WMX Results – Rd1. 1st Charli Cannon – 50. 2nd Tayla Thompson – 44. 3rd Danielle McDonald – 40 (Yamaha Racing).’
It was another weekend and another first for Parkes’ teenage dirt bike sensation, Danielle McDonald. With a junior career littered with national championships in off road and motocross, then a gold medal at the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) last year not long after her sixteenth birthday, McDonald is putting together a lengthy list of achievements for her resume. 2024 has started well with success at the opening round of the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), she won the Women’s division on day two. She also racked up another milestone, by landing on the podium at round one of the ProMX in the Women’s class.
McDonald was nervous prior to racing getting underway as she is new to the ProMX scene. Race one saw her make a couple of mistakes as she shook off the nerves, resulting in two small crashes, yet she was able to pick herself up and fight all the way to the finish and cross the finish line in third.
Race two and she was again in the thick of the action and was in a tight battle with seasoned campaigner, Emma Milesevic, who challenged her right until the end. The pair swapped positions several times in the later stages of the race, but McDonald was able to hang on for another third place and was sent straight to the podium for third on the day.
A pattern is forming here with Danielle: Her first ProMX, her first ProMX podium. Her first senior AORC, her first podium. Her first ISDE, her first ISDE podium. Keep an eye out for the talented and determined teenager as she continues to gain experience in both the motocross and off-road paddocks.
McDonald explained “I had a great time at the ProMX round and really enjoyed the racing. It’s much bigger than I thought with so many major teams and the media presence at the race. I still have a lot to learn and there are a lot of fast girls but I’m looking forward to doing this year’s series and thankful Yamaha Australia has given me support to race it”.