Defending Yamaha Australian Off Road Series champion Anthony “AJ” Roberts (Yamaha Australia YZ450F) has served notice that he’s in for another stellar year with a superb victory in round one at Gulgong (NSW) on March 18-19.

The feisty Queenslander, in his first major outing with new employer Yamaha, hardly broke stride in winning five of the seven E2 (250cc 2T vs 450cc 4T) races on the tough 8km layout – three on day one, followed by another couple on Sunday.

“It was an awesome weekend – what more can I say,” said an ebullient Roberts. “As well as winning five of the seven heats, I also ended up winning the event outright by about 30 seconds, which was great.

“The heat was extreme and a real test of fitness and mental toughness, but I held it together – and managed to avoid some really deep ruts and loose sandy sections.

“I’m now looking forward to getting in a bit more practice before the next round… and I’m pretty excited to be heading to Portugal the next round of the Enduro World Championship too.”

On a circuit which offered an extremely varied diet – deep ruts, rocks, sand, whoops, jumps and dust - the 23-year-old Roberts banked 167pts across the seven outings, just four in front of Inverell (NSW) teenager Josh Strang (Kawasaki Australia KX250, 163pts).

Strang, who starred in the final two rounds of last year’s inaugural off road series, didn’t finish outside the top three at Gulgong, and his second place in the final heat behind Brad Williscroft (Motorex Shift KT Off-Road Racing 450EXC) saw him make a final lunge at Roberts.

However, Roberts’ early heroics – three wins on day one – saw him build too much of a buffer for 17-year-old Strang to eliminate in one hit.

The tireless Williscroft completed round one in third place on 149pts, ahead of Jarrod Bewley (Ballards Motorex Off Road Yamaha WR450F), Matt Fish (KTM 250SX), Ben Grabham (GHR Honda CRF450X), reigning No. 4 Kirk Hutton (TeamMoto Yamaha YZ250) and young Victorian Blake Hore (Christensens Motorcycles WR450F).

In E1 (125cc 2T vs. 250cc 4T), 21-year-old Ben Kearney and Jehi Willis (Motorex Shift KTM Off-Road Racing) made it a quinella for KTM’s 250SXF after a superb all-the-way arm wrestle.

The duo both won three heats apiece, but the crucial difference was that Kearney scored one more second place than Willis – which amounted to his 2pt winning margin.

Kearney, the younger sibling of American-based star, Glenn, finished on 161pts, from Willis (159pts) and Shannon Lewry (GHR Honda CRF250X, 138pts.) Chris Hollis (Ballards Motorex Off Road Yamaha WR250F), 17-year-old Geoff Braico (Prorider KTM 250SXF), and multiple Australian motocross champion Glenn Bell (GHR Honda CRF250X) filled positions 4-6.

Kearney also completed Gulgong fourth overall in the scratch (outright) standings – the first non-E2 rider behind Roberts, Strang and Williscroft. Willis was fifth.

Following some last-minute entries, the E3 (251cc and over 2T vs. 451cc and over 4T) class at Gulgong produced some inspired racing – not that Adam Lees (Husaberg Australia FE550) wanted to be any part of it. That’s after the 24-year-old engineered the perfect result – seven wins from as many starts.

Lees was brutal, and his maximum-point (175) effort saw him comfortably defeat current No. 1 Stuart Bennett (Motorex Shift KT Off-Road Racing 525EXC, 146pts) and Craig Douglas (Motul Gas Gas EC300, 144pts).

The next instalment of the five-round Yamaha Australian Off Road Series will be held at Albury-Wodonga on Aril 22-23.