riding farm bikes. Even before he
bought his brother’s KDX200 at
the age of 14, Josh had mastered
slow wheelies and play-riding on
the farm bike. However once he
straddled the KDX his life changed
and it was only a few years before
he bought a Honda CR250 and
began racing. Along the way Josh
and his mates scored a couple of
freestyle ramps and he learnt a few
basic tricks.
“Showing off and doing tricks has
always appealed to me. I always
wanted to learn ‘to tricks’ as Tom
[Pagès] would say,” he chuckles.
“I never really planned to flip a big
bike, but after I landed the Backflip
on a mini bike I thought ‘stuff it,
let’s give it a go’.”
Josh’s passion for FMX began to
flourish while he was still racing
as an A-Grader, and soon his
good mate Phil “Phloppy” Lycholit
convinced him to sign up for a local
freestyle contest in 2007 to see
how he’d go as the only guy with
the Backflip in his arsenal.
On the day of the comp Josh learnt
Double Grabs and tidied up a few
other tricks, but crashed on a Whip
and threw away his chance of
winning. But the bug had already
bitten him hard and there was no
turning back.
Later that year Josh signed up for
the infamous Narrogin Revheads
contest (held on the same site
as his first comp) and turned the
Australian industry on its head
by placing third behind Matt
Schubring and Cam Sinclair… all
while still riding with his #90 race
number on his front plate and stock
suspension. To cap it off, he won
the Best Whip contest.
“Yeah, that was a big boost for
me,” Josh reflects. “I never actually
thought I’d be able to be at this
level, but it was something new
and novel when I was starting to
get tired of training so hard for
racing.”
Since that pivotal moment, Josh’s
career has skyrocketed. As well as
the 2014 Red Bull X-Fighters title,
the amicable Aussie has claimed
X Games medals and is now a
key figurehead on the Nitro Circus
Live tours. However his hectic
international schedule and the blur
of departure terminals and customs
means his spare time at home is at
a premium.
installed a new cam, roller-rockers,
lifters and bigger valves, exhaust,
then bought and installed a turbo.
It’s such a fun process learning to
tune the engine myself.”
“I don’t get as much time off as
I’d like,” he admits. “When I do
and the weather is nice I’ll go
wakeboarding with some mates,
or if it’s wet, we’ll go trail riding in
the bush. I love shooting, whether
it’s hunting pests such as rabbits,
foxes or parrots – they’re a pest
as they eat the fruit – or it’s just
a session with the clay targets.
I’ve also got a little gravel rally car
circuit, which I love to have a blast
around.”
Learning hasn’t been confined
to the garage, however. With the
progression of FMX surging over
the past two years, Sheehan’s had
to work hard to stay at the front of
the field. There’s also been plenty
to learn as far as dealing with the
mental pressure of both expecting,
and being expected, to win.
It’s
“ takeamazing
to the
championship,
but I still look up
to all the other
riders and know
I still have a lot
to learn
”
While all of those activities are
great to do with mates, when
he’s home alone Sheeny enjoys
extracting as many ponies as he
can from his Holden VY SS ute.
He’s always had a passion for
squeezing better performance out
of engines and has learnt through
the experience of trial and error.
“My brother Chris and I love doing
things ourselves and learning on
the fly,” he explains. “I’ve based
everything on this ute around a
500hp build. I’ve ported the heads
and shaved 40-thou off them,
“2013 was such a disappointment
and I put so much pressure on
myself with the Double Flip,” he
admits. “I told myself I could win if
I did the Double and then my next
thought was always ‘I HAVE to win
because I can do the Double’.”
At the same time, a lack of
preparation and time to practice
between shows and Nitro Circus
Live tour commitments meant
he felt he was constantly playing
catch-up, which hurt both his
performances and results.
There was only one way to arrest
the slump before it spiraled out of
control: spend more time practicing
and relaxing at home sheltered
from external pressures and
distractions.
It worked a treat: Sheeny entered
the opening round of the 2014 Red
Bull X-Fighters in Mexico more
relaxed – especially as there wasn’t
enough space to cater for a Double
Flip ramp – and he walked away
with second place behind 2012
champion Levi Sherwood.
After missing the Osaka round
due to Nitro Circus Live tour
commitments (riders drop their
worst round of the season in the
championship points) Sheehan
rocked up to Madrid with the
weight of a Double Flip on his
shoulders. However, with Tom
Pagès coming out all guns blazing
with the Bike Flip, Josh felt a little
less pressure, as he didn’t think
he’d be vying for the win.
“It was an awesome weekend and
it was amazing to see Tom land his
tricks,” he grins. “I didn’t expect to
win, but I was just pumped on u