Cole McCullough has enjoyed his rookie year contesting the EMX125 series and has decided to head to Finland this weekend to contest in the Junior World Championship event. Not only will the best riders from Europe be in action but top American and Aussie’s will make the trip over this year as well.
We caught up with McCullough to discuss the event coming up this weekend…
On the decision to race the event…
We had always talked about the possibility of competing at the Junior World Championship, then after getting back from the final EMX race of the year in Finland last week, my dad discussed it with my mechanic, we then needed to make sure it was still possible to get entered so my team boss Roger Magee got the ball rolling by contacting the FIM. Thanks to Roy Neill from MRA and also the MCUI secretary who were then able to get the required paperwork sorted and my entry processed.
On racing against the best in Europe, Australia and America…
Yea it is a big event, very similar to the EMX races I have been doing all season so it’s something I am pretty familiar with now which is good. The Americans and Australians are just a few extra riders who are on the already stacked entry list.
On the last EMX125 round in Finland…
The EMX round in Finland a few weeks back was probably where I rode my best all year. I really enjoyed the track and had a great week preparing for it in Sweden with my team and trainer Stephen Sword. The track was almost as rough as Lommel which really suited me, anyone can go fast on a smooth track so the rougher the better.
On his progress this year and ending the season on a high at the JWC..
I was disappointed not to get a good race finish in the EMX125 series, at the start of the year my goal was to qualify, the last few rounds I was able to qualify inside the top 10 which shows the progression we all, as a team, have made this year. It would definitely be nice to have a good weekend at the Junior Worlds in Vantaa, my speed and fitness are both really good right now. My preparation and motivation for the event will be the same as every other weekend. Let’s hope I can get some decent results.
Article: Andy McKinstry
Pic: Nigel McKinstry
