Max Whale showed the world exactly why he’d been frequently cited by fellow competitors as one of the most talented riders on the scene with back-to-back runner-up championship campaigns in Parts Unlimited AFT Singles competition in 2020 and 2021. Whale made a rapid rise through the flat track ranks in his native Australia with a laundry list of amateur championships to his name. Wasting little time, in 2017 he set off to prove himself in the United States. He immediately made a splash Stateside as well, finishing as the runner-up in three AMA Amateur Grand National Championship divisions before turning pro in 2018. Whale continued to impress, scoring a pair of top-five finishes in Parts Unlimited AFT Singles competition and earning Rookie of the Year honors. However, despite that early success, he admitted the transition had proven more difficult than he anticipated. Whale had to adjust to the differences separating American and Australian flat track racing, such as the lack of front brakes, 19-inch tires, and clay-based circuits. Whale showed steady, incremental progress as he further adapted in 2019, improving five spots in the championship order (9th from 14th the year before), while earning his first Parts Unlimited AFT Singles podium at the Laconia ST. Whale made good on all the learning he had done in ‘20, streaking out to his maiden class victory in the season opener at Volusia. He backed that up with four additional podiums, including a runner-up finish in the season finale to secure a second-place ranking in the final class championship standings. He was even stronger in 2021, scoring a category best five victories en route to a second consecutive Parts Unlimited AFT Singles championship runner-up. Injuries prevented Whale from making a serious run at the 2022 championship, but he still managed to claim a victory among eight podiums en route to another top-five championship finish. He followed that up with a one-win, three-podium 2023, setting the stage for his Mission SuperTwins graduation in 2024.