Regan Duffy is one of the fastest, most talented riders that Australia has produced in recent years, and without a career-altering incident in the later stages of 2021, was well on his way to capitalising on his capabilities. With almost four years since then, the Western Australian has found a new home at the Raceline Husqvarna TDub Racing Team, and appears to be in a better headspace than ever – a shift in perspective once again leading to a career revival.

It seems like yesterday that a 19-year-old Duffy rolled into the 2021 Wonthaggi ProMX opener, powered his KTM Racing Team 450 SX-F to the top step of the MX1 podium on debut, and then went on to put up a valiant fight throughout the entirety of that season, narrowly losing out to eventual champion Luke Clout.

All systems were go for the prodigal racer at that time – winner of the 2019 MX3 championship outdoors – before a catastrophic incident whilst racing at a local Western Australian race in October of that year pulled the brakes on his career, and, on his life.

Producing a remarkable comeback in 2023, to the admiration of many, Duffy once again lined up on the MX1 grid, this time with the now-defunct GasGas Racing Team. The fairytale of returning to former form wasn’t to be, however, as a difficult season outdoors was ended by a broken wrist at the team photoshoot ahead of supercross.

“[2023] wasn’t a sour deal by any means, but it just sucked,” Duffy recounted when prompted by MotoOnline. “I wasn’t happy with it at all, but at the same time, I kind of knew that I wasn’t ready. GasGas were there and did me a favour in a way, with all my years as part of the group, and I can’t thank them enough for that, but yeah, I really wasn’t sure how it would go from the get-go.”

Image: Foremost Media.

Despite those setbacks, Duffy had still planned on returning to the grid for 2024, although another incident – this time occurring on the water – was enough for him to rethink his options, and take a year off from racing altogether.

“I’d planned to go again in 2024, but at the end of the year I hurt myself again on a jet-ski, and thought to myself, ‘Nah, there’s a reason why I keep getting hurt’, so I decided to take the year off and go have some fun,” he added.

Being a prodigy at anything often means being buried deep in the trenches of that world, eating, breathing, and sleeping your respective game, with not a lot of opportunity to broaden your perspective.

For Duffy, after being in the moto ecosphere throughout both junior and senior competition and for much of his life, taking the time to do what he described as ‘normal kid’ things was a breath of fresh air.

“I took the year off and went and had some fun – I was a normal kid for a whole year,” the now 23-year-old said. “I went to Europe with my mates, I got a normal job for a while driving machines out at the mines, which was different, but it gave me a whole new appreciation for riding dirt bikes. By the end of it, I was like, ‘Holy shit, I need to get back on a dirt bike,’ which was weird.”

A perspective shift followed by six months in the gym rectifying old injuries and imbalances, then a return to riding with the help of long-time motocross supporters Berry Sweet Strawberry farm, positioned Duffy well, who saw significant improvements in his riding and strength during that time.

Image: Foremost Media.

“To be honest I wasn’t sure if I wanted to race again, although I did want to at least get my body right,” he said. “In 2023, my right arm was at 100 percent, but my left side was probably at 50… 40 percent, which just led to wild overcompensation. The right [side] then would get super-tired and I’d struggle to hold on, which left me with a pretty scary task at hand.”

All this being said, Duffy has slowly but steadily built back towards his former self and will be on the MX1 start line for this weekend’s ProMX opener in Wonthaggi, albeit with an all-new program for the new year, beginning with the Todd Waters-operated Raceline Husqvarna TDub Racing Team.

“The new deal wasn’t something that I spoke with many people about, but it’s a really good fit for me – I think Todd and I see a lot of ourselves in each other,” Duffy explained. “We’ve always worked well together, and just the entire crew who are behind the scenes, it’s a great program and one that I am stoked to keep building with.

“I’ve moved up to the Gold Coast to be closer to the team, and then I now train with Nathan Crawford’s 00 Rider Elite training program. All the pieces of the puzzle have slowly come together in the last month or so and I couldn’t be more stoked.”

A rider the calibre of Duffy usually enters a championship with a focus on the top position, however, with a fresh outlook, the number 72 recognises his lack of seat time as something that he’ll need to overcome, with a measured consistency and progress-based approach the aim for 2025.

Image: Foremost Media.

“This year is all about getting a full season under my belt – I haven’t done a real, full season since 2019,” he commented. “Our outlook is to get through this year safely. Obviously, we want to ride well, but it has to be within reason. Going out there and riding like a maniac, then having another crash isn’t really on the cards for me, so we’ll be building to hopefully be at the pointy-end by the end of the season.”

Being upfront is well within Duffy’s wheelhouse, potential-wise, but a measured approach in his quest to return to form is a mature aim and one that perhaps arrives through that gained perspective. In addition, he is back enjoying his craft again, having rekindled his love for racing during his time away, which is a win within itself.

“I feel like this time away has given me a new lease on life, in a way, and where I am at now, I’m honestly just keen to race bikes – I’m loving it again.”