On Monday, 17-year-old Milla Dahlenburg was on Outdoor Education camp with her Nelson College for Girls classmates. By Thursday, she was on a plane to Australia, drafted into the New Zealand team for the FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup in Wonthaggi, Victoria.
The late call-up followed confirmation from Motorcycling New Zealand Inc that four-time world champion Courtney Duncan had been ruled out after breaking ribs in a training crash earlier in the week.
Milla was named as the reserve rider and quickly stepped into the team alongside Amie Roberts, Karaitiana Horne and Mikayla Griffiths.
Such was the speed of the selection, Milla barely had time to return home before packing her bags.
“I was on surf camp in Westport on Monday, so I had to get mum to drive down on Tuesday and pick me up to pack that night,” Milla says.
The disruption did not stop there.
“On Wednesday I had to train on a 250cc bike that I had never raced before, because that’s all they could get in Australia at such late notice,” she says.
It was a step up from her usual 125cc machine after organisers scrambled to source equipment.
An early-morning travel schedule followed, with a 5am departure on Thursday, flying Nelson to Auckland before heading to Melbourne. Fog forced the flight to divert to Sydney, resulting in an overnight stay and another early start on Friday.
“We arrived at the track 30 minutes before all the media, photos and sign-in started. Just in time for racing on the Saturday and Sunday,” Milla says.
The competition was held in Wonthaggi, about two hours south of Melbourne, drawing strong crowds and international attention.
“The coolest part was definitely racing on a brand-new bike and also meeting and racing with some of the world’s fastest women. It was crazy to see how many supporters there were and people that wanted to get our autographs,” she says.
Despite her age, Milla is already building an impressive motocross résumé. She began riding in 2021 at the age of 11 and started racing seriously two years later.
“I started riding in 2021 when I was 11 and seriously racing when I was 13,” she says.
With the season now at a close, Milla’s next stop is the surgeon’s table – repairing her knee, and having pins removed from her hand. All in a day’s work for New Zealand’s next motocross superstar!
