Recapping the AusEnduro action from Casterton

2025 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship

Rounds Seven/Eight – Casterton, VIC

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The Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MXstore (AusEnduro) hit the VIC/SA border town of Casteron over the weekend to contest the seventh and eighth rounds of the series.  Recent rainfall had made the region’s infamous black sands prime for riders to battle it out in both Cross Country and Sprint formats over two days.

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2025 Australian Enduro Championship
Round Seven – Saturday

Pro Enduro

Wil Ruprecht (Shop Yamaha Off-Road Racing Team) had been working hard between rounds and was ready to bring the fight—launching off the start with a clear lead into turn one, just ahead of teammate William Dennett (Shop Yamaha Off-Road Racing Team).

Andy Wilksch (Beta Australia Enduro Team) made quick moves to settle into third, with McMahon, Milner, and Dickson next in line. Reynders, however, did not get the start he expected, finding himself back in 15th on the opening lap with plenty of work ahead.

Over the next few laps, the lead and positions at the front changed continuously. Dennett sprinted into the lead, throwing down one of the fastest lap times of the day. McMahon hooked into a rhythm, matching the Yamaha rider’s pace as they edged away from Ruprecht, while Milner sat patiently in fourth.

The heavy surface meant the bikes were thirsty, chewing through fuel rapidly. Yamaha was forced to pit first, handing the lead to KTM. Wilksch was charging—at one point passing Milner—but a couple of small mistakes saw him drop back. Ruprecht had lost the tow and slowly fell off the back of the group. KTM would pit the following lap, and Dennett regained the lead.

Yamaha needed to stop a second time. Dennett’s lead wasn’t enough, and KTM swept by. He rejoined 10 seconds back. Milner led with McMahon right on his tail, trying to rattle the boss and launch an attack. Dennett couldn’t maintain the pace—his heavily blistered hand slowed him down. Wilksch, sensing opportunity, launched a massive late-race charge.

When the chequered flag flew, Milner was victorious, amassing a 34-second win over teammate Korey McMahon. Third on track was Dennett, just holding off Wilksch during an intense final-lap battle. Both riders were pushing hard, right on the edge, all the way to the line. Dennett held on, but a post-race investigation saw him handed a five-minute penalty, dropping him to seventh. Wilksch was promoted to third.

Pro Enduro Round Seven Results – Top 15

 

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E1

In E1, Jonte Reynders (DM31 KTM Racing Team) didn’t get the start he wanted, buried mid-pack on the opening lap. Cooper Sheidow (BluCru Yamaha), fresh off a win at the last round, again found himself at the front and pushing hard. Will Price (Empire Kawasaki) and Jett Yarnold (BluCru Yamaha) followed, in a battle that would rage the entire race.

Reynders wasted no time, working his way past numerous riders to challenge for the lead early on lap two. Sheidow fought back but couldn’t hold the spot, slipping to second.

Price and Yarnold continued to swap positions—it seemed like a back-and-forth every lap. Fraser Higlett (BluCru Yamaha) began the day well outside the top ten—15th in fact after lap one—but charged hard through the field each lap.

At the flag, Reynders came out on top—two minutes clear of Sheidow, with a hard-fought third going to Higlett. Price edged out Yarnold for fourth.

E1 Round Seven Results

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E2

Off the start, Wil Ruprecht looked to be the rider to chase in E2. He led early, but William Dennett had other ideas—blasting past and setting the pace.

McMahon latched on, monitoring every move, Andy Wilksch pushing until a small mistake left him momentarily on the ground, forcing him to restart the charge.

In the heavy conditions, Yamaha knew they’d need two fuel stops and tried to build a gap. It almost worked—Dennett returned to the track still in the fight, with Daniel Milner (DM31 KTM Racing Team) leading from McMahon.

Ruprecht slipped back, eventually finishing fifth. Wilksch moved into fourth. A mid-race lull saw him stuck in position, but he switched up his approach in the closing laps.

Dennett re-inherited the lead after KTM’s pit stop and again tried to stretch a gap, knowing another stop was coming. But KTM came back swinging—Milner and McMahon recorded their fastest laps on lap five straight after pitting, also the fastest of the race.

KTM pulled away, with Milner’s patience and consistency delivering another win, McMahon strong in second. The battle for third was intense. Dennett held off a huge final two-lap charge from Wilksch, but with the time penalty, Wilksch secured the final step on the podium.

E2 Round Seven Results

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E3

In E3, Korey McMahon (DM31 KTM Racing Team) was hungry for redemption—fast off the line, rounding turn one right on the lead.

Last round winner Jye Dickson (Beta Australia Enduro Team) just trying to stay upright through turn one. Riley McGillivray (Husqvarna Australia) got a solid start, running top ten outright and third in class.

McMahon was faultless—running with Milner up front in Pro Enduro while walking away from his E3 competitors, finishing with a 2.5-minute gap.
Dickson didn’t have the pace for cross country but a consistent ride earned him second and valuable championship points.

It was heartbreak for Riley McGillivray—running out of fuel on the final lap, scoring a DNF. That allowed Max Rikys to claim third after an epic comeback—from 42nd outright after lap one to 20th at the flag.

E3 Round Seven Results

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EW

The EW class started with a bang. Jessica Gardiner (JGR Yamaha Off-Road Racing) led early, but Madi Simpson (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha) wanted in.

A bold move within the first few turns put Simpson out front, but the excitement got the better of her—crashing hard just a few corners later. Thankfully uninjured, she remounted and began another charge.

Gardiner reclaimed the lead and never looked back—stretching the gap lap after lap to an unchallenged victory. But the battle behind was far from over.

Madisson Healey returned to the Australian Enduro championship after missing Tintinara for desert racing duties. She slipped straight back into form—comfortably in second while chaos unfolded around her. But her own drama was just around the corner: a flat rear tyre early on the last lap. With 20 km to go, she pushed hard, managing speed and control.

Simpson, unaware of Healey’s issue, was charging—closing rapidly and making up huge ground. In the final two corners, she almost had her. At the line, Healey held on by just two seconds for second place, with Simpson right behind in third.

EW Round Seven Results

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EJ

Jackson Versteegen got the jump, surging inside the top 15 outright in the early laps before drifting back but maintaining a solid class lead.
Oliver Paterno had another strong day—starting outside the top 30 outright, charging to 19th, and securing second in class.

Consistency wins championships, and Will McInnes proved that again—third today and looking right at home in the sandy conditions.

EJ Round Seven Results

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2025 Australian Enduro Championship
Round Eight – Sunday

Pro Enduro

The opening test set the tone for a battle that would go down to the final stages. After an average cross-country showing, Jye Dickson (Beta Australia Enduro Team) was back on pace in Sunday’s sprints—clocking the fastest times in the first two tests before a mistake in the third slowed his momentum.

Korey McMahon (DM31 KTM Racing Team) was in the fight from the start, finishing second in the first two tests, winning the third, and never letting teammate Daniel Milner (DM31 KTM Racing Team) past for the entire day.

Milner was strong, matching the front-runners’ pace and capitalising on Dickson’s mistake in test three.

Wil Ruprecht (Shop Yamaha Off-Road Racing Team) looked more comfortable, several fourth-place finishes early on, and times close to the leaders, kept him in contention.

Andy Wilksch (Beta Australia Enduro Team) and William Dennett (Shop Yamaha) took time to find form—Wilksch clicking in test four, and Dennett firing in test five.

Dickson returned to the top in test four, McMahon responded in test five, but the sixth test proved costly for Dickson—a crash dropped him down the order.

McMahon surged ahead, taking another test win and sealing his first-ever Pro Enduro overall victory. Dickson finished a hard-fought second, with Milner rounding out the podium in third.

Pro Enduro Round Eight Results

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E1

Jonte Reynders (DM31 KTM Racing Team) was all business at Casterton. His opening test win was a statement, and he backed it up by clean-sweeping all seven tests for a commanding 20-second victory.

Jonte Reynders

“Racing a 250 in these conditions definitely makes you work for it, but the KTM 250 XC-F didn’t miss a beat and performed flawlessly all weekend. We managed to notch up another two class wins here in Casterton, so I’m stoked on that! The boys killed it all weekend, and we were able to sweep our three classes both days, so it couldn’t have gone much better than that.”

Cooper Sheidow (BluCru Yamaha) continued to gather strong championship points, finishing second in every test – steadily closing the gap to Reynders across the season.

The battle for third was fierce. Jett Yarnold (BluCru Yamaha), Fraser Higlett (BluCru Yamaha), Ryan Hayward, and Ty Kean swapped positions throughout the day. With tight margins and few mistakes from any rider, it was Ryan Hayward who launched at the opportunity—grabbing third in the final test to land on the podium.

E1 Round Eight Results – Top 20

 

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E2

Daniel Milner maintained his dominance in E2, going unchallenged in class, extending his championship lead. Wil Ruprecht started strong—just two seconds behind Milner in test one—and stayed close across the day, securing second overall and showing a return to form.

Daniel Milner

“Round seven was a good day, I got off to a reasonable start in the Cross Country. I put in a charge after the pit stop, tried to ride smooth and consistent, and managed to come away with the win there. But, what a weekend – it’s unbelievable to see Korey get his first outright win! To be honest, it’s quite emotional to see that, we’ve been putting a fair bit of work in with him to try and get him up and going, so to see it happen, it’s so cool to see. My day wasn’t too bad, I tried to stay clean and not make too many mistakes, but I just didn’t have the pace that the boys were running today.”

Wil Ruprecht – P2

“I have mixed emotions about the weekend. The upside is my pace and sand riding in general is better and I’m consistently around the mark of the best guys in the sand. The negative is that I come to every round with the goal to win and more importantly at the moment, make ground up in the championship. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that but we stuck at it all weekend and the team did a great job. We made a suspension change after Saturday and that was a step in the right direction so I know the guys won’t quit and we will keep swinging until the final metre of the final test.”

William Dennett and Andy Wilksch were again locked in battle, but a test five win from Dennett helped him claim the final step on the podium, with Wilksch in fourth.

Will Dennett – P3

“The penalty on Saturday cost me and it was my fault, so I have to cop that one on the chin, but for the most part, I felt my riding was good all weekend. Both days my times and speed were very competitive, and the results probably don’t show just how tight it was in many of the tests. So for me, it’s about taking the positives from the weekend and that the gap between myself and the leaders is getting smaller. We move onto Hattah next, and I think I have a good shot at it as the bike and the team are working great and I believe I can match it with anyone in the sand.”

E2 Round Eight Results

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E3

As seen in Pro Enduro, E3 was a two-man showdown between McMahon and Dickson. Both riders traded test wins and were separated by just seven seconds after five tests.

The sixth test proved pivotal—Dickson, who led the field out, suffered two heavy crashes, losing around 20 seconds. McMahon capitalised, securing back-to-back wins and extending his championship lead.

Korey McMahon

“Saturday was a brutal track for the Cross Country, but the KTM 500 EXC-F worked awesome, the team did a great job, and it was really cool to go 1-2 with the boss – he’s been a big part of my journey so far. I’m stoked with Sunday, first in class and first outright, it doesn’t get any better than that. It’s good to get that monkey off my back, and it all goes back to our team manager, because Milner’s been putting so much work into us riders, so it’s unreal to see it pay off. It was a solid weekend all around, but I’m pumped to get this win today, for sure!”

Dickson was disappointed with his mistakes but remained positive about his pace and confidence heading into the next rounds.

After a heartbreaking DNF in the cross-country, Riley McGillivray (Husqvarna Australia) bounced back with a strong third in E3, showing his continued growth and consistency.

E3 Round Eight Results

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EW

Jessica Gardiner (JGR Yamaha Off-Road Racing) once again topped the class. She flew out of the gates in test one but had to overcome drama on track—tangling with another rider and even hitting the ground. Despite that, she stayed composed and determined, extending her championship lead with another win.

Madison Healey backed up her podium from Round 7 with a strong second-place finish, but it wasn’t easy. Madi Simpson (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha) and Emma Milesevic (returning to racing this weekend) kept the pressure on.

Simpson claimed a second-place test result early but slipped down the order after a sixth in test three. She bounced back with a win in test four, rejoining the fight.

Healey held strong to secure second, while Milesevic claimed third after a consistent return to racing.

EW Round Eight Results

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EJ

Will McInnes came out firing, taking the win in the first test with Kogan Lock in close pursuit. Jackson Versteegen sat third, with Oliver Paterno and Davey Gear rounding out the top five.

McInnes continued with another win and a string of runner-up finishes, while Lock matched the pace until a tip-over in test four saw him lose ground.

All four top riders claimed at least one test win, and the racing was tight throughout. Versteegen made a late charge—winning the final test to leap into the lead and complete the double victory at Casterton.

McInnes held on for second, while third place came down to the final test—Davey Gear claimed test seven and with it, the final step on the podium.

EJ Round Eight Results

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2025 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship Standings after Round Eight

Pro Enduro Standings

E1 Standings – Top 10

E2 Standings – Top 10

E3 Standings – Top 10

EJ Standings – Top 10

EW Standings – Top 10

The championship next heads to Kyogle, NSW, for rounds nine and ten of the championship on the weekend of September 14.

Images by Troy Pears

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2025 AusEnduro classes of competition

Senior championship

• E1: 120-200cc 2T and 150-250cc 4T
• E2: 220-250cc 2T and 275-450cc 4T
• E3: 290-500cc 2t & 475-650cc 4T
• EJ (Junior): All Powers (Rider must be under 18 years as of January 1, 2025)
• EW (Women): All Powers
• EV (Vets): All Powers (Rider must be 35-plus years of age before January 1, 2025)
• EM (Masters): All Powers (Rider must be 45-plus years of age before January 1, 2025)

Junior championship

• J2 (12-U15 years): 85cc 2T and up to 150cc 4T
• J3 (13-U15 years): 100-200cc 2T and 200-250cc 4T
• J4 (15 years): 100-200cc 2T and 200-250cc 4T
• JG (12-U16 years): 85-200cc 2T and 150-250cc 4T

Cup

• JJ (9-U12 years): 65cc
• J1 (9-U12 years): 85cc 2T and 150cc 4
• Sportsman: All Powers, state clubman riders
• EWD (Enduro Women’s Development): All Powers
• EL (Legends): All Powers (Rider must be 50-plus years of age before January 1, 2025)

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2025 Australian Enduro Championship Calendar

• Rds 1-2: March 1-2, Kempsey, NSW
• Rds 3-4: April 5-6, Traralgon, Vic
• Rds 5-6: May 31-June 1, Tintinara, SA
• Rds 7-8: June 28-29, Casterton, Vic
• Rds 9-10: September 13-14, Kyogle, NSW
• Rds 11-12: October 11-12, Gympie, Qld