Daniel Milner’s First Magazine Cover

Reigning Australian 4-Day and ISDE champion, Daniel Milner, scores his first magazine cover aboard Yamaha’s all-new WR450F.

I’m knee-deep in snow on New Zealand’s Mount Cook when I feel my phone vibrate. “Four consecutive 4-Day wins, Wigan,” the screen reads. “FOUR! Do you think I’ll ever make the cover of Transmoto? You do know I’ve never been on a magazine cover, right?” It’s Daniel ‘Doogs’ Milner, who’s just bagged yet another Outright A4DE title in Tasmania. After congratulating him on the achievement via SMS, I do my best to deflect his tongue-in-cheek cover ‘demands’: “Hey, see you at the launch for the new WR450F in a few weeks. We can talk about poppin’ your cover cherry there.” Three weeks later, I run into Milner at the Stroud pub, which serves as a convenient base for the new Yamaha’s launch. He’s in good spirits after spending a day on the beach with iKapture Images’ Greg Smith – riding and shooting, not sun bathing. “Got some sweet sand shots with iKap today, Wigan. Real sweet,” he says, bushy eyebrows raised suggestively. It’s all he can do not to utter the word “cover”, but I can see the hope written all over his face.

Milner’s a renowned practical joker, so I can’t let this opportunity to return serve slip. “Look, our last cover pictured Romain Febvre aboard the anniversary yellow Yamaha,” I explain, “so we couldn’t possibly run another yellow Yami on our next cover. You weren’t photographed on the yellow WR-F today on the beach, were you?” I enquire, knowing full well he was. The excitement drains from his face. “Yep, I was on a bloody yellow one,” he says, dejectedly. “So the shots are useless to you, are they? Seriously?!” And with that, he wanders off, no doubt pondering the curse of being Oz’s most successful off-road racer to have never appeared on a mag cover. Well, Doogs, it’s time for me to come clean about that little pub pantomime. Cruel as that was, the good news is that you’re on a cover – Transmoto’s first for 2016. You and that 2016 WR450F both deserve it. But don’t expect four in a row.

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