Georgia Hanrahan’s first Don River Dash was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
The plan was simply to turn up on a stock motocross bike, see how she liked it, and make a few upgrades the following year if she decided to come back. When her 250F blew up two weeks before the race, she jumped on her EXC 300 two stroke instead and thought, “She’ll be right.” With motocross set up Steg Pegz, no steering damper and a longest race experience of just 15 minutes, she soon discovered that the Don was a very different challenge. After taking it relatively easy on Saturday, Sunday became a battle of deep ruts, fatigue and a rapidly numbing throttle hand. By the time she crossed the finish line, her verdict was clear: “I will NEVER race the Don River Dash again. It was absolute hell.”
Thankfully, that decision didn’t last. She has since returned to the Don three more times, although these days its with a 500cc machine, complete with a steering damper, sand tyre and desert Stegz – and she has discovered just how much fun the race is when the bike is properly set up.
One of Georgia’s four Queen of the River victories stands out in particular. In 2023, she lined up against a hugely talented women’s field and didn’t even expect to make the podium. Among the competitors was Tamara Gray, a rider she had admired for years after racing her at a Queensland motocross title at Coolum. Hanrahan recalls “Tamara absolutely smashed it at that motocross meeting and I hoped one day I could get close to that.” Georgia ended up with the win that year, which was a pretty special moment.
So what keeps bringing her back? It’s the whole Don River experience. Waking up beside the beach on race morning, watching the trucks and buggies race before jumping on the bike herself, and then heading into the river for one of the toughest and most enjoyable races around. She admits the toughest part might actually be the six months beforehand, when she battles with herself about starting training — usually without much success! Once she’s out there, she talks to herself about the track and even sings as she rides. Her advice to other women thinking about giving the Don a go is simple: “It’s great fun! What have you got to lose?” For her, the Don River Dash is “one of the best races in Australia”. And, with a cheeky final admission that she’s currently looking for sponsors, it sounds like there’s still plenty more racing to come.
