Sanders Crowned E3 Champion, Whilst Styke, Milner and Bacon Gain Vital Points
The conditions were pristine and the racing was second to none. One rider who, you could argue, would sum up the weekend as perfect would be Daniel “Chucky” Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team), who came away today as the undisputed 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) E3 Champion, as well as clocking in the fastest time for the day.
Celebrating alongside Chucky, though not for Championship success but for the Round 9 win, was Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) for E1, Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) for E2 and Kyron Bacon (MX Store, KTM) for EJ.
E1
He backed it up again today to strengthen his lead in the E1 class, with the same focus and ferocity we’ve come to know all year. Styke finished his seven laps on the bLU cRU test with a total time of 1:12:31.488, just ahead of KTM’s Lyndon Snodgrass by nearly 16 seconds!
Snodgrass closed off Round 9 with a total time of 1:12:56.788, fighting tooth and nail to get as close to the first place gold as he could.
Third place was comfortably secured by Husqvarna’s Fraser Higlett, with a total time of 1:13:44.746.
“My day was good and it was even better backing it up from yesterday. I’m pretty ecstatic actually,” confirmed Styke.
“I just need to stay focussed and prepare for the Victorian round in two weeks time.
“The competition between me and Snodgrass right now is always great. I had heard that he is pretty comfortable in these sorts of conditions so for me to get on top of him was pretty great!”
2019 AORC Round 9 E1 Top 6 Provisional Results:
- Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 1:12:31.488
- Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 1:12:56.788
- Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 1:13:44.746
- Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 1:15:14.966
- Lachlan Allan (Kawasaki Castrol Off Road Team) 1:22:05.396
- Alexander Rudloff (Kawasaki Castrol Off Road Team) 1:30:13.097
E2
True to form, Milner was a vision of KTM orange as he flew across the bLU cRU test track, clocking in a total time of 1:10:59.206 and earning first place in the E2 class. Following close behind as a stream of Yamaha blue was Josh Green (Acitve8 Yamaha Yamalube), who rode across the finish line with a total time of 1:13:21.455.
Rounding out the E2 podium today was Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off Road Team), who claimed third place by the skin of his teeth ahead of Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM)
“Round 9 it wasn’t too bad and the track was unbelievable,” highlighted Milner.
“The track varied from deep, deep sand to hard packed layouts so it was really interesting preparing the 450XCF for the conditions.
“I luckily didn’t have any bingles today but there was one close call where I had to thread the needles between two hay bales when I pushed it a bit too hard.
“I’m still feeling pretty beat up today, and I don’t think my fitness is where I need it to be. Ever since the mid-season break my fitness hasn’t been the same. Coming into Hedley my main focus is just to rest and recover so I’m as fit and healthy as I can be.”
2019 AORC Round 9 E2 Top 10 Provisional Results:
- Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 1:10:59.206
- Josh Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 1:13:21.455
- Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off Road Team) 1:14:50.294
- Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM) 1:14:51.763
- Riley Graham 1:17:17.16
- Stefan Granquist (Yamaha) 1:17:44.224
- William Price 1:18:44.054
- Brad Hardaker (Banana Coast Pest Control) 1:19:09.284
- Nathan Trigg (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team) 1:21:19.279
- Sean Throup 1:21:31.634
E3
The man of the moment, Chucky! Claiming back-to-back fastest times this weekend, Chucky has now achieved an insurmountable amount of points for any other E3 competitor to become the 2019 AORC E3 Champion!
With a total time of 1:09:31.089, Chucky finished ahead of Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team’s Andy Wilksch, who finished his seven laps with a total time of 1:15:33.329.
The third and final podium was taken by Alex Bolton (Bolton Motorcycles), with a total time of 1:16:50.317.
“It’s a pretty great feeling to take out the 2019 E3 Champion title here in Coonalpyn,” gushed Chucky.
“The competition out there is fantastic and it was a real shame that Beau couldn’t be here for another battle, but unfortunately he couldn’t make it due to injury.
“Although I have the AORC title wrapped up, the year is definitely not over! We still have ISDE later on this year and of course, Hedley in two weeks, so I need to remain focussed to keep up my form.”
2019 AORC Round 9 E3 Top 9 Provisional Results:
- Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 1:09:31.089
- Andy Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team) 1:15:33.329
- Alex Bolton (Bolton Motorcycles) 1:16:50.317
- Jesse Lawton (Thor MX) 1:18:58.170
- Matt Murry (Kawasaki Castrol Off Road Team) 1:21:08.809
- Luke Bunnik 1:23:07.079
- Rory Hill 1:26:00.817
- Joel James 1:26:45.099
- Tom Devries 1:15:13.719
EJ
Josh Brierley (Nowra Motorcycles, Husqvarna) may have been the man in EJ yesterday, but it was Bacon who took out the win today with a total time of 1:15:49.689. Second place was clinched by Korey McMahon (KTM Australia), who tussled all day with Brierley, coming out on top with a total time of 1:16:20.456.
Brierley conceded for third place today, coming in hot after McMahon with a total time of 1:16:53.314.
“I’m so happy to come away with the win today,” explained Bacon.
“I had a great battle out there with Josh and Korey, which made for a tough but really fun day of racing! We were also able to remain consistent and avoid too many mistakes, so I’m really happy with how today went!”
2019 AORC Round 9 EJ Top 8 Provisional Results:
- Kyron Bacon (MX Store, KTM) 1:15:49.689
- Korey McMahon (KTM Australia) 1:16:20.456
- Josh Brierley (Nowra Motorcycles, Husqvarna) 1:16:53.314
- Cooper Sheidow 1:18:39.727
- Nathan Howe 1:21:29.081
- Jayden Rudd 1:23:04.921
- Riley Nancarrow (Dahlsens) 1:25:30.513
- Nicholas Wilson 1:37:17.950
AORC now heads to Hedley, Victoria for the final two rounds of the 2019 season, where our remaining class Champions will be crowned!
Don’t miss a minute of the action of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship by visiting the AORC Website at aorc.org.au, or by following the Yamaha AORC on Twitter and Facebook as well as @aorc on Instagram. Don’t forget to download the Official AORC app via Team App. It’s as easy as download Team App and search ‘AORC’!
Images courtesy of John Pearson Media
