Trail Bike Adventure Magazine

How The Rest Faired At AORC

Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:27

Stefan Merriman blasting his way through the slop!

Yesterday we posted about the Motorex KTM off-road team's success at the first round of the Australian Off-Road championship. They were obviously very stoked as they released their report faster than the rest, wonder why?

For those interested in how some of the other pro teams fared over the weekend we've included their reports in one hit for you to check out, starting with Yamaha below.

Yamaha Racing Battles Wet And Wild Conditions At Opening Rounds Of AORC

A wet and wild weekend greeted Yamaha riders for the opening two rounds of the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) held at Port Macquarie over the weekend.

The double header weekend, with round one on Saturday and round two on Sunday was a real test of man and machine as the water logged conditions pushed bikes and riders to the limit. Yamaha riders posted some impressive results as the 2010 championship sets off on the eastern seaboard.

SATURDAY - Round 1

Stefan Merriman (Ballards Yamaha) headed the Yamaha charge on Saturday taking second place in the championship E2 class and landed in a very respectable third outright for the day. Merriman used all his experience from winning world off road championships to get his bike and body through the challenging day and leave himself well placed early in the series.

"It was tough out there today and the conditions became extremely wet and rutted. Being the opening round, it was just a matter of using your head, keeping the bike on two wheels and making the most of the sloppy conditions," said the wily veteran.

Merriman was ably backed up in the E2 class by Josh Ballard (Ballards Yamaha) who put in a consistent performance to take eighth in class.

Yamaha took out the Championship Masters (over 45) with Geoff Ballard (Ballards Yamaha) racking up another win. Like Merriman, Ballard has a world of experience in his gear bag and put it to good use to claim the overall round win and put himself on top of the leader board early in the 12 round championship.

Other notable Yamaha performances came from Ben Burrell (Ballards Yamaha) and Kristian Sprenger (Pro Yamaha) taking fourth and fifth respectively in the E1 division. Tom McCormack (Pro Yamaha) slotted into eighth place in the same category.

Kirk Hutton (Ballards Yamaha) rode his big bore WR450F to fifth place in the E3 class while the girls had a tough day with Jessica Gardiner (Ballards Yamaha) in fourth and Jemma Wilson (Caboolture MC) in the back half of the top 10.

Dylan Hickling (Northstar Yamaha) finished out the day third in the junior class.

SUNDAY - Round 2

Overnight rain ensured the wet and soggy conditions continued on Sunday and officials even had to alter the days course because of the amount of rain in the region. Thankfully there was no rain throughout the day and the riders were able to deal with the trying conditions.

Geoff Ballard again lead from the front taking the round win in the Masters class, only this time he was matched in the results by the Yamaha girls. Jemma Wilson and Jessica Gardiner returned to form and took the Womens class on Sunday with a 1-2 finish.

Dylan Hickling also made the top step of the podium in the junior class, topping off a great weekend for the young rider from the Gold Coast who is a top contender in junior motocross events around the country.

Stefan Merriman and Josh Ballard mirrored their Saturday results again taking second and eighth for the round in the E2 division.

Yamaha riders also posted top results in the E1 class with three riders inside the top 10. Ben Burrell took third in class for the round, two places ahead of Tom McCormack in fifth and Kristian Sprenger in eighth.

Kirk Hutton didn't compete in Sundays program as he rushed back to Brisbane to be with his wife Leigh who went into labour in the early hours of Sunday morning. They welcomed a baby boy into the world at 2.30pm Sunday afternoon.

Rounds three and four of the Yamaha Australia Off Road Championship hit the rolling fields of Conondale's Green Park on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on May 1 -2. All Yamaha riders will be looking to build on a solid start to the championship.

Honda rider AJ Roberts finished inside the top ten at the difficult AORC opener after suffering a few problems along the way.

His report:

A mud packed track proved to get the better of Honda's AJ Roberts at the opening round of the Australian Off Road Championships after rains made for a heavily bogged Port Macquarie circuit.

Roberts and the Force Honda Thor Michelin Off Road Team worked diligently to prepare the CRF450R for the wild
conditions, however a blocked radiator saw the end of his bid for glory on the last lap of the day's proceedings.

"It was an incredibly slow, tight track," AJ commented.

"We were pretty much in first and second gear the whole time and paddling through with our legs."

"I got a good start, but had a crash and had to work hard to get back up with the front runners. Unfortunately, the conditions just got the better of me."

Round two on the following day proved to be somewhat more positive for Roberts, with the 27-year-old picking up the pace for the sprint format.

AJ finished in 4th place giving him 8th overall. "We'll just pick ourselves up and get ready for the Australian 4 Day Enduro now. I'm sure we can do well there."

The A4DE is scheduled for April 8 -11, 2010 at Portland, NSW

AJ Roberts didn't quite get the start to the AORC he hoped for.

Bussa & Husqvarna taste success at AORC

The Australian Off Road Championship for 2010 saw its first event last weekend at Port Macquarie (NSW).

Round one saw a two and a half hour cross country format that quickly degenerated in to what can only be described as a mudfest. New Husqvarna Racing signing Luka Bussa reveled in the conditions after having limited preparation time on his Husqvarna WR 125. The challenging conditions made for tough going on the smaller capacity classes, but despite the conditions plus battling the affects of the flu, Luka greeted the checkered flag for his first national podium in third spot in the Pro E1 Class.

Round Two saw the riders compete in a seven heat sprint Format. Initially the conditions were less than ideal with the mud gradually drying throughout the event. Luka battled fatigue stemming from the flu in the early heats and despite a crash in one of the early heats finished a creditable 6th on the day. "I had a great result in the first round and I was really stoked to come up with a podium finish for the first event. The track was a real challenge given the rain leading up to the event but my bike was great and the Pirelli tyres gave me some real confidence out there. I would like to thank Husqvarna and the Paul Feeney Group plus the other sponsors Motul, Ferodo, RK chains, JT sprockets and Pirelli tyres. I am looking forward to a successful season on the Husqvarna in the AORC.” Said Luka.

For additional information please see www.husqvarnamotorcycles.com.au

A good start for Luka at the opening AORC rounds . Pic: motology.cc

Round 1 - OUTRIGHT RESULTS
Rider     Class     Manufacturer
1st Toby Price     E2     KTM
2nd Ben Grabham     E3     KTM
3rd Stefan Merriman     E2     Yamaha
4th Jarrod Bewley     E1     KTM
5th Mitcham Harper     E3     Husaberg
6th Jason Davis     E2     KTM
7th Geoff Braico     E3     Husaberg
8th Josh Green     E3     KTM
9th Daniel McCoy     E2     KTM
10th Kirk Hutton     E3     Yamaha

Round 2- OUTRIGHT RESULTS
Rider     Class     Manufacturer
1st Toby Price     E2     KTM
2nd Jarrod Bewley     E1     KTM
3rd Daniel Milner     E1     Suzuki
4th Ben Burrell     E1     Yamaha
5th Stefan Merriman     E2     Yamaha
6th Ben Grabham     E3     KTM
7th Jason Davis     E3     KTM
8th Anthony Roberts     E2     Honda
9th Blake Hore     E3     Yamaha
10th Karl Power     E1     KTM

Rounds 3 and 4 of the Australian Off Road Championship will take place at Conondale, QLD on May 1 -2

For more information and full results on the Yamaha Australia Off Road Championships, log onto www.aorc.com.au