On paper, it’s been a dream start to the 2025 Australian Enduro Championship for KTM DM31 Racing Team’s Jonte Reynders, with four-from-four E1 class victories signalling that it has been all systems go for the young talent. A foot injury in the lead-up to round one, however, nearly derailed his campaign before it began, with Profiled taking a look at his season so far.

The life of a professional motorcycle racer is one not many can relate to. In what profession does one arrive for work – an ultra-demanding one at that – with a freshly broken foot that required a decent amount of hardware to repair? Not many, that’s for sure – however, after what he described as a productive off-season, a collision with a branch two weeks before round one nearly jeopardised Reynders’ 2025 season from the outset.

“I had a real good off-season, actually,” commented Reynders when contacted by MotoOnline. “I was able to get a decent bit of time testing, and I was feeling really good. Then, about two weeks out [from round one], I hit a branch on the side of the track and ended up breaking my foot pretty good. Initially, we weren’t going to race round one, but in the back of my mind, I was always wanting to, so we thought we’d give it a go.

“Not many people really knew at the time, but I ended up with two plates and 11 screws inside my foot. I haven’t had much bike time, so to come out with a class win both days at the opening rounds was awesome.”

Image: Foremost Media.

A well-kept secret, to the naked eye, no one would have known otherwise at the opening rounds in Kempsey, New South Wales, with the 27-year-old powering his KTM 250 XC-F to dual victories in the E1 class, as well as two top tens in what is now known as the Pro Enduro Outright category.

“After Kempsey, we had about a month off, so I had another two weeks off the bike in that time, so I’d still not ridden much leading into [Rawson],” continued Reynders. “The foot is starting to feel pretty good now but the biggest thing is just lacking a bit of bike time, I think we have an eight-week break now, so I should be able to get that bike time back up and hopefully, get a bit closer to [Daniel] Milner at the front, and Wil [Ruprecht].”

It was another sublime performance in Rawson for the number 14, who again collected dual victories in the E1 class and, this time, climbed to 4-2 race finishes in the Outright class across the two days of competition. The perfect start, right? It’s hard to see where the injury fits into the picture of such performances, but it’s there, and it’s recovering. Adding to the complexity of his 2025 campaign is a move from the official Sherco Racing Team outfit in domestic competition, to the Daniel Milner-led KTM outfit.

“I spent pretty much the last six seasons with Sherco – that was sort of my first ever factory ride coming from a privateer. We had some pretty good results together, but the time came, and I was kind of looking for a change, and Derek [Grundy] – who I’d worked with the last six seasons at Sherco – was leaving too. So I started putting some feelers out to see what was around, and I had a few conversations with Milner.

Image: Foremost Media.

“Initially, it was all pretty positive that he was looking for another rider on the team, and I was happy to ride a 250. That was very similar to the 300 that I was riding, so yeah, it was sort of a last-minute deal. It was probably late November or early December when we still didn’t have anything, then pretty much within about a week and a half, I had a contract, and I was pretty much over there and got a bike straight away. It was good timing. I was ready to jump on something different, so I’m stoked it all worked out.”

As one of Australia’s most accomplished off-road stars, the chance to align with and learn from Milner is a huge opportunity for Reynders, who describes what the current 10-time national champion brings to his program as ‘massive.’

“I had a pretty good year [in 2023], so with Milner coming back, he was pretty dominant, and we were chasing him all last year,” Reynders said. “So to end up second to him last year and then get approached by him at the end of the season to ride for his team, it’s been really good. He’s taken a big step running the team, like he really cares about Korey [McMahon] and I.

Image: Foremost Media.

“He’s ridden my bike and helped me with some things when I was feeling a bit lost, and he’s told me exactly what I needed to do. Having his support and guidance has been massive, and he’s helping us be our best when we’re out there trying to beat him. It’s a different dynamic, but it’s been awesome so far.”

A different dynamic indeed, however, one that is clearly working for the Tasmanian contender, and as the foot injury continues to recover and heal, expect him to be closing in on the pointy end of the field when the championship resumes in Tintinara, South Australian, from May 31 – June 1.