Ruprecht and McMahon split Kempsey as AusEnduro title goes to Coonalpyn

2026 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship

Rounds 9 & 10 – Kempsey, NSW

When we last checked in on the 2026 AusEnduro title fight at Casterton, the first real cracks had appeared in Wil Ruprecht’s previously perfect Pro Enduro campaign.

Ruprecht had won the Saturday Cross Country in Victoria, but Korey McMahon stopped his unbeaten run in Sunday’s Sprints, while the return of Lyndon Snodgrass immediately added another rider capable of mixing it at the sharp end.

That put plenty of weight on the penultimate championship weekend at Kempsey. Ruprecht needed to reassert some control, while McMahon had to prove Casterton was more than a one-off if he was going to keep the championship alive into the South Australian finale.

In the end, they split the spoils.

Ruprecht was clinical on Saturday, winning all five special tests to claim his seventh Pro Enduro victory of the season. McMahon then hit back on Sunday, leading from start to finish despite Ruprecht closing to within just 0.31 seconds at one stage.

Korey McMahon

“Sunday was awesome. I won the first test, then put it down midway through the day and lost a bit of time, but managed to claw it back at the end to get the Pro Enduro win. It’s good to keep that championship alive going into South Australia. I’m really happy with my riding, the team was amazing, the bike was awesome, and it was a really good weekend for me.”

The net result is that Ruprecht will take a 19-point advantage to Coonalpyn, 215 points to McMahon’s 196, with a maximum of 50 points still available across the final two rounds. Jye Dickson remains third on 163.

AusEnduro Pro Enduro

Round Nine – Saturday

Ruprecht wasted little time putting the disappointment of Casterton behind him.

The Shop Yamaha WR450F rider topped all five special tests in Kempsey’s dry and dusty conditions, although the final margin perhaps understates how much pressure he faced for much of the day.

Dickson kept Ruprecht within seven seconds through the opening three tests before the former world E2 champion produced the decisive blow in test four, stretching his advantage to 27 seconds.

From there Ruprecht could manage the final test and completed the day in 50:23.719, 31.936 seconds ahead of Dickson.

McMahon finished just another 3.933 seconds behind Dickson in third, while Kogan Lock and Jeremy Carpentier completed the top five.

“The conditions were really dry and dusty but we got the job done today.” – Wil Ruprecht

The win took Ruprecht to 193 points in Pro Enduro, 22 clear of McMahon on 171, with Dickson third on 143.

Round Nine Outright Results

Round Ten – Sunday

If Saturday belonged to Ruprecht, McMahon made his intentions clear from the outset on Sunday.

The DM31 Racing KTM rider went straight to the front and stayed there, although Ruprecht refused to let him breathe easily. At one point the Yamaha rider had whittled McMahon’s advantage down to only 0.31 seconds.

Ruprecht and Dickson both applied the pressure through the third of six special tests, but rather than unsettle McMahon it seemed to have the opposite effect. He responded by finding another gear through the run home and rebuilt enough of a buffer to control the final stages.

McMahon stopped the clocks at 48:34.662, 10.477 seconds ahead of Ruprecht, with Dickson third in 49:12.346.

Cooper Sheidow put his E1 Yamaha into fourth outright ahead of Jeremy Carpentier, with Stark Varg rider Broc Grabham sixth.

Korey McMahon

“Keeping the championship alive was the main goal today, so I couldn’t be happier. We’ll just keep fighting until the end.”

McMahon’s second Pro Enduro victory of 2026 means the championship remains alive heading into Coonalpyn. Ruprecht leads 215 to 196, Dickson sits third on 163, followed by Sheidow on 147, Lock on 132 and Carpentier on 120.

Jye Dickson

“It was a bit of a tough Sunday for me. I just didn’t quite have the pace of the guys up front – they were on it all day – and I just couldn’t quite get there in the end. I’m happy to come home with two class podiums and two Pro Enduro podiums this weekend.”

Round Ten Outright Results

E1

E1 delivered one of Saturday’s closest contests, with Jeremy Carpentier leaving his best work until the final special test.

Cooper Sheidow carried a two-second advantage into the finale, only for Carpentier to turn that deficit into a two-second victory when it mattered most.

Jett Yarnold had also shown plenty of pace after winning the opening test and ultimately finished third, ahead of Luke Chellas and the returning Ryan Hayward.

Sunday brought Sheidow’s response. He and Carpentier again spent the day at close quarters, but this time Sheidow steadily gained the upper hand to record his fifth E1 victory of the season. Yarnold was again third.

Sheidow will take a useful 29-point championship lead to Coonalpyn, 211 to Carpentier’s 182, while Stefan Granquist sits third on 142.

E2

There was no splitting the winner across the Kempsey weekend in E2.

Ruprecht backed his outright Saturday victory with another class win, Dickson second and Lock third, before repeating the dose on Sunday.

Dickson again took second on Sunday, while Will McInnes produced his best result of the season to claim third and his first E2 podium of 2026.

Ruprecht has consequently opened a huge 48-point advantage in E2, sitting on 222 points to Lock’s 174 and Dickson’s 172. McInnes has moved to 142, four points ahead of Oliver Paterno.

With only 50 points remaining, Ruprecht is now within touching distance of the E2 crown.

E3

McMahon’s E3 scorecard remains immaculate.

He controlled Saturday from the front to continue his 100 per cent winning record in the class, with Broc Grabham and Max Midwinter completing the podium.

Sunday was even more emphatic. McMahon extended his advantage in every special test and eventually finished almost two minutes ahead of Grabham, with Midwinter third.

McMahon now leads E3 on 225 points, 35 clear of Midwinter on 190. Grabham holds third on 148, six ahead of Max Rikys.

With two rounds remaining, the defending champion is not quite home yet, but he has given himself plenty of breathing room.

EW

Danielle McDonald’s return from her American campaign produced both frustration and redemption across the weekend.

The 2024 EW champion looked set to dominate Saturday and had built a 40-second advantage over Jess Gardiner before a small crash in the final sprint caused her front brake to seize.

Gardiner needed no second invitation, taking her fifth victory of the season ahead of Madi Simpson and Madison Healey.

McDonald then made amends on Sunday in emphatic fashion, winning all six special tests to take the round ahead of Simpson and Gardiner.

The fight between the two championship protagonists was much tighter, with only one second separating Simpson and Gardiner at the finish.

Gardiner nevertheless leaves Kempsey firmly in control of her pursuit of a 10th AusEnduro women’s crown. She leads with 211 points from Simpson on 193, Healey on 161 and Emelie Granquist on 156.

EJ

Kai Austin probably enjoyed the most profitable weekend of anyone in the EJ paddock.

The Empire Kawasaki rider dominated Saturday to claim his third victory of the season and jump from fourth to second in the championship, just two points behind Bjorn Cardenas.

Cardenas finished second on Saturday, ahead of Archie Salopayevs, while Marcus Nowland was among those looking to respond on Sunday.

Austin again proved the class benchmark in Round Ten, although Nowland made him work considerably harder than he had the previous day.

Austin still emerged with another victory, Nowland took second and Cardenas completed the podium.

That has turned EJ into one of the most intriguing championship fights heading into the finale. Austin now leads on 175 points, but Cardenas is only three behind on 172 and Nowland remains just six off the lead on 169. Mason Phillips sits fourth on 150 ahead of Oscar Harris on 144.

Championship picture after Round Ten

Coonalpyn to decide it

If Casterton changed the complexion of the championship, Kempsey ensured the main event will run all the way to South Australia.

Ruprecht still has the advantage and increased his Pro Enduro lead across the Kempsey weekend, but McMahon did what he absolutely had to do on Sunday and prevented the Yamaha rider from taking complete control.

The equation now leaves McMahon needing to take a sizeable bite out of Ruprecht in both remaining rounds, but with 50 points still available the title is very much alive.

Elsewhere, Ruprecht is on the brink in E2, McMahon holds a strong hand in E3, Sheidow has useful breathing room in E1, Gardiner remains on course for a remarkable 10th EW crown, and only six points cover the leading three riders in EJ.

Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2026 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MXstore will bring the season to a close at Coonalpyn, South Australia, on September 5-6.

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