Image: Foremost Media.

Double Australian Superbike champion Troy Herfoss is eyeing a cameo appearance in the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship at Queensland Moto Park (QMP) in August, eager to ‘tick the box’ of lining up at the national level in motocross.

Herfoss, 36, has multiple accolades across a variety of disciplines to his credit – notably also a former American Supermoto champion in 2008 prior to his transition to road racing at home – and is recognised for his versatility on two wheels.

In 2023, Herfoss has accelerated the amount of motocross training in his program, hinting post the ASBK races in Queensland at his desire to compete at a high level of motocross. As a recent guest on the Gypsy Tales Podcast, the Penrite Honda Racing rider later confirmed that he is all but certain to line-up at QMP in the MX1 class riding his CRF450R.

“It was a message the other night [from Deon Coote, Penrite Honda Racing team owner], ‘so are you keen? You talk about this motocross thing, are you going to do to it or what’?” Herfoss explained. “I said, ‘I really want to tick the box before I finish racing’, and then he said, ‘righto, we aren’t going to do it in halves then’. A few days later I get a photo of this Showa ‘A’ kit suspension, and I’m like… I kind of want to just go there in my van, camp, and enjoy the experience. When we start bolting that kind of stuff in…”

The timing of both the Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) and ProMX calendars is favourable for Herfoss, with the seventh round of the ProMX championship taking place amidst the biggest break on the national Superbike calendar.

“Yeah, that’s what I would do [QMP ProMX round],” he added. “It’s August 13, the gods have allowed it to happen, we race our fifth ASBK round in July at Morgan Park and then it is like a huge break. In the past I’ve gone to the [Suzuka 8 Hours] in Japan and have done a bit of riding – there is always a big break.

“We don’t ride again until like October, so if I’m going to do it, I’m 36 years old, I’ve been wanting to do it and I’m in my prime, but I don’t have much time left, really. While I am still full-time and able to ride a lot, I feel like I should go and tick the box. At the moment it is helping the road racing a lot… That’s the way I am selling it to people who care to ask [laughs].

Following his dominant ASBK round victory at Queensland Raceway, Herfoss is competing at the fourth round of the 2023 season this weekend at Hidden Valley and was fourth fastest in the opening practice session, 0.306s from pace-setter Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati).