Superbike News caught up with Luke Power during the World Superbike break before heading into Round 4, which took place at Misano this past weekend. Another Australian rider who has left his native country to pursue a racing career, Luke currently rides for the Motozoo racing team onboard the MV Agusta F3800rr in World Super Sport.
SBN: As always, we start with asking how you got into motorcycles and racing?
Luke: It’s much like everyone else’s story really, my father always wanted to race, but his parents never had the money to support him. My mother’s father raced, actually still does race, I think he’s near on 80 and he’s still racing. My parents bought me a bike when I was not even six months old, obviously I didn’t start riding then but I had the bike. I must have been about 3 years old when I started, first just in the backyard but eventually my parents took me to a small Junior motocross track without jumps and stuff and I really, really enjoyed it. We kind of went there every weekend and it sort of grew on from there. I think going to road racing was inevitable from there on.
SBN: How did you progress through the championships?
Luke: At the end of my first year racing I competed in the national championship in the 70 cc class where I finished 3rd in the championship. The year after, I moved up to the 85cc two strokes, which is not a big jump but it was all about progressing and learning. From there, I moved onto 300s and then Moto3 bikes. It was here that I was given the chance to try out for the Asia Talent Cup in 2019 from which I was selected to participate in the full championship.
SBN: Wow what an achievement, how did you find the experience?
Luke: It was incredible and a huge learning experience not just for racing but by being in another country. The travel that came with that and all the experiences that being away from home brought. It was a competitive year, as they all are really and I had a few top 10 finishes. Looking back on it, it really did prepare me for where I am now.
SBN: What did you do after the year in the Asia Talent Cup?
Luke: Well, the following year Covid hit and there was no racing. I was now back home. I was in my house, doing schoolwork and at the time it kind of just felt like my racing career was finished. After nearly two years of being locked down I said to my parents I’m sick of being stuck at home doing schoolwork. I didn’t enjoy it and I felt that I didn’t need or want a back up plan, I wanted to go all in, all my eggs in one basket so to speak with racing and I wanted to go to America. My parents are incredibly supportive and helped me pursue this and I ended up getting a deal to ride with a team over there. It was then that I met my Manager Michael Hill, at the Daytona round, my first race weekend and it’s just sort of snowballed from there, in a good way. I have landed in the World Championship with MotoZoo Racing Team with factory support from MV Agusta.
SBN: So it all progressed from nothing to something quite quickly didn’t it?
Luke: Yes it really did, from Asia being quite a big accomplishment at 14 to the lockdown of covid, where I genuinely did believe that my career was over to now in the World Paddock, it’s a short span of time. I remember during covid being in tears with my parents worrying that I was going to be a normal person, which I know sounds trivial, but I knew that’s not what I wanted for myself, I knew that I had more to give in my racing career.