CAMPFIRE YARN: AORC CHAMP, RILEY McGILLIVRAY

If you’ve followed the Junior ranks of the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) in recent years, then you will have heard of Riley McGillivray – a lanky, laconic Victorian kid who’s done a heap of winning. McGillivray instantly parlayed that Junior success into winning the AORC’s EJ (under 19 class) last year. But it’s been his performance this season – his first in the Senior AORC’s ranks – that’s really turned heads and shone light on his true potential. Despite it traditionally taking young talent a few years to hit their straps in the AORC’s Pro classes, the 19-year-old McGillivray came out swinging this year and never looked back, going on to claim the title win in the 2023 Pro E3 class aboard his beloved KTM 500EXC-F.

To get more of an insight into this down-to-earth young AORC racer, his breakout E3 title win and his future aspirations, we sat down with him in the lead-up to the recent Transmoto 8-Hour at Wangaratta – an event staged just down the road from his hometown of Porepunkah in the foothills of the Victorian High Country, where he hooked up with friends and family to spin a few fun laps and campfire yarns…