Checking in with Josh McLean
From Enemies to friends… we check in with Josh McLean
With Australia signed up to race in the 2023 FIM Supermoto of Nations, I figured it's a good time to check in with Josh Mclean and provide some background on this fast Aussie. Josh came over to the United States and competed in the 2016 AMA Supermoto championship for Glenn Fuller's Lean Six Sigma raceteam. He made a return to America in 2022, winning the Pro Lites title and finishing 2nd overall in the Open Pro class. I rummaged through some of my wife's banger photos from last year for your viewing pleasure along the way. So here is my interview with Josh McLean.
Pro lites class saw a lot of battles between Buffum and Mclean in 2022
Butters: hey man lets start with some background on how you got into motorcycles.
What was your first bike and how did you get into riding?
When and what was your first race?
McLean: First bike: this was a PW 80, not sure how i ended up with this banger of a bike but i did, my self and best friend Thomas Alexander would later just raw around for hours and hours on our bikes and i managed to pretty much kill it in a short period of time
First Race: this wasn't much longer after getting the PW, dad managed to get me a brand new KX60, along with Thomas he also got a kx as well and we both ended up racing some local club level events and the rest is history
Josh and I battle at the final Anthony Hart Memorial Stateline Supermoto Challenge.
Butters: That’s rad the old pw80 so you been banging shifts since day 1. What lead you find Supermoto? And was your only background moto?
McLean: Yes motox has been my sport since the start and I was lucky enough to race all around Australia at a very competitive level for many years 2002 was my first Australian championship I competed in on a 65cc and managed to finish 6th that year.
My last junior national was 2005 in Queensland where I raced 85 125 and 250 for the whole week , I think I only managed a solid result on the 85 that year , after that I had a huge accident and broke my lower leg, which sidelined me for a few years and that’s how I feel into supermoto, around 2011 I started to adventure into the sport on a Yamaha 250 that burnt that much oil 😂 I had to top it up after every ride
But it just grew into what I’m Doing today
Butters: Wait you rode 85’s and big bikes at the junior national? Wild
McLean: yeah dude all 3 bikes for i think 2 years of racing 13yo- 16yo year range for each class, just back to back to back, had 6 bikes total each year 2 race and 2 pracy haha was wild
I did pass him, remember that in Italy this October Josh ;)
Butters: Well, you definitely got a never say die attitude so makes sense you made 85 and big bikes work. The first I remember you was 2016 when you came over to the states and raced for Glenn Fuller’s lean six sigma team, how did that ride come about?
McLean: Yeah, dude, 2016 was a trip! It all started after the 2015 season here in Aus. I had a good result at the nationals, and at that time, I was following supermoto S1GP and the AMA supermoto socials. I saw Josh Jackson winning, either in the SoCal series or the AMA rounds, and I just inboxed him, assuming he would have a spare bike, etc. We talked for a few months back and forth. Initially, he assumed I was from America and was tripping out because I would only reply at like 2 am their time. Long story short, I ended up at Glenn's house early in 2016, ready to go at it with the RSR crew at Bakersfield. Haha, the whole 2016 season was a good year. Matt ran that series really well, and that round in Canada we did with World Rally X was insane!
2016 AMA Supermoto Round 1
3rd:my dumb ass 2nd: Josh in his first race in the US 1st: The Goat of ama sm Gage Mcallister
Butters: I wish I had stayed healthy in 2016. We really didn't get to race each other other than round 1. Yeah, Canada was insane that first year.
It's funny looking back at that 2016 year; it's like the pits were split between Nicky Reimer Supporters or Josh Jackson supporters. I was definitely on team Nicky, but I had machined triple clamps for both of them, so I was semi-neutral. Mid-season, you started running both classes to help buffer Josh in the Lites title fight, and that had us Nicky supporters' panties in a bunch.
McLean: Hahaha, dude, vibes were low between us all, but I loved it. The sport needs that crap, I think it gets people excited.
Hell, Matt (Matt Stewart previous ama sm promoter) was even going to pay me and Nicky to scrap on the infield at the Colorado round 😂.
Butters: Yeah, it felt like Lean Six Sigma played the villain role in 2016, but everyone in the pits loved Glenn. It was just the Josh's... But to you guys, it was probably switched, and we were the villains. Each of us looking at each other as the haters.
Looking back on those times, it's funny and enjoyable to reminisce about. It's easy to forget we are all hot-headed and say/do dumb stuff because we are competitive, or else we probably wouldn't be racers.
McLean: Dude i still replay that video in my head from sturgis when I tried to go under Hoffman and then dropped it on the tunnel jump, and your just there on the side line watch just going off while I’m struggling to get up 😂🤌🏻
I scold McLean for thinking he could even think about keeping my teammate Dustin Hoffman behind him
Butters: So, fill me in on the next five years. I know you took on the ultimate role of being a dad, and Covid shut the world down. But ultimately, you made your way back here last year to race both pro classes again for the AMA Supermoto championship.
McLean: But man, after 2016, I was all pumped about coming back for 2017. But yeah, life just happened. My partner fell pregnant, and I decided to do the right thing, be around the whole time, and help her. I even quit my well-paying job at the time to be closer to her during the days, etc.
Then, before I knew it, 2021 had rolled around, and I had two kids 😆. I now have three boys.
I don't think I rode a motard or a bike for like three years, but it felt like only a few months. It was crazy.
But man, my old sponsor here in Aus called me at the start of 2021 and said, "Just got you a new 2021 FS450. Let's go racing again!" 🤯
I happened to see that the Tony Hart Memorial was going to be run in 2022 for the last time, and that event was on my bucket list to do. So I made contact with Glenn, and we talked about making it happen. Like typical Glenn (alrighttttt, let's doooooo this).
And from there, we just decided to do the whole season. I'm glad I made the decision because it paid off in the end, winning the 250 Pro championship, sandbagging the National Asphalt championship, and getting second in the 450 championship.
I had so much going on, trying to race three classes, work back home, lack of money, and on top of all that, my partner Tash ended up staying home with the two boys and a newborn all by herself while I was over racing in America. Man, she's crazy, and I don't know how she made that happen.
But it's all just falling into place. It's crazy how it all works out, and now we have the first Team Australia going to SMoN, and I think America has a team for the second time ever??
I love the dirt coming off the tires in this shot
Butters: YES Supermoto of nations! That’s what got me wanted to reach out and do this interview. The USA is fielding a team for the second time ever and Australia for the first time ever. Are you guys shipping your bikes or riding bike from a team over in Italy? Who are your teammates on the Aussie team?
McLean: Yes, SMoN is super exciting as we will be the first team to make an appearance for Australia. We managed to put together a pretty reasonable team, one that's super consistent. We hope to be around 6th or 7th overall, and that's our goal for our first time.
The team is made up of myself, Dominic Fletcher, and Loic Barbot. We decided that looking for help in Europe would be the best option for us to have the best chance of success. So, myself and Dom will be under the SGR Honda outfit, and Loic will be doing his own ride with support from Husqvarna Australia, which will see him on a 2024 FS.
He will then ship it back home to Australia. Sadly, backing from the Australian motorsport community hasn't been great. I am lucky to have some really good personal sponsors to help me out. We decided to make the journey over to SMoN to help grow the sport here in Australia, to show people that there is a reason to compete in Australia racing for an incentive of going overseas.
Butters: That’s awesome dude thanks for taking the time to do this. How can people contact you if they wanna support and follow the journey?
2022 Lightning on the Wolf Smec/AMA combined race
McLean: I appreciate it one wheeler!!
yeah if anyone would want to help support me by all means they can feel free to contact via email or whatsapp as i try push for a full time ride in 2024 i will require as much support as i can
whatsapp: +61437750461
scrool to the bottom on the page for more links
Butters: Sick. Oh I got a couple fun questions I wanna put in too
Who was your favorite rider growing up?
McLean: My favorite rider growing up... Honestly, that's a tough one. To be honest, as a kid, my favorite rider was one of my competitors. He had it all going on – a factory Honda-backed rider at the time as a junior racer, and before that, he was on the Yamaha team. He had national championships, and most times, he just couldn't be beaten. Haha, that guy was Kade Mosig.
The other guy who was also a competitor and inspired me to go to America in 2016 was Josh Cachia. He was racing supercross at the time for JDR KTM when Mookie was on the team, etc. He put a post on social media saying, "If you think you're bad enough, then go where the baddest riders are," referring to America.
Those two dudes just spoke their minds 24/7, and they still do now. Both of them no longer race, just being family men and making ends meet for their families.
Surgis 2022 in front of Reimer and Pearce
Butters: Favorite Supermoto rider?
McLean: Favorite Supermoto rider , i think its lukas Hollbacher , pretty much how he handles him self on and off the track and is sooooo patient when racing he got that style, he got the media down pack
Josh Leads Höllbacher while CP123 and Dean Frey admire
Butters: Best Race?
McLean: Best Race, hands down Canada round of the AMA in 2016
Butters: Who do you want to thank?
McLean: and to my sponsors who have been behind me since the start of all this, i have a small group of mates who help me also on the side and i cant thank them enough, as far as shit talking to me at the shop when im fixing the bikes, helping on race days and training days and just being around to help set up and pack etc help drive to the meets, my partner tash is pretty much a single parent at this point with the amount of time im away training and racing all this just keeps me motivated to keep going, along with all the supermoto racers in aus who keep showing up to the races we have, thank you guys for helping the sport continue
Mark Cooper at MCR Supermoto
Toby at Race Ready Suspension
Geno at EC Physics
Benny at Horsham Concrete Pumping
Gaz at Axle Armour Australia ( Crash Protection sliders )
Graeme at GK Auto Hire
JUST1 USA
Kel Sleep
KC Detailing
SV Plumbing
CM Constructions
Wimmera Glass Works
Natimuck Excavations
Vic Market Tattoo
Deckect Transport
Danbar Plastics
thanks for reading thru please consider helping Josh if you can. I can vouch that he is a great dude that I’ve witnessed go above and beyond to help other racers on race day while pulling double duty himself. good luck in your all your future endeavors Josh!
-Butters
find Josh on these links
Instagram: @joshuamclean60
Facebook: Josh McLean
Facebook for Aussie SMoN team: Supermoto team Australia
Whatsapp: +61437750461