Meet the Athlete: Joel Wightman

NAME: Joel Wightman.
AGE: 20.
TEAM: Penrite CRF Honda Racing.
WEIGHT/HEIGHT: 185cm, 85kgs.
SINGLE/STEADY/HITCHED: Steady.
KIDS: Nil.
MUSIC: Favourite bands are Main Event, Rise Against, Bullet For My Valentine.
MY CREW: My riding crew back home is Tim Bailey, Travis Silk, Branden Jupp, Tom Wylie, Kurt Wightman, Jordan Smith, Ethan Walsh, Danny Dwyer, Jason Pearce, Bryson Cherrett. Whoever is keen at the time, we Moto.

If I didn’t race dirt bikes professionally, I’d probably be…
Working full time, I’d say either at Pro-Moto Suspension or an apprenticeship locally.

Three things people don’t know about me are…

• I work part-time as a Lifeguard.
• I played the drums a lot when I was younger.
• I’ve recently taken up surfing.

The best thing about being a to The Edge High Performance Centre athlete is…
Being able to work so closely with a team that has so much knowledge and genuine passion for Motocross.

My most memorable race was…
In 2012 at the Australian Junior Motocross Championships, in Coolum, Qld. It’s memorable because it’s always the biggest race of the year for a junior and I’d raced every junior national since 2004, (apart from 2009 due to sickness) and never managed any solid results apart from a fourth in 2004 on a 65cc. The previous year in Murray Bridge I finished 22nd on the 125cc and 14th on the 250cc. I trained so hard and gave it 100% all year knowing it was my final shot at the title as a junior.
I finished second overall, only one point off the lead in 250cc class. I went into the final Moto of the day on the 125cc in second, one point behind. I pulled my best start all week, (which was still only a 4th) and I managed to come away with the moto win and the Championship. It’s still the best emotion I’ve ever felt racing.

My fiercest rivalry was/is with (who, and why)…
I’d say as a junior, Aaron Tanti, especially at state level. As a senior, racing at a national level there’s always someone new you end up banging bars with.

If I was a series promoter, the first thing I’d do is…
Make the second MX Nationals MX2 Moto, 30 minutes plus one lap.

A funny story about my mechanic (or team manager)…
Round 2 of the NZ MX Nationals last year dad was my mechanic. He spent 10 minutes oiling up a fresh air filter for my bike in front of some local Kiwis whilst showing them some tricks and talking about oiling an air filter up properly, but he slipped up and dropped it on the ground in all the loose grass. For the 10 minutes following, we picked away all the grass on the filter and I end up using it for the next moto.

I escape from the grind of training and racing by…
Heading to the beach for a surf.

I’m obsessed about…
Racing dirt bikes and achieving goals.

Don’t even start me about…
How excited I am to start the 2017 racing season!

Enjoyed this insight? Check out the recent ‘Meet the Athlete’ profile on Joel’s teammate, Kyle Webster.