on it?
First of all, it’s great that both MA and Transmoto have really got behind the class. For a younger guy looking to gain experience, having a stepping-stone between the Junior and Pro classes is really important. It helps give younger guys like me the ability to progress in the sport and aspire to getting class-wins, rather than immediately being thrown in the deep-end in the Pro classes, and running nowhere. That’s exactly what happened to Broc Grabham three years ago, and he came close to getting out of the sport as a result. Then, when the 19s class was brought in for last year, he was suddenly enthusiastic about racing again, and he’s moved forward in leaps and bounds ever since. Also, because the class is based on age, not bike capacity, it’s good in that it lets you ride any sort of bike. Riders can even swap from round to round if they want. Look at what Chucky Sanders has achieved after winning the 19s title last year. The class was obviously a good launching pad for him!

But does the 19 & Under class give you a false sense of your speed and success?
I know what you’re saying. It’s important not to kind of ‘hide’ in the 19s class and think you’re killing it; you also need to keep an eye on your times relative to the guys in the Pro E1, E2 and E3 classes, and how you’re progressing Outright. We’re scored in both the 19s class and in the Outright results, so it’s easy to do that. This year, I didn’t progress up the Outrights as much as I would have liked, so that’s my focus now; to punch my speed and consistency up a notch and start getting some top-10 Outright results. These days, the top 10 at the AORC – in fact, the top 15 – is really stacked with talent. The times are closer than ever and it’s really hard to crack a top-10 result nowadays.

What’s this talk about white boots being a hoodoo for you?
I dunno (laughs). There were a few rounds there when I got bad results, and I was running white boots every time. I’m not superstitious, but that didn’t stop me from wearing back boots at the final two rounds – just in case!

^ From left to right: Tom Mason, Lyndon Snodgrass and Will Ruprecht…

And you came into the final weekend’s racing on equal points with Lyndon Snodgrass, right?
Yep. I did have a 30-point lead in the standings at one point of the season, so there was plenty of pressure at that final weekend at Monkerai. Winning the class on Saturday (when Lyndon had a few issues and dropped to fourth) definitely helped ease the pressure for the final round on Sunday. I had a few crashes and ran fourth on Sunday, when Lyndon ran third, so I hung on to win the title by 5 points.

Because of your age, you could actually spend two more years in the 19s. Will you?
No, I don’t think so. The objective was to win the 19 & Under class this year and then step up into a Pro class for 2016. I’m not a trophy-hunter sort of guy, so I think it’s time to take that next step and challenge myself. I’m thinking either E1 or E3.

There are a few parallels between you and Sanders – you both got support from Bolton’s KTM and Fox, and you two spearhead the new wave of young-punk Victorian talent.
Yeah, the support we’ve both had from Bolton’s and from KTM Australia has been fantastic. Same goes for the guys from the Monza Imports with all the Fox gear, and Choice Suspension, who do an awesome job with my fork and shock set-up. I’m really fortunate to have good guys like that in my corner. It’s nice to be able to repay those guys’ support with the AORC title win.

And both you and Sanders were selected for Australia’s Junior team for the ISDE. How was the experience in Slovakia?
It was my first Six-Days and my first trip overseas, so I really wasn’t sure what I was in for. It definitely gave me an insight into how gnarly the terrain is that the Euros ride. The opportunity to race on the Australian team was special in itself, but to team up with Chucky, Tye Simmonds and Broc Grabham and actually win the ISDE’s Junior Team Trophy … I mean, that was just incredible. It’s the first time since 1995 that Australia has won the Junior Trophy, and we’ve really got Chucky and Tye to thank for that. They both charged all week, while Broc and I were more focused on finishing and being consistent. The performance put in by all the Australians – the Junior, Senior and Women’s teams – was something pretty special. I don’t think anyone will forget this 2015 ISDE in a while!