Image: Jeremy Hammer (Foremost Media).

Western Australian Caleb Grothues has been named as one of five youthful athletes to be awarded with a unique Sport Australia scholarship and mentoring program for the 2017 season.

Grothues, who is the first motocross rider to receive the scholarship, was presented with an international return flight from Etihad Airways and $5000 to assist with sporting expenses at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Champions of our Nation induction and Awards Gala dinner in Melbourne last week.

The 2012 65cc world champion suffered a life changing injury in 2015 when an accident in Europe resulted in two fingers being amputated on his right hand, however he returned to racing on the world stage a year later. The 16-year-old stated that he was surprised to receive the scholarship.

“I kind of thought when I received the phone call telling me that I had gotten the scholarship that it was a joke to be honest,” Grothues explained. “I was like ‘you’re dreaming – it would never happen’. I think they had looked in to what I had done, how I have come back from my injury and everything that has happened, and it just went from there.”

In addition to funding, the scholarship and program will see Grothues receive guidance from mentor Stan Longinidis – an eight-time kickboxing world champion – something that the KTM-supported rider is excited to commence.

“This is awesome to be mentored by someone like Stan. Stan is a good guy, and he has done a lot in his career. A boxing situation is similar to a motocross situation – when you get out on track it’s only up to you, and when he gets out in the ring it’s only up to him. He knows what it takes to be a champion.”

“It will help me to set up my mind frame and control it a bit better than what I can, it’s really just like a therapist. It’s good to be mentored by someone outside of the discipline because you get a different opinion on things, which makes it easier on me because you get to an outside perspective,” he added.

Grothues has just completed his final year in the junior ranks, placing second in the 125cc 15 years category at the recent KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship in South Australia.