Legendary Australian off-road rider Daniel Milner has called time on his decorated career, featuring at the forefront of the sport for the last 15 years. Claiming a record sixth Australian Enduro Championship ProEnduro title outright in 2025, the 34-year-old Victorian will now shift attention to developing the next generation through his KTM DM31 Racing Team. In Conversation, MotoOnline gets his thoughts on retirement, as well as the next chapter.

Image: Foremost Media.

Thanks for your time, Daniel. Let’s start with your decision to step away from racing. Do you want to talk me through that? What was the decision-making process there to step away from competition?

Sure – It’s been one of those things that’s been playing on my mind for a while. I think this season was my 15th season doing it professionally, so yeah, it just got to that point where I don’t get the enjoyment out of racing as much as I used to. And to be honest, I now get more enjoyment out of running the team and helping the younger generation that are coming through, more than my own enjoyment towards racing. That’s kind of where I’ve decided to step away from, I guess, professional racing full-time. My goal is to continue doing some one-off events, but yeah, not committing to a full season again. So I’ll plan to do maybe a round of the [AEC] nationals, maybe even a ProMX national, as well as some different events that just bring back the fun in it with the racing side of it for me. And then putting all focus into my riders. Now that I’ve stepped down from racing full-time, the main thing is to make sure that the team gets the best results we can. Being able to achieve what I have over my career, I think that it’s beneficial for my riders to try and learn from my knowledge. It’s been really good this year, having Korey [McMahon] and Jonte [Reynders] and the results that we got, which, yeah, that was another thing. We pretty much did what I didn’t believe was doable in two years, especially as a team manager to be able to go and clean sweep the off-road scene as well as winning the Outright ProEnduro title for myself for the second time in a row – my sixth all up. So yeah, it’s definitely a big step in my career, but also it’s not like it’s the end of me. I’ll still be around the sport and continue getting on the bike and helping my riders, along with doing some other events. I’ll be there on race day, still with the team pushing them along and making sure they get the best results as they can.

I can imagine it’s a big decision, having had the success that you’ve had and all of the racing you’ve done up until this point. So what was the timeframe like in actually coming to a stop?

Yeah, it’s been on my mind for a while. I’m 34 now, so it’s…you’re getting towards the latter stages of being in the professional ranks. I know Europe, when I was over there the second year, it burnt me out really hard. Then the game plan was to come back and start my own setup as well as race, which was in 2024, and seeing if I got that bug back for competing, which I did. I started enjoying it again and had a really good season apart from some injuries, and then the same again this year, so yeah, it’s just one of those things that’s…I’ve achieved everything that I’ve worked so hard for in my racing, or my career, I guess you’d say. To get that, this year winning my sixth Aussie title, [I] took over the record with the most wins here in Australia. So, it’s kind of got to the point where I’ve got nothing really to drive me and push me forward anymore, other than the team side of things. And that’s what made the decision come so much easier. I think it would have been a lot harder if I didn’t have what I’ve started here with the team. It’s not like I’m stepping away from the bikes and not going to be near them or near the industry anymore. I’ll still be training with the riders, still helping them out as much as possible. That’s definitely made the decision easier for me. Along with, yeah, I’ve had a successful career where I’ve really enjoyed racing and got to ride for some really cool teams, team managers, got to travel the world, raced in America for two years, and Europe for two years. We’ve got to live the dream on the off-road scene and do all that.

Image: Foremost Media.

Does it feel like mission accomplished?

Yeah, absolutely. And to be honest, I’ve probably achieved more than I thought I ever could, especially…When I was 12 years old, I got diagnosed with diabetes. So, at the time back then, when I was a young kid, you know, the doctors put it out there that it was worse than it is. So to have to manage my diabetes the whole time that I’ve been racing with such difficult events – even going back to the fact that my first ever six-day, the FIM at the time weren’t even going to let me race because of my diabetes. To then, however many years later, I won that event Outright. So, yeah, it’s definitely…It was kind of one of those things that I just, once I ticked a box, I would look forward to something else and try to achieve that. With the Aussie off-roads, we kept ticking them off until I got to the point where I matched Toby [Price’s] record last year, I think it was, and then knew I could, you know, have a shot at beating his record. And, yeah, being able to do that is quite cool because he’s one of the legends of the sport. It’s one of those things that once I ticked all those boxes, it’s easier for me to retire.

You had some solid rivalries throughout your career. In the moment, it’s a fierce thing, no doubt, but when you look back on that stuff, do you look back with fondness, having those people who did push you as hard as you were pushed?

100 percent. Like, honestly, without the people that I’ve had the rivalry with over my career, I wouldn’t be where I’m at now. Same for them as well, I believe. I believe that they wouldn’t be where they are without me, too. Younger days, it was Toby that I was chasing the whole time, and it was really cool that I got to battle him and we battled for some titles towards the end of his off-road career. He went to rally, and then the [Daniel] Sanders battle…we had a really fast, a really good rivalry there where we pushed each other to the limit, and it pushed us to the point where we were some of the fastest riders in the world at one stage. I went and won a six-day, and then he won one the year after, so… Yeah, having those rivalries, looking back at them now, were the best things that could have happened in our careers to push us forward and push the limit. And that’s kind of coming back from Europe two years ago. That was my goal to bring the speed back up here in Australia. It was really cool. Last year, we had Kyron [Bacon] pushing me the whole time, and we dragged him along to the point where now he’s over in Europe and doing really well. And then this year, Wil Ruprecht came back, and he’s an ex-world champion. So I think having him back now is going to help lift the sport as well. He’s very professional, and the way that he conducts himself on race weekends is really cool to see.

Image: Foremost Media.

On the team side, I’ve spoken to your riders throughout the year, and they’ve been really complimentary of what you bring to the table, across the board. Do you feel that? Like you have a lot to offer these young riders?

Yeah, definitely. I think the story from this year had to be Hattah – Korey was not on many people’s radars to win that race. And I knew deep down that he could, especially with the effort that he put in leading up to it. And, you know, I was trying to help him as much as I could with nerves and the race craft of it. I won the Prologue and went out on that first lap – it was me and Korey out front on the first lap. He passed me and kind of checked out on me. And that was all I’d seen of him until the end of the race. The whole time, I was just thinking in my head, like, ‘Hopefully he’s continued that.’ And then when I got to that finish line and saw that he’d won it, it was a pretty surreal feeling. As I’ve explained to some people, it was probably more exciting than me winning the event! I feel like I got more out of him winning it with the effort that I put into him to go win it than what I would have if I won it again, kind of thing. That was really cool. And, yeah, I just feel like I can bring a lot more to the table. I feel… Having a good environment for one, plus the knowledge that I’ve learned over my 15 years of racing with bike setup, how to prepare yourself for the race, along with the nerves and everything on the day. To be honest, I’m really excited to be able to work with the boys more on race day, where this year I would work with them leading into the races, everything like that, but once it got to race day, I kind of had to focus on myself. So I never could sit down with the boys and help them out as much as I feel that I can now, being retired.

Is it a cool full-circle moment? It’s funny how you talk about Korey. You used to be that guy, as you said, chasing Toby down. So, is this a cool position to be in where you can relive that again, but help guide the next generation of talent coming through?

Absolutely. And yeah, as I said, seeing the hunger in Korey, you know, it just makes me feel like I was when I was younger. This year, he won an overall, so to see him grow is really cool. Just his reactions on how he did it, which is quite cool because I know that feeling of when I won my first one, I think back in 2012 it was, I caught and passed Toby and won the event. So to see him do it, I know that feeling that he had, and it brings back that youth into me, and it’s something I’ve always liked doing in my career. Even younger days when I was still at the point of racing, I guess, and still learning myself. I was trying to drag along Lyndon Snodgrass at one time, and then Mason Semmens. So it’s something that I’ve always enjoyed doing over my career. I did hide a little bit under my hat back then, obviously, being that it was my job, and I didn’t want them to beat me that early on. That’s where it’s good now that I’m finished with all the racing and that competitive side, and now I’m going to put my competitive knowledge into my riders, and I’ll be giving them every bit of insight that I’ve got and anything to help make sure that they go out and do the best for them.

Awesome. Well again, mate, thanks a lot for your time, and congratulations on what has been a historic career.

No worries, mate – thank you. I’m excited for what’s next.