Joel Milesevic is eyeing a competitive start to his FIM European Motocross Championship campaign in Portugal this weekend. Image: Lindsay Knowles.

Current Victorian Senior A Lites and Under 19s Champion Joel Milesevic is preparing for the next major step in his career as he looks to first round of the FIM European Motocross Championships which open this weekend.

Agueda in Portugal will host the opening event of the eight-round championship which visits no fewer than seven different countries including Portugal, France, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, the Czech Republic and Great Britain.

The 17-year-old will line up with Diga Racing, a team he already has experience with when he last rode in Italy. Milesevic was injured during that particular campaign but has maintained contact with the team manager who offered him a ride for the 2013 season.

“I rode for Diga Racing in Faenza, Italy whilst I was over there and performed pretty well for them but ended up getting injured,” said Milesevic.

“It’ll be pretty exciting and it’s always good to try something different. They’re all awesome tracks in Europe – they have crazy jumps and I hear the track in Portugal should be pretty mint!”

With extensive international experience at the Junior World Championships in Bulgaria and Italy under his belt, Milesevic knows the competition he faces and is targeting consistent finishes as a goal.

“My goal is to always give one-hundred percent every time I’m out there on the track but I also need to be consistent this year,” he explained. “I would like to finish in the top five but we will see how the first round goes. ‘

“I’m feeling great on the bike, I’ve got a great mechanic, and I think we are going to have a great season ahead of us.”

The championship begins this weekend and concludes on 8 September in the internationally-renowned motocross region of Lierop, south of the Netherlands.