MOTORSPORT
By Joshua Hanrahan*
TRARALGON teenager Ryan Thompson recently lent his passion for motocross to a charitable pursuit and raised about $1250 for children who suffer from cancer.
The 14 year-old took part in the annual ‘Challenge Ride4Kids’ motorbike day at Wonthaggi this month and was the seventh biggest contributor to a $50,000 total generated by participants.
The funds were donated to Challenge, a charity which works to support children and families battling cancer.
The event saw riders from across Australia travel for a day of fun and fundraising, with some big names in the field helping the cause.
After motorbike company KTM asked Ryan to get involved with the charity, he said he was more than happy to do his part.
“Seeing all the kids who have it (cancer), I wanted to help out,” Thompson said.
In addition to raising money for the cause, another incentive for the keen motocross rider was getting to meet and ride alongside some of the professionals he idolises.
“I rode with Callum Norton, Toby Price, Wade Carter and there was a few more,” Thompson said.
“It was good to meet with them, there was about $50,000 raised that day and it was good to help out.”
Thompson hopes he can remain one of the top 10 fundraisers in future years.
“I’ll probably do it for the years to come and hopefully we can keep raising more money,” he said.
*Joshua Hanrahan is a Monash University journalism student.
