Defending Hattah Desert Race champion Josh Green had an eventful race this year as he battled Toby Price, time penalties and a massive crash on his way to second overall. We spoke to the 24-year-old Active8 Yamalube Yamaha racer to get his thoughts on this year’s race and a range of other topics.

Image: Fourohfour.

The 2014 Hattah Desert Race…

It started good; I qualified second behind Toby Price. Toby and I battled hard for the first couple of laps, but we had to fuel up every lap. Going into the third lap Toby gapped me as he didn’t pit, but he ran out of fuel. At the same time I copped a minute penalty for going too quick through a yellow flag and as soon as I crossed the finish line they pulled me over and switched my bike off for a minute. While all that happened, Toby pushed his bike over the line and fueled up and we took off together and battled hard. On the fourth lap I was close behind him and saw him pre-load and jump, so I instantly thought I’d do the same, but didn’t jump high or far enough to clear the tree that was across the track. I had a huge crash, corked my thigh pretty good and bent my ‘bars and levers, and by the time I picked myself up I’d lost a minute or so. I rode my own race and finished 1m40 off Toby in second place and was the first 450 home, so yeah, it was an interesting race and I’m feeling it now!

Running the number one plate this year…

I definitely felt more pressure having the number one plate this year, but from myself, not the team. I wanted to do well and I knew I could win, but I felt the pressure, especially during scrutineering, and with Toby back racing and straight off his Finke Desert Race win. Once I got on the bike I forgot all about it and just went racing.

Desert racing vs off-road racing…

Off-road racing has got me to where I am today – I still believe it’s a big thing and I really enjoy it. On the other hand, the numbers of riders and spectators involved in desert racing is huge. From social media, I get a lot more exposure and followers from racing at Finke and Hattah compared to off-road.

Toby Price and Daniel Milner…

They’ve both stepped up to another level this year. Obviously Toby was injured last year and a lot of people questioned how he’d come back, but I knew he’d return stronger. And Dan, he had a solid year last year and doesn’t want to let Toby beat him. He’s stepped onto the 450 this year and he’s adapted well do it. Both those boys are on missions and are definitely giving me something to chase every weekend. At the same time I’ve battled a few injuries this year: I broke my arm eight weeks before the first round of the AORC, then I was crook at Finke, then crashed hard on the weekend. I’m feeling a bit run down, but I know I’ve improved a lot over the past 12 months. Even from last year’s Hattah to this year, I was a few minutes a lap quicker, which I was pretty pleased with.

Image: Fourohfour.

Latest tune…

I’ve getting into that Waves song by Mr. Probz and Am I Wrong by Nico Vinz. AJ Roberts put them on in the truck on our way to Finke and we’ve been cranking them ever since while driving, working on the bikes and hanging out.

Other footy codes…

I don’t have a clue about footy. I know NSW won the State of Origin and I only followed that so I could bag out all my Queensland mates. I’m all about racing and don’t really have time for anything else.

Growing up and living in Port Stephens…

A lot of people surfed and played footy, but we had our own little group that went riding. Port Stephens is a beautiful place with nice beaches, epic sand dunes and scenery, and is really central. The downfall is how long it takes to do anything. It’s about 40-50km to the three local moto tracks, and it’s about an hour’s drive to the closest mountain bike trails. I’ve made it work though – I go for a mountain bike in the morning, hit a café for lunch, then moto in the arvo and make a day of it. I’m currently renovating my house to sell, with the intention of then buying a couple hundred acres inland where I can build my own tracks and whatnot. I can’t wait to have all my riding on my doorstep.