Entering the 2023 season, Cameron Dunker already had an impressive resume of results to his credit that included multiple Australian Dirt Track titles in addition to being crowned Supersport 300 and R3 Cup champion in the Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) last year. The 15-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down and has been immensely impressive in his first season onboard the R6, winning two out of the last three rounds in ASBK Supersport, plus race one at Morgan Park. He also leads the 2023 FIM MiniGP Australia Series in the MiniGP 190cc category, and CycleOnline caught up with the teenage talent to ask Five Questions for this latest feature. 

Image: Foremost Media.

What do you think the key has been for you to adapt so well to a 600 this year? 

Honestly, I don’t really know. I mean I just learnt the bike, really I haven’t done that much riding on a 600. I’ve just been able to adapt really fast to the tracks on a 600 and stuff as well. But honestly, I don’t really know why the transition has been good, but I’m glad it has been.

Are there things you can learn from your teammate Max Stauffer on a Superbike, having that sort of experience around you to draw from? 

Yeah, like Max talks about stuff he is struggling with on the track, and I can sort of say that I have the same because it’s a closer time difference. If we change something and it worked for me, we can try it with Max or even just having Max race the 600 before, he sort of helps me out a bit with what I should be doing, and more or less how he rode the bike.

How does racing the Ohvale in the MiniGP Australia Series help translate form to ASBK and beyond? 

I think it does, because the bikes have so much power for how light they are. Obviously, it’s not going to be the same as the 600 in the aspect that it moves around a lot and has a lot of power, but you have to be gentle on the throttle, sort of like you have to be on a 600 or a Superbike. Yeah, it helps me.

Image: RbMotoLens – Rob Mott Photography.

Do you have any overseas ambitions for the end of this year or next season? 

I’m not too sure what we are going to do yet. If I get to go to Valencia [FIM MiniGP World Series Finals] I’ll try my best and it will be a really good experience. I think we are going to try and go over early and maybe do some training there, like Harry [Voight] and a few other Aussies will be there. If we can do some training with them, learn a bit and learn some stuff from the other guys from different countries too, so it will be good.

Obviously, you are still quite young and it’s your first year on a 600, but is there a pathway available, if you were to stay in Australia for future years, to step up to a Superbike here with the GTR MotoStars team? 

If I do another year in Australia I’d say it would be on a 600. I still think doing only one year on a 600, I think I would not necessarily struggle, but I don’t think I’ve had enough time on a 600 to move to the Superbike. Maybe I’ll try and do a ride day on a Superbike and see how I go. But yeah, not sure yet.