THE AUSSIE 4-DAY’S YOUNGEST EVER WINNERS

In sport – and countless other human endeavours, for that matter – we routinely shine a spotlight on those who are either the youngest or oldest to notch up a special achievement. In motorsport, it’s the youngest winners that we seem to have a particular obsession with. But why is that? Because it’s a damn strong indicator that the youngster in question is blessed with a prodigious dose of natural talent, is why! And God-given natural talent is something that intrigues us all.

Case in point: Back in early May, ShopYamaha Off-Road Racing’s 19-year-old Kyron Bacon put in a standout performance to win both the E1 class and Outright at his very first 2022 Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE) in Erica, Victoria. And in doing so, Bacon became the second youngest Outright winner in the prestigious event’s 40-year history. Which, of course, begs the question: who was the youngest Outright winner of the A4DE since its 1978 inception?

Seeing as the content we posted about Bacon’s 2022 4-Day achievement generated so much audience engagement and feedback a few weeks back – in particular, about the need to acknowledge the 4-Day’s youngest winner – let’s go to the history books for a few salient facts:

• At 17 years old, Mark “Frankie” Avard was the 4-Day’s youngest ever Outright winner. Ironically, it also happened at Erica, back in 1987. And get this: Avard entered that event under a Learners Driver Licence!
• As mentioned above, 19-year-old Kyron Bacon was the 4-Day’s second-youngest Outright winner at Erica in 2022.
• Brett Smith (1984), Shane Watts (1993) and Ben Grabham (2002) all won the 4-Day’s Outright at the age of 20.
• In 2012, at age 21, Daniel Milner was the 4-Day’s sixth youngest Outright winner.