General News
30 July, 2026
Teen sensation conquers Hattah
TERANG’S Hunter McRae shocked even himself when the 15-year-old motocross phenom surged to a top 150 finish in Australia’s most gruelling endurance race.
The Year Nine Terang College student battled it out with hundreds of other riders in the 2026 Hattah Desert Race earlier this month, finishing an incredible 147th overall and 14th in his class despite being a relative newcomer.
The Hattah Desert Race is the largest desert race in Australia, which for junior riders comprises six laps of a 22-kilometre track – pushing riders to the limits of endurance through an arduous two hour, 132-kilometre journey across loose desert sands, high-speed bumpy terrain and tight turns.
The path to success has not been an easy one for Hunter, who has only been riding for around three years following a crash which shook him to the core.
“Dad (Ashley Jorgensen) got me into it because he’s always been around dirt bikes,” he said.
“He got me my first bike but I had stopped riding for a while after crashing a smaller bike and losing a bit of confidence.
“I’d stopped riding for a few years but he slowly got me back into it.
“He got me a YZ85 which I started racing, and he asked me if I want to have a go at racing with him – I’ve been addicted ever since.”
Hunter said the experience of riding at the Hattah Desert Race was “pretty sick”.
“Hattah is arguably Australia’s biggest and hardest desert race,” he said.
“There are a bunch of pro riders like Korey McMahon, who won it this year to secure back-to-back victories at the Hattah Desert Race, and he reckons he would rather do Finke – which some people think is Australia’s hardest race – 10 times over than race Hattah again.”
Hunter said the Hattah Desert Race is challenging in part due to quantity of riders traversing the circuit, with every passing rider cutting up the terrain to create an evolving track in which racing lines consistently change.
“The start of the race is nice and smooth but the further you go, racing around 260 other people in your class, the track becomes rutted out with whoops (closely spaced, consecutive bumps) which makes it really challenging.
“I was just thinking be safe and smooth, because smooth equals fast.
“My goal was to do better than last year and make sure I’m riding at the best level I can while staying on the bike.”
Hunter did more than just stay on the bike – the 15-year-old found rare form to secure 147th place.
“I was stoked because last year I was 231st in my first time racing at Hattah,” he said.
“All I wanted to do was get a better result than last year, so I was aiming for around 200th but when I did my prolog (qualifying) I had come in at 181st so I was really shocked.
“Finishing Hattah my rear tyre popped, so I did a whole lap with no tyre which was really rough.
“To still finish in the top 150 was such a good feeling.”
Hunter is known as a privateer rider, having no direct financial backing beyond his family who make significant sacrifices to support his racing ambitions.
He said he could not thank his parents, Ashley and Kristyn Jorgensen, enough for their ongoing support.
“I’m forever grateful for the efforts mum and dad put in for me,” he said.
“Dad works his tail off making sure my bike is ready – it’s had a few issues so he’s always working and saving up to get it all fixed.
“It’s the same with mum, who is always ordering my parts and making sure I’ve got everything for my races.”
Far removed from being the rider who lost his confidence in a crash, Hunter now has his sights set keenly on going pro and inspiring others – proudly representing Terang and the south west as he goes.
“Hopefully this year I can look at the races and start aiming for better results,” he said.
“I definitely want to go pro in the future.
“To make dirt bikes my career is what I want to do because I absolutely love it, but I could also influence others who want to do it too.
“I reckon that would be a pretty good feeling.”
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