@Normal:Macclesfield man Mike Reefman needs sponsors to help him defend his crown. 52539 Pictures: Nigel Clements
By Russell Bennett
MACCLESFIELD man Mike Reefman has taken on the world and won.
Reefman travelled to Nevada to compete in the American Motorcyclists Association’s (AMA) Mini Moto SX on 7 May and came away with the 35-and-over world title.
Reefman made it through a 20-rider heat at Las Vegas’ Orleans Stadium and came out on top in the final.
“It was like winning an Olympic gold medal for our sport,” Reefman said.
“There’s no bigger achievement than winning the world title.”
Reefman is the only Australian since Chad Reed to win an AMA supercross title.
“It’s definitely the biggest event I’ve been to,” he said.
“To race against the best in the world was a great experience.”
The 40-year-old had to shell out $4500 from his own pocket just to compete on his sport’s biggest stage.
He hoped to ease the financial burden should he return in 2011.
“Hopefully I can get some sponsors involved for next year. That’d be great,” he said.
Reefman started riding at the age of three after his father introduced him to motorbike racing. He said the sport was ideal for younger participants.
“It’s a good role model sport for young kids,” he said.
“If they look up to people who don’t drink or smoke, it’s probably a good thing.”
Reefman is a strong advocate for living a clean and healthy lifestyle and said his sport has often been on the wrong end of negative stereotypes.
“It’s actually a very clean sport. I don’t drink or smoke. If you want to be the best, you have to stay extremely fit,” he said.
“It is the complete opposite to what a lot of people think. It’s not a ratbag sport.”
Reefman won his latest event two weeks ago in Newcastle, New South Wales.
He’s currently the third ranked Australian rider and the top ranked in Victoria.
He also took on the world in 1993 at the 125cc World Championships in Manjimup, Western Australia. Only 10 Australian riders qualified for the event.
“Europeans and everyone came over to a race in the last round of the championship,” he said. “I placed 18th out of 40 riders, which I was pretty happy with.”
He now has the Australian titles in his sights which will be held in NSW in December.
Beyond that, he plans to defend his AMA Mini Moto SX crown and try his luck on the Chinese circuit.
