Goulburn’s Troy Herfoss is the latest in a long line of Australian motorcycle racers embarking on an international career in 2012, joining the European-based IDMSuperbike Championship for RAC Racing aboard a BMW S 1000 RR.
Herfoss already has a number of professional titles to his name including the 2010 Australian Supersport Championship and 2008 American AMA Supermoto Championship in the premier class at the highest end of the sport.
Since switching to road racing and scoring a dream ride with Team Suzuki to race Australian Supersport in 2009, Herfoss has quickly progressed to become one of Australia’s most promising prospects.
Herfoss finished an impressive fifth as a rookie in Australian Supersport that season, before stepping up and claiming the crown at his second attempt one year later.
That championship campaign was a dominant one for Herfoss, winning seven of the 12 championship races and finishing off the podium just one time during the season. It was Suzuki’s first and only Australian Supersport Championship title.
Herfoss also was awarded with the RK Chains Samurai Trophy in 2010, which has prestigiously been awarded to the most improved, outstanding effort and rising talent in the sport. Previous winners include Mick Doohan, Daryl Beattie, Mat Mladin, Troy Corser, Anthony Gobert, Broc Parkes, Josh Brookes, Kevin Curtain, and more.
The reward for the following year in 2011 was a seat on the team’s factory Superbike, where he would again impress with rapid development, displaying a unique talent in listening and processing information before using it to his ultimate advantage.
Herfoss would go on to finish third in Australia’s premier road racing series as a rookie, while also contesting a number of IDM Superbike series rounds in Germany during the year.
That lead to a full time seat in the IDM for RAC Racing BMW in 2012, marking the 25-year-old’s maiden season of road racing on an international level, and the next step in an impressive rise through the sport.
Career History
Troy Herfoss was born into a motorcycle racing family, getting his first motorcycle at five years of age before starting racing just a few short years later. Competing against the like of Australia’s MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner, Herfoss was a talent in Australian Dirt Track racing and went on to win a pair of national titles.
Road racing was always a goal of Herfoss, although it was the less expensive Supermoto category that gave him his first taste and success on the pavement. Supermoto is a hybrid category of road and dirt where riders compete on dirt bikes mounted with road tyres, where it was soon realised Herfoss was in his element.
Taking out his first Australian championship in 2006 while also competing in the United States, where he’d score third in the series before going on to win the sport’s premier championship in 2008 before switching to road racing back in Australia.
In that time Herfoss also raised his profile by battling for the lead and finishing second in the X Games in Los Angeles, California – the world’s most highly recognised action sports event that is aired live around the world in many different countries.
It was that success that catapulted Herfoss directly into the Team Joe Rocket Suzuki factory road race team in Australian for 2009, allowing him to finally realise his dream of becoming a professional road racer.
From there it has been a seamless transition for Herfoss, finishing fifth in Australian Supersport for 2009, winning it in 2010 and then taking out third as an Australian Superbike rookie in 2011.
Europe beckons for Herfoss in 2012, joining the RAC Racing BMW team aboard an S 1000 RR for the IDM Superbike Championship series.
Fast Facts
Name: Troy Herfoss
Residence: Goulburn, NSW Australia
Date of birth: 4 February 1987
Heroes: Troy Bayliss, Mick Doohan and Doug Henry
Motivation: Winning
Career goal: Superbike World Champion
Pro Career Statistics
2011 – Australian Superbike, 3rd overall
2010 – Australian Supersport Champion (8 wins)
2009 – Australian Supersport, 5th overall
2008 – AMA American Supermoto Champion + X Games silver medal
2007 – AMA American Premier Supermoto, 3rd overall
2006 – Australian Supermoto Champion
2005 – AMA Unlimited Supermoto, 3rd overall
2004 – 250cc and 450cc Australian Dirt Track
