Max Whale
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 a breakthrough 2020 season.
Whale quickly rose 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 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 AFT Singles podium at the Laconia ST.
Whale made good on all the learning he had done in ‘20, streaking out to his maiden AFT Singles 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.
In 2021, Whale joins Shayna Texter-Bauman on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team.
| Note: Scroll to view full information. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Cls | Stnd | Pts | St | Wins | Best Fin | Worst Fin | Avg Fin | Poles | Best Qual | Worst Qual | Avg Qual | Laps Led | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | AFT Singles | 2 | 248 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4.5 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 5.2 | 23 | |
| 2020 | AFT Production Twins | 27 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 16 | 14.5 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 14.0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | AFT Singles | 2 | 215 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5.5 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 5.1 | 27 | |
| 2019 | AFT Production Twins | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | AFT Singles | 9 | 143 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 9.5 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 11.1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | AFT Singles | 14 | 90 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 11.5 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 11.2 | 0 | |
RELATED RIDER VIDEOS
The AFT Show: Episode 17
Behind the Scenes of the 2019 DAYTONA TT
AFT on NBCSN: 2018 DAYTONA TT
RELATED RIDER PHOTOS
RELATED RIDER NEWS
2021 Game Changers
The odds may be in the favor of familiar names, but there are some talented athletes lurking in the ranks.
Red Bull KTM Announces an Exciting Two-Rider Lineup for 2021 AFT Singles Championship
Shayna Texter-Bauman welcomes teammate Max Whale to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team.
Max Whale: From Stranded in the States to Singles Second Place
Coondoo, Australia native Max Whale had no idea just how deeply the COVID-19 pandemic would affect his 2020 race program, but he did not let it slow him down.
Tune-In Alert! AFT Show presented by E3 Spark Plugs is on AFT's Facebook TONIGHT!
Don't miss tonight's episode of The AFT Show presented by E3 Spark Plugs, the Official Spark Plug of American Flat Track.
Australian Max Whale to Contest 2019 AFT Singles Class with Weirbach Racing
17-year-old Aussie to ride 2019 Kawasaki KX450F in AFT Singles; Michael Inderbitzin to again ride selected events for Weirbach Racing in AFT Production Twins on Kawasaki machinery
Jared Mees and Dan Bromley Better than OK at American Flat Track’s OKC Mile
Mees scores 7th win of the season, while Bromley picks up his third - and first Mile - win
SERIES
PARTNERS
PARTNERS
