Milner, Sanders & Styke take Round 3 & 4 wins
Driscoll wins EJ class
Images by John Pearson Media
The Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) saw Rounds 3 & 4 take place at Hedley in Victoria, with Daniel Milner taking a sweep of the E3 class across the two rounds run.
Daniel Sanders likewise dominated the E2 class, while Luke Styke won both rounds of the E1 class. In the EJ class Michael Driscoll was the man to beat, winning aboard his Yamaha.
E3 – Round 4
Milner made it four wins from four starts in the E3 class, and once again he looked like he was on another track, putting in lap times well clear of the rest of his competition.
A gap of two minutes separated Milner from Lachlan Stanford who battled the tough conditions but just couldn’t stay with Milner aboard his Husqvarna. Andrew Wilksch showed great speed as he backed up his great ride from round three with another third place aboard his new Sherco.
Daniel Milner
“Today was definitely better than yesterday, I didn’t make as many mistakes and got around pretty clean which was really important for me today. The track was a battle in itself, it was almost the hardest sprint I have done in my career, but I’m happy how the day panned out.”
AORC E3 Round 4 Provisional Results
- Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 49:43.133
- Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 52:16.491
- Andrew Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Off-Road Team) 53:42.239
- Broc Grabham 53:59.299
- Tom Mason 55:26.729
- Jesse Lawton 56:34.736
- Stuart HOLT 56:55.536
- Jamie Robins 57:25.153
- Anthony Venn 58:52.164
- Jack Matthews 1:03:52.949
Milner topped the E3 Round 4 podium from Stanford and Wilksch
E3 – Round 3
Hedley produced rough and tough racing for our competitors and the ever-smooth Milner even found the conditions hard, but he showed his class to pull together and take the win.
Milner put his KTM down on a few occasions throughout the three sprints, managing to compose himself and finish three minutes and thirty seconds clear of Lachlan Stanford. Stanford was a clear second on the day and was consistently behind Milner, but the Husqvarna rider just couldn’t reel him in.
Andrew Wilksch finished the day with an impressive third Supersprint that saw him jump onto the podium, finishing with a time of 1:02:44.464.
AORC E3 Round 3 Provisional Results
- Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 58:11.881
- Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 1:01:49.704
- Andrew Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team) 1:02:44.464
- Tom Mason 1:03:00.168
- Broc Grabham 1:03:29.015
- Jesse Lawton 1:04:51.078
- Jamie Robins 1:05:51.728
- Stuart Holt 1:06:31.733
- Anthony Venn 1:08:49.877
- Benjamin Russell 1:10:53.424
E2 – Round 4
Sanders once again took out the E2 Class, making it four from four as he takes a commanding lead in the pursuit of the Championship. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Sanders as he did have a few offs on his Husqvarna, but he managed to get back on the bike and keep his competition at bay.
Lyndon Snodgrass has continued his good AORC form, claiming second place at Hedley, but the KTM rider just couldn’t find the speed of Sanders. Rounding out the podium was Yamaha’s Josh Green who battled away after a fall early on Saturday, continued to put himself in contention and finished the day in third.
Daniel Sanders
“It was good fun, the team worked really well and we got the bike to near perfect for these conditions. Today was a bit tough as there was a part of the track I just wasn’t as quick in but I knew I had to make some ground up on the other side and we managed to do that and take the class win.”
Josh Green
“I was just a bit off all weekend. I crashed early on Saturday and then I just couldn’t get going again for the rest of the weekend. I didn’t hurt myself but I just didn’t ride the way I know I should and as a result was getting frustrated with myself out there and not being loose and relaxed which is what is needed when it’s a balls out sprint race. But I can’t change it now, all I can do it work hard for the next round and continue to keep trying to get better. We still have eight rounds to go so there is plenty of time to bounce back and redeem myself from this weekend.”
AORC E2 Round 4 Provisional Results
- Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 49:44.625
- Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 51:19.386
- Joshua Green (Activate8 Yamalube Yamaha) 51:54.314
- Riley Graham 53:45.467
- Stefan Granquist 54:06.484
- Matt van Slooten 57:19.274
- Jens Emil Viktor Hillgren 57:27.100
- Matt Murry 58:16.481
- Liam Mason 58:26.062
- Trent Tucci 58:56.472
E2 – Round 3
Sanders was a man on a mission today at Hedley, getting off to the dream start and gapping the field in the first Supersprint by nine seconds despite a fall. Sanders continued to push and ride on the edge, it did result in a few get offs but the Husqvarna rider still managed to claim class honours.
Lyndon Snodgrass battled hard on his KTM in the tough and dry conditions to finish in second and put the troubles he had at the A4DE behind him. ‘Mr Consistent’ Josh Green once again put his Yamaha on the podium, bouncing back from a big fall in the first Supersprint to finish just 11 seconds behind Snodgrass.
AORC E2 Round 3 Provisional Results
- Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 58:11.503
- Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 1:00:20.824
- Joshua Green (Active8 Yamalube Yamaha) 1:00:31.800
- Stefan Granquist 1:03:05.244
- Riley Graham 1:04:04.819
- Josh major 1:06:26.078
- Matt van Slooten 1:06:48.848
- Jens Emil Viktor Hillgren 1:06:49.017
- Matt Murry 1:07:03.802
- Liam Mason 1:07:24.819
E1 – Round 4
The ability of Styke to adapt to different conditions has been evident in his short enduro career to this point, as he once again took out E1 on his Yamaha and put in some quick sprints. Styke got out of the blocks quick in the first sprint and didn’t look back with Fraser Higlett his closest competition who was 21 seconds back.
Higlett finished Round 4 in second position and showed great speed and will be looking to chase down Styke when the championship heads to Dungog. Rounding out the podium was Frenchman Jeremy Carpentier who put his Yamaha on the podium with five solid sprints and just narrowly missing out on second place by two seconds.
Luke Styke
“I loved the weekend and the sprint format works well for me. It was just like doing 20-minute motocross races on Saturday and Sunday was the same, just a little bit shorter. Although it was dry and dusty, I liked the dirt in the area and it was fun to ride. It would be nice if the east coast of Australia would get some rain as the dirt here would have been perfect if there was some more moisture to it. My WR250F ran perfectly all weekend and the team continues to do a great job. I’m really happy I have made the switch to off road and I’m enjoying the challenge of racing different terrain, with different riders on different bikes.”
AORC E1 Round 4 Provisional Results
- Luke Styke (Active8 Yamalube Yamaha) 51:17.313
- Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 53:11.850
- Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) 54:02.168
- Jack Simpson 54:06.612
- Nicolas Tomlinson 54:26.953
- Tomas Ravenhorst 54:35.690
- Baylee Davies 56:01.270
- Brad Hardaker 56:39.370
- Peter-Daniel Allan 58:17.006
- Bayley Burt 59:01.528
E1 – Round 3
Styke started a bit slower than he would of liked with a few crashes in the first sprint, but he got better as the day went on and finished the Supersprints with a time of 1:01:06.410.
Not far behind Styke was Fraser Higlett who is finding some serious form on his Husqvarna, despite a few falls he finished 50 seconds off Styke’s pace. 2016 E1 winner at Hedley, Jack Simpson, rounded out the podium to continue his good form. Simpson pushed his KTM to a time of 1:02:15.011 to finish just 15 seconds off Higlett.
AORC E1 Round 3 Provisional Results
- Luke Styke (Active8 Yamalube Yamaha) 1:01:06.410
- Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 1:02:01.391
- Jack Simpson 1:02:15.011
- Nicolas Tomlinson 1:02:53.265
- Tomas Ravenhorst 1:03:12.118
- Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballard’s Off-Road Team) 1:03:42.029
- Baylee Davies 1:05:05.633
- Brad Hardaker 1:06:16.804
- Peter-Daniel Allan 1:06:22.187
- Bayley Burt 1:06:43.319
EJ – Round 4
Driscoll has once again put the EJ field on notice, picking up the class honours and taking his fourth win of the season in just four starts. Driscoll got the most out of his Yamaha in the tough dusty conditions, Mason Semmens was closest to Driscoll, but he just couldn’t bridge the gap.
Semmens who usually races motocross came across for the weekend and showed great speed aboard his KTM. Taking the last spot on the podium was Dalton Johnson, who put his KTM on the podium with five solid sprints here at Hedley.
Michael Driscoll
“It was definitely a tough one, yesterday was tough but this was on another level. We made a few changes to the front end and the results came through for us straight away, we just hope to keep this form going over to Dungog.”
AORC EJ Round 4 Provisional Results
- Michael Driscoll (bLu cRu Yamaha Off Road Team) 52:50.009
- Mason Semmens 54:49.641
- Dalton Johnson 55:37.486
- Joshua Brierley 55:50.404
- Corey Hammond 56:43.608
- Mitchell Brierley 57:35.356
- Lachlan Allan 58:18.080
- Harrison Teed 59:04.322
- Ashden Gramlick 59:47.527
- Nick Graham 1:00:43.815
EJ – Round 3
It was business as usual for the defending EJ Champion Michael Driscoll as he put his Yamaha on the top step for the third time in as many rounds this season. Driscoll stepped back into the EJ class after an impressive performance at the A4DE in the E1 class and announced himself again as the man to beat.
Mason Semmens bought with him all his motocross skills and finished the day in an impressive second place aboard his KTM. Joshua Brierley continues to impress aboard his Husqvarna machine, landing it on the podium and showing he enjoyed the tough conditions here at Hedley.
AORC EJ Round 3 Provisional Results
- Michael Driscoll (bLu cRu Yamaha Racing) 1:02:04.435
- Mason Semmens 1:02:59.241
- Joshua Brierley 1:04:44.581
- Mitchell Brierley 1:06:00.915
- Corey Hammond 1:06:07.508
- Lachlan Allan 1:07:11.844
- Harrison Teed 1:07:45.700
- Cooper Sheidow 1:08:38.338
- Dalton Johnson 1:08:43.034
- Nick Graham 1:08:57.540
J4 – Round 4
After a tough day at the office in the cross country, Bacon has bounced back to take the J4 class aboard his Honda. Bacon was in a class of his own and sent a message to the field when he came out and put 27 seconds on his nearest competitor in the first sprint, and that gap was enough to get him the victory.
Korey McMahon couldn’t quite back up his efforts on his KTM from Saturday’s cross country, falling short of Bacon by just over three seconds. A slow start in the sprints had McMahon on the back foot but a fast finish put him in contention.
Jayden Rudd rounded out the podium in third position, to finish off what was a consistent weekend for the KTM rider.
AORC J4 Round 4 Provisional Results
- Kyron Bacon 44:39.646
- Korey McMahon 44:42.677
- Jayden Rudd 46:20.897
- Mathew Pye 48:57.215
- Bailey Smith 49:19.830
- Trent Brewster 50:08.392
- Connor Albert 51:06.167
- Wyatt Price 51:40.266
- Jaylan Lessio 51:50.650
- Daniel Van Der Werf 52:22.425
J4 – Round 3
McMahon continues his stellar form from Gympie where he took out both days racing as his winning ways continued at Hedley, guiding his KTM to a commanding victory.
Jayden Rudd is making the jump up to J4 look easy, finishing in second place behind McMahon, 1:53.848 off the pace. The podium was rounded out by Kyron Bacon who pushed his Honda right to the line and set himself up for another solid weekends racing, finishing 2:23.339 behind the race winner.
Yamaha AORC J4 Round 3 Provisional Results
- Korey McMahon 1:56:08.085
- Jayden Rudd 1:58:01.933
- Kyron Bacon 1:58:31.424
- Mathew Pye 2:01:07.263
- Jaylan Lessio 2:03:16.109
- Royce Patterson 2:03:27.765
- Bailey Smith 2:03:42.218
- Trent Brewster 2:04:23.317
- Daniel Van Der Werf 2:05:43.813
- Connor Albert 2:06:09.839
J3 – Round 4
It was business as usual for Will Riordan in sprints, the KTM rider came out and smashed the first test on his way to taking out J4. In the first test Riordan put on over 30 seconds to set the tone for his day, and he continued that form to win by over a minute.
Blake Hollis gave it his all on his Yamaha in the trying conditions but just couldn’t stay with the pace of Riordan at the front, settling for second to wrap up a solid weekends riding. Ned Chapman took out the last spot on the podium, battling through the bLu cRu test to finish behind Riordan and Hollis.
AORC J3 Round 4 Provisional Results
- Will Riordan 45:13.371
- Blake Hollis 46:20.063
- Ned Chapman 49:13.917
- Kaelin Littlejohn 51:43.199
- Charlie Milton 51:56.244
- Riley McGillivray 53:02.737
- Sam Barton 53:05.613
- Oscar Collins 53:48.807
- Aaron Miles 56:19.979
- Jack Caughey 56:30.824
J3 – Round 3
Will Riordan is making a name for himself in the enduro game after another great performance to take out the J3 class, putting himself clear of the field by just under one minute and thirty seconds. Riordan was a class above on his KTM and is proving to be the rider to chase.
Blake Hollis was the closest man to Riordan aboard his Yamaha and is showing some real speed as he continues to grow in the enduro discipline. Ned Chapman took the last spot on the podium aboard his Yamaha, finishing just over six minutes off the pace at the front.
Yamaha AORC J3 Round 3 Provisional Results
- Will Riordan 1:56:57.496
- Blake Hollis 1:58:09.169
- Ned Chapman 2:03:37.730
- Sam Barton 2:04:46.739
- Charlie Milton 2:08:05.712
- Oscar Collins 2:08:37.813
- Kaelin Littlejohn 2:08:56.674
- Aaron Miles 2:11:06.365
- Maxwell Liebeknecht 2:12:56.967
- Riley McGillivray 2:13:10.016
J2 – Round 4
Angus Riordan once again took out the J2 division picking up right where he left off after Saturday’s Cross Country. Riordan just like his brother Will got off to a flyer of a start in the first sprint and put on over 30 seconds to Billy Hargy in second position.
Riordan didn’t stop there as he continued to put in test times of under 12 minutes, the only rider in his class to do so. Hargy put in another solid days riding to finish in second place and cap off a good weekend, whilst Mackenzie Johnson rounded out the podium to finish his weekend.
AORC J2 Round 4 Provisional Results
- Angus Riordan 47:10.357
- Billy Hargy 50:54.585
- Mackenzie Johnson 51:47.033
- Taj Gow-Smith 52:05.537
- Max Phillips 53:22.188
- Kobe Conley 55:08.284
- Zac Perry 55:45.148
- Lochie Stafford 55:59.736
- Kyle Leach 57:05.664
- Thomas Vance 57:36.436
J2 – Round 3
Angus Riordan has made it three wins from three starts after taking out the J2 cross country, Riordan didn’t put a foot wrong on his KTM and showed why this is his favourite format. Mackenzie Johnson pushed his Yamaha into second position with a great ride, stopping the clock at 2:11:14.046.
The podium was rounded out by Billy Hargy aboard his Husqvarna machine, Hargy will be looking to chase down both Riordan and Johnson in tomorrow sprints.
Yamaha AORC J2 Round 3 Provisional Results
- Angus Riordan 2:07:26.781
- Mackenzie Johnson 2:11:14.046
- Billy Hargy 2:11:15.518
- Taj Gow-Smith 2:15:07.295
- Kobe Conley 2:15:44.703
- Max Phillips 2:17:23.733
- lochie stafford 2:20:38.535
- Zac Perry 2:20:43.875
- Thomas Vance 2:21:07.381
- Jamie Dunstan 2:22:02.483
Womens – Round 4
Gardiner has shown great speed throughout the weekend here at Hedley and proved this by being the only rider in her division to complete a test in under 12 minutes. After getting out of the blocks well, Gardiner continued to get the most of out her Yamaha in the sprints and claim the round win.
Emelie Karlsson bounced back after a disappointing day on Saturday to claim second position and get back some much-needed points aboard her Yamaha. Rounding out the podium was Jemma Wilson who continues her consistent run of podiums after yesterdays second place finish.
AORC Womens Round 4 Provisional Results
- Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha MX Store Ballard Off-Road Team) 48:15.754
- Emelie Karlsson 49:04.571
- Jemma Wilson 49:38.853
- Sophie Coldicutt (Motul Pirelli Sherco Off-Road Team) 50:53.491
- Danielle Foot 51:04.875
- Kellie Catanese 55:36.614
- Holly Cuneo 1:00:32.291
- Alisha Major 1:01:01.348
- Kasey Major 1:03:51.416
- Rachelle Dessent 1:09:20.545
Veterans – Round 4
It was much of the same again for Chibnall after taking out yesterdays Supersprints, he continued his form to once again take class honours on his KTM.
Jade Gartlan had the task of once again trying to track down Chibnall on his Gas Gas but he just couldn’t find the same speed over the five sprints, finishing just under two minutes behind. Paul Chadwick rounded out the podium in one of the toughest AORC rounds the competition has seen.
AORC Veterans Round 4 Provisional Results
- Richard Chibnall 1:01:57.826
- Jade Gartlan 1:03:44.717
- Paul Chadwick 1:05:45.344
- Peter Rudd 1:06:41.577
- Con Privitera 1:06:41.981
- Marco Kroese 1:06:47.204
- Darren Lessio 1:07:02.796
- Michael TURNBULL 1:07:26.136
- Lou Stylianou 1:09:58.292
- Hugh Howarth 1:11:08.498
Masters – Round 4
Ballard has bounced back after narrowly missing out on victory yesterday to claim class honours here at Hedley. Ballard got the most out of his Husqvarna and turned the tables on yesterday’s winner Michael Widdison, who had to settle for second just 24 seconds off the pace.
Craig Treasure filled the final spot on the Masters podium after a solid days riding in the five sprints, finishing the day with a time of 1:07:05.664.
AORC Masters Round 4 Provisional Results
- Geoffrey Ballard 1:06:25.297
- Michael Widdison 1:06:49.222
- Craig Treasure 1:07:05.664
- Stephen Boucher 1:08:09.266
- Ray Scott 1:08:46.324
- Ken Burt 1:09:39.900
- David Salt 1:09:57.716
- Peter Schaper 1:10:04.575
- Andrew Young 1:10:12.267
- Jamie Armstrong 1:12:43.937
