Kyron Bacon extends outright A4DE lead on day two

A4DE

2022 – Erica (VIC) – Day Two

Andrew Wilksch clawed his way back up the leader board during the second day of competition in the Prestige Truck Centre backed A4DE being staged this week in the hills surrounding the Victorian town of Erica. 

Wilksch had been quickest on day one but was relegated to sixth after a one-minute penalty was added to his card after he was judged to have not followed the correct procedures before competition had even begun on that opening day of the A4DE. 

On the big Husky FE501 Wilksch had finished that opening day 17-seconds ahead of Tasmanian 20-year-old Kyron Bacon on a WR250F.  After the one-minute penalty was added Wilksch emerged from day one 43-seconds behind Bacon.

On the second day of competition 25-year-old Wilksch bettered all but the A4DE leader, 20-year-old Tasmanian Kyron Bacon. 

Bacon may have finished second to Wilksch across the ground (before Wilksch penalty applied) on the opening day of competition, but the youngster stamped his authority on a very slippery day two by besting all comers for a brilliant outright victory on Thursday.

Of course this is only the halfway mark and anything can happen from here, but at the moment it is a somewhat David and Goliath battle between Bacon and his E1 Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team WR250F up against the booming big-bore E3 category Husky FE501 of Victorian Wilksch. 

Bacon already announced his stunning speed to the Australian enduro scene in the opening rounds of the 2022 AORC, with not only a perfect run of victories across the E1 category across the first four AORC rounds, but also outright wins on the WR250F against all comers. Bacon has carried that speed into the A4DE and set the pace on Thursday to underline his potential for not only E1 victory, but also outright honours on the WR250F. 

In third place outright is Bacon’s team-mate Josh Green. However while young Bacon is on the WR250F, 30-year-old Green is leading the E2 category on a WR450F.

Despite being only 32-years of age, Green is a stalwart of the Australian enduro scene and this year is his 13th contesting the AORC, where he is still currently dominating the E2 category of that competition in season 2022.  

Thomas Mason piloted his 300 cc kitted GASGAS MC250 to the fourth fastest time on day two and moved one place up the overall leaderboard to now also rank fourth outright behind Green. Mason also enjoys the unofficial top two-stroke honours so far. 

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Todd Waters had been third outright at the end of day one but slipped to fifth at the end of an incredibly slippery day two but remains second in the E2 category on the FE450 behind Green. Waters is pulling double duty this year, racing both motocross in the 2022 ProMX Championship, and contesting AORC. Only days ago Waters raced to fourth in the MX1 category at Wodonga, so it has been a quick turnaround for the Queenslander to race his first ever A4DE this week. 

Korey McMahon shone in the slop of day two to catapult himself from outside the top ten up into sixth outright on cumulative time aboard the GASGAS EC250F.

Cooper Sheidow also moved up the leaderboard on Thursday, improving from tenth outright at the end of day one all the way up to seventh on a KTM 250 XC-F. 

KTM 500 EXC-F mounted Stefan Granquist slipped from fourth outright down to eighth on Thursday and also saw his E3 category lead disappear as both Wilksch and Mason improved. 

A4DE debutante Blake Hollis and fellow Yamaha rider Jeremy Carpentier finished day two holding down ninth and tenth outright, which makes it three WR250F machines in the top ten. 

In the Womens category Jessica Gardiner leads the way and is also 41st outright, but Emelie Karlsson is not far behind.

A4DE Outright Standings
Day One/Two Cumulative

1. Kyron Bacon – Yamaha WR250F – 1:26:26.965
2. Andrew Wilksch – Husqvarna FE501 – 1:27:31.559
3. Josh Green – Yamaha WR450F – 1:27:32.430
4. Thomas Mason – GASGAS MC250  – 1:28:29.718
5. Todd Waters – Husqvarna FE450 – 1:28:54.716
6. Korey McMahon – GASGAS EC250F – 1:29:10.559
7. Cooper Sheidow – KTM 250 XC-F – 1:29:19.482
8. Stefan Granquist – KTM 500 EXC-F – 1:29:35.051
9. Blake Hollis – Yamaha WR250F – 1:29:36.740
10. Jeremy Carpentier – Yamaha WR250F – 1:29:40.541
11. Fraser Higlett – Beta RR 430 Racing – 1:30:13.342

A4DE E1 Standings
Day One/Two Cumulative

1. Kyron Bacon
2. Korey McMahon
3. Cooper Sheidow
4. Blake Hollis
5. Jeremy Carpentier

A4DE E2 Standings
Day One/Two Cumulative

1. Josh Green
2. Todd Waters
3. Fraser Higlett
4. Brad Hardaker
5. Kaleb Treasure

A4DE E3 Standings
Day One/Two Cumulative

1. Andrew Wilksch
2. Thomas Mason
3. Stefan Granquist
4. Riley McGillivray
5. Thomas McCormack

A4DE Women Standings
Day One/Two Cumulative

1. Jessica Gardiner
2. Emelie Karlsson
3. Ebony Nielsen
4. Monique Simioni
5. Julie Denyer