KOREY MCMAHON – JACK OF ALL TRADES

Korey McMahon, a rising star from NSW, is currently leading the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) in the E1 class. During the break in the AORC season, he shifts his focus to the demanding Finke and Hattah Desert Races, following his successful performance in the A4DE. Undertaking this endeavour is an immense challenge – in terms of logistics, finances, and physical and mental endurance. But, after a whirlwind few months, we had the opportunity to catch up with Korey as he finally returned home.

You’re coming in hot off a podium at the Hattah Desert Race. Prior to that, you took an equal career-best fourth Overall at Finke. You’ve been a busy boy, mate, hitting these events off the back of the A4DE. Take us through some of the logistics that you work through at this time of year.
Yeah, obviously, this is a very busy time of year for me as I juggle two different disciplines of motorcycle racing: the off-road side of things and the desert races. The break in the AORC championship during this period works out ideally for me to continue racing. It all started in WA for this year’s Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE), where we secured third place Overall and first in the E1 class. That was a great way to kick off my non-AORC championship races this year! From there, I flew directly to Alice Springs to prepare for one of my favourite races, while Mum and Dad drove back to Sydney to drop off my A4DE equipment and pick up my race bike and everything necessary for Finke.
After wrapping up Finke for 2023, we finished fourth Overall and first in the 450cc class. I felt quite frustrated with fourth place as I knew I left a lot out there due to a crash on the first day of the race. Next up was Hattah, which was only three weeks away. So, I drove straight to Mildura to continue training and reacquaint myself with turning, as Finke is an incredibly high-speed race.
Hattah came up extremely quickly, and I achieved an awesome result there. However, it wouldn’t be possible to achieve these results all across the country within such a short period without the dedicated people behind the scenes and in my corner. They keep everything rolling back home and handle all the organisation while I train away from home for two-and-a-half months.

That’s all very hectic, so take us through some of the preparation you do in the lead-up to Finke. I understand your family spend a lot of time up there helping with the pre-running process.
Finke is one of the biggest sacrifices I make throughout the year. I go up there for over a month before the race to pre-run with my Pop. Honestly, I owe much of my success so far at Finke to the amount of time my pop is willing to spend out there, chasing me up and down the track. This year alone, we have covered around 5000 kilometres on the track. It has been super-challenging on me and my body over the years as you are doing a lot of riding most days. Sometimes, pre-running Finke I spend up to five hours on the bike in a day, just trying to learn as much as you can about that 220km of track.
I need to mention the support the Bray family give me for these desert races. They organise and prepare my program for Finke and Hattah and help give me what I need to chase results.

What about Hattah, with the quick turnaround between events that you mentioned earlier.
With just three weeks turnaround between Hattah and Finke, it becomes a rush to get the race bike home pulled apart and checked over by Apro Motorsports and Gary Bray in time for the race. While that happens, I head straight to Mildura to continue training on my practice bike and testing at Choice Suspension’s farm. It’s pretty hectic, but it feels like there’s still enough time to be able to prepare and be ready for Hattah.

I’ve referred to you as the busiest man in moto on several occasions. This year, you’re racing Finke, Hattah, AORC, Transmoto events, the ISDE, A4DE and the odd local event. How do you transfer your skills and focus across so many disciplines?
It’s never easy to swap and change between bikes and events as they all involve different styles of riding. For me, I really enjoy the challenge of riding different bikes and adapting to many different terrains. I find it beneficial in the end to be able to do this and be such a multi-skilled rider.
For me, the mantra that has guided me since a young age is ‘practice makes perfect’. I believe that if you are willing to put in the work and adapt to the racing style before these races, the results will follow in the end.

Your support from GASGAS has stepped up significantly in the last few years, but it’s obvious you’re still a tight-knit family team.
The support from GASGAS has been unreal for the last three years and I’m truly grateful to be a part of such a great organisation. But running our own off-road program with multiple personal sponsors is not easy for me to do alone. I have the help of Mum, Dad and Michael Carusi (Carusi Motorsports) on race weekends with cooking, packing, setting up and everything in between. It makes it a lot easier for me. I can focus on racing and doing my job on the track. It is a very family-oriented team that we run. I also have my brother filming with me. It’s been really cool to have my whole family there to support me chase my dreams.

You’ve been swinging off the big bikes at high speeds, but now it’s time to shift your focus back to the AORC where you currently lead the E1 class on a 250. How do you adjust your way of thinking and skills to make such a drastic change?
The AORC is always the focus, and these other races are a bonus that I get to do with support from great personal sponsors. The change is obviously challenging, but it’s all about time on the bike and riding the similar tracks to what we would be racing in the AORC to be ready for what’s to come for the rest of the year and hopefully continue to battle for Outright podiums.

Take us through your AORC machine. What are some of the neat set-ups and products you use on the beast?
My bike is fairly stock, with a few minor changes and personal touches we develop when testing…