Price You Pay Podcast | Season 4 Episode 2

A 14-year-old Australian rider earns a place at the Honda Racing School in Japan, and suddenly the dream gets real: new countries, older competitors, higher speeds, and a price tag most people never see. We sit down with Jackson Macdonald and his dad Glen to trace the exact steps that moved Jackson from early racing in Australia to international starts, age exemptions, and a fast-forming MotoGP pathway that now runs through Spain, Japan, and iconic tracks like Phillip Island.

Jackson shares the clearest performance lesson we have heard in a while: there’s a difference between a rider and a racer. We get into how he studies qualifying footage, lap times, and competitor strengths to build a passing plan, plus how technique actually works when you’re leaned over with knee down and trying to turn the bike efficiently. Glen adds the behind-the-scenes structure: choosing the right coaches, learning from Spain’s road racing “heartland,” and building a home training setup that lets Jackson repeat the same drills without living on a plane.

Then we talk about the part that can’t be separated from elite sport, especially motorsport: money and logistics. Glen explains what it means to close a business during travel, why junior racing is often unpaid, and how support can swing from strong donor years to nothing at all. We also unpack how the Aussie Athlete Fund helps families build real-world skills in communication, fundraising, marketing, and presenting young athletes professionally, so talent has a fighting chance to keep moving forward.