You've got that right; the quality of their racing was superb, and they weren't that much slower than the big boys!
You're right about that Lull in juniors coming through, and lets face it, Casey Stoner is this year's Huge Role Model for youngsters, we could lose a few to that. we've been on a Roll since the improved coverage first on C7 then FoxSports and the renewed interest since the Sydney SGP and our SWC wins gave us our current crop, that and sons of riders coming through plus whatever they put in the Water in Mildura (apart from Leigh Adams' Speedboat!)