PIERCE alumnus Loukas Mexis’ (’01) Flat Track, his debut novel in English, captures the essence of flat track racing today. It is a mostly fictitious account, mixed with some personal experiences, of a boy growing up in California and coming of age by competing in the oval track races, inspired by the legends of the 1960s and ‘70s.

Loukas Mexis was born in Athens in 1983, rode his first motorcycle at 16, and fell in love with riding. He graduated from PIERCE College in 2001, earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Systems from the University of Piraeus, but now works as a journalist and is currently a contributor for Askmen of the IGN group, as well as a columnist for Agora Dialogue – a Melbourne-based human rights portal. Mexis published his first Greek novel Shoebox in 2010 and his second Shoot Me in 2012.

In 2011, Mexis had an accident while riding his motocross bike which resulted in him losing his left ankle and adding an extra plate and ten pins to his leg. This misfortune fuelled a series of events, recounted in Flat Track. Once able to walk again, Mexis first visited California and then came to Australia thanks to a scholarship. He earned his MA in Arts in Communication Management at Murdoch University of Western Australia, where he also joined the Australian Café Racers of Perth.