Phillips sweeps penultimate AORC weekend
The penultimate weekend of the 2011 Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) has come to a close in the Hastings Valley, with Ballards Yamaha Off-Road rider Matt Phillips sweeping the field yet again to claim his fourth consecutive round.
Blue skies and mild conditions greeted more than 150 riders at the Hastings Valley Motorcycle Raceway for the third last round of the season.
Phillips conquered the six kilometre sprint track in style, coming home thirteen seconds ahead of teammate Chris Hollis. Fellow Ballards Yamaha Off-Road rider Stefan Merriman clocked up the third fastest time of the day to cover the podium with blue.
Phillip’s performance has boosted him up the Championship ladder, and he now sits behind Championship leader Hollis ahead of the penultimate rounds.
Merriman was also victorious in the E1 class for the second day in a row, taking honours ahead of Ben Burrell (Ballards Yamaha Off-Road) and AJ Roberts (Force Accessories Honda).
Port Macquarie rider Hollis once again snared the top position in the E2 class, tailed by Husqvarna’s Glenn Kearney and Bartosz Obluki.
Phillips reinforced his dominance in the E3 class, taking line honours ahead of Motorex KTM’s Jarrod Bewley and Force Accessories Honda’s Nick Beattie.
In the Masters class, Trent Lean (Suzuki) repeated his performance in round seven to take back-to-back line honours, and was followed home by Yamaha riders David Cash and Steve Clark.
Husqvarna rider Damian Smith consolidated his round seven performance to storm home with a three minute lead ahead of Garry Dukes (Husaberg) and Anthony Smidt (KTM).
The blue sweep of the Women’s class continued, with Jess Gardiner of Ballards Yamaha Off-Road taking the top honour in front of Yamaha riders Jemma Wilson and Emelie Karlsson.
The Junior classes put in a solid performance, with familiar faces gracing the podium. Brendan Walther (Yamaha) claimed the J1 class for a second day in a row, with New Zealand rider Scott Sowry (Kawasaki) taking out the J2 class. Nic Tomlinson and Mitch Kellner (Suzuki) claimed back-to-back victories in the J3 and J4 classes.
The final two rounds of the 2011 AORC will be contested at Salisbury NSW on 2 and 3 October.
Outright results round eight:
Matt Phillips , Chris Hollis, Stefan Merriman, Glenn Kearney , Jarrod Bewley, Ben Burrell, Bartosz Obluki, Nick Beattie, Lachlan Stanford, AJ Roberts
Outright results round seven (final):
Matt Phillips, Chris Hollis, Glenn Kearney, Jarrod Bewley, Stefan Merriman, Ben Burrell, Daniel Milner, Bartosz Obluki, Ben Grabham, Geoff Braico
Championship standings after round eight:
Chris Hollis, Matt Phillips, Stefan Merriman, Jarrod Bewley, Glenn Kearney, Bartosz Obluki, Ben Grabham, Daniel Milner, Toby Price, Kirk Hutton
– Day One Report
Round Seven of the 2011 Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) has come to a wrap in the Hastings Valley, with Ballards Yamaha Off-Road rider Matt Phillips pipping Yamaha’s Chris Hollis at the post to claim outright line honours for the third consecutive round.
More than 150 riders crossed the starting line in the Hastings Valley to tackle the six kilometre sprint track in gusty conditions.
Young Tasmanian rider Phillips backed up his strong performance at rounds five and six in Callington to take outright out line honours for the day, coming in a tight four seconds ahead of Championship leader Hollis and fifty five seconds ahead of Motorex KTM’s Jarrod Bewley.
Ballard’s Yamaha Off-Road rider Stefan Merriman confirmed his lead in the E1 class, coming home ahead of teammate Ben Burrell and Motorex KTM’s Ben Grabham.
In the E2 class, Hollis took line honours for the second round in a row, followed closely over the finishing line by Glenn Kearney (Husqvarna) and Daniel Milner (Christensen’s Motorcycles).
Phillips coupled his outright win with a first place taking in the E3 class, finishing the day ahead of Bewley and Husaberg-mounted Geoff Braico.
Suzuki rider Trent Lean clocked up the fastest time in the Masters Class, followed by Yamaha’s David Cash and Vaughan Style.
In the Veterans Class, Husqvarna rider Damian Smith was victorious, tailed by Adam Schneller (KTM) and Garry Dukes (Husaberg).
Yamaha’s Jemma Wilson carried home the Women’s flag in another blue bike bonanza, shadowed closely by Jess Gardiner (Ballard’s Yamaha Off-Road) and Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha).
In the Junior ranks, Brendan Walther (Yamaha) continued his winning streak in the J1 class while Dylan Heaton stormed home with a massive lead under his belt in the J2 class. Nic Tomlinson and Mitch Kellner claimed the J3 and J4 classes respectively.
Reigning Champ Toby Price (Motorex KTM), out of action due to injury, was at the track to support his teammates and hopes to be back on the bike before the final rounds in Sailsbury on 2 and 3 October.
