AORC rounds 3/4 brought misery for some, elation for others…

2024 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
Rounds 3 & 4 – Mount Misery, Victoria

Mount Misery proved a tough mistress with technical twists in dry conditions demanding an absolute need for patience.

Located in the Pyrenees Shire Council, Waubra is 35 km North of Ballarat. Home to Mount Misery, Waubra is famous for its the Waubra wind farm.

After seven tests, it was certainly the patient racers who took the major spoilts.

Landing atop the leader board on Saturday was Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha, Threesix Motorsports) in E1, Daniel Milner (KTM Australia, DM31 Racing Team) in E2, Riley McGillivray (Shepparton Motorcycles, KTM) in E3, Jess Gardiner (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) in EW and Kogan Lock (GASGAS) in EJ.

Round Three Senior Top 20

E1 – Round Three

It’s three for three for Tasmania’s Bacon. Right from Test #1 on the WR450F track, Yamaha’s fan favourite was leading the charge. Clocking in the fastest total time for Round 3, Bacon finished with a blistering time of 1:29:51.311. Mount Misery didn’t faze Bacon at all, as he comfortably tackled every twist and turn.

Kyron Bacon

“Today was actually quite technical, I really enjoyed my time out there and even managed to stay upright most of the time. The competition was tough. I battled out with Milner all day, as well as the boys in E1. I’m looking forward to getting out there again tomorrow.”

Behind Bacon in second place was Korey McMahon (GASGAS Australia, Motorex). The GASGAS rider had a fantastic day of racing in Victoria, as he successfully kept Tom Buxton (KTM Australia, DM31 Racing Team) at bay. McMahon finished Round 3 with a total time of 1:34:30.939.

Rounding out the podium today was of course Buxton. The DM31 Racing Team member from New Zealand protected his bronze seat from the likes of Brock Nichols (Husqvarna) and Billy Bray (GASGAS). After seven tests, Buxton finished with a total time of 1:35:30.020.

E1 (100cc-200cc 2/ & 150cc-250cc 4/) Top 10 Results

E2 – Round Three

Milner was unstoppable in E2 as he claimed another consecutive class win. A Victorian local, the KTM racer was completely at home in today’s conditions. After seven tests, Milner couldn’t beat Bacon to the fastest overall time and instead clocked off with a total time of 1:30:23.028, which was enough for E2 victory.

Daniel Milner

“Round 3 was quite difficult, that’s for sure. The WR450F test was quite a technical track with granite sand that dug away and rocks that formed up over time. All in all, I’m pretty happy with how I’ve fared this race considering the lead up. It’s been a rough one, so to win the class and come out with the second fastest overall time was a great boost.”

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Beta’s Andy Wilksch claimed second place in Mount Misery, jumping up the leader board since Roma. With a total time of 1:33:40.695, Wilksch couldn’t quite compete with Milner and Bacon, but he comfortably protected silver from Yamaha’s Will Dennett. Dennett settled for third place today, thanks to a total time of 1:35:43.523.

E2 (220cc-250cc 2/ & 275cc-450cc 4/) Top 10 Results

E3 – Round Three

It was a clean sweep in E3 as McGillivray claimed another top step finish. After a long day on the bike where a drop in focus resulted in dropping precious seconds, McGillivray remained consistent to ensure his first-place finish. With a time of 1:34:49.610, the KTM racer also managed to fend off Beta’s Jye Dickson.

Dickson finished the seven Sprints ahead of Queensland’s Fraser Higlett (Beta Australia). Higlett clinched bronze thanks to a total time of 1:36:33.137.

McGillivray

“My day wasn’t too bad, I just struggled to get going. The conditions here are pretty testing and very different to home, which I honestly wasn’t expecting. I slowly built during the day and had some pretty good tests in the middle of the day. There were a few mistakes in the last couple of tests which was unfortunate. The 500 was a lot to wrestle out there but in the fast stuff I was definitely loving it! It was frustrating to not get results I know I can get. All in all though I got the class win so I’m happy with that. Tomorrow we’ll work to stay smooth and consistent.”

E3 (290cc-500cc 2/ & 475cc-650cc 4/) Top 10 Results

EW – Round Three

Over on the MXstore track, Gardiner had her work cut out her all day. Over five gruelling Sprints, the Yamaha racer had to tackle tight, technical tracks whilst fending off teammate, Danielle McDonald for the top step.

After five tests though, Gardiner claimed gold thanks to a total time of 41:52.167. With a lead of just over 10 seconds, but both Gardiner and McDonald head into Round 4 with that first-place spot in their sights.

Jess Gardiner

“Today was wild,” confirmed Gardiner. “It didn’t start out great for me, I had a few crashes and got stuck in a few little ‘techo’ bits – which was a bit out of character for me. I pulled it back together though and had a pretty solid day considering me and Danielle were battling it out. It was also pretty cool to see us both go first and second out on a track ahead of over 200 Clubman! Heading into Round 4, we’re working on recovery and recharge for another solid day tomorrow.”

With McDonald in second with a total time of 42:03.172, rounding out the podium was Husqvarna’s Emelie Karlsson, with a total time of 45:23.867.

EW (Women) All Powers Results

EJ – Round Three

Yamaha’s Jett Yarnold was been knocked off the top step by Victorian local, Lock. Skilled in Hard Enduro, the GASGAS racer blitzed his EJ competition to comfortably claim first place. Clocking off with a total time of 1:39:37.043, Lock beat Eli Tripcony (Husqvarna, Motorex) and Yarnold to the glory by over one-minute.

Kogan Lock

“Technical suits me that’s for sure. The rockiness and sandy conditions definitely suited me to a T. The track was awesome and I had heaps of fun. I managed to have the lead most of the day which was nice. I rode smooth and consistently and rode my best race. Coming away with the win, I’m really happy!”

Tripcony rode to second place, finishing seven Tests across the WR450F track with a total time of 1:40:57.256. Behind Tripcony in third was Yarnold, with a total time of 1:42:07.188.

EJ (16 to U18) All Powers Top 10 Results

Round Four – Sunday

Hearts were broken, and legends were made at Mount Misery on Sunday. Seniors tackled the WR450F test track once again, but that didn’t make the day’s Sprints any easier.

After five Sprints, Korey McMahon (GASGAS Australia, Motorex) came out on top in E1, Daniel Milner (KTM Australia, DM31 Racing Team) in E2, Riley McGillivray (Shepparton Motorcycles, KTM) in E3, Danielle McDonald (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) in EW and Jett Yarnold (Yamaha Motor Australia, Yamalube) in EJ.

Round 4 Senior Top 20

E1 Round Four

There was unexpected turbulence in E1 as current leader board holder, Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha Off Road Racing Team), dropped heavily down the pecking order due to bike troubles. Stepping onto the top step was GASGAS’s McMahon.

After a challenging day across the WR450F track, McMahon managed to push away the likes of Tom Buxton (KTM Australia, DM31 Racing Team) and Will Price (Empire Motorsports Kawasaki Off Road Racing Team) for the glory. McMahon clocked off with a total time of 1:07:43.563.

Korey McMahon

“The conditions this weekend have been super tough. We’ve been doing 13-minute pretty much extreme tests with a little bit of grass tracks. It’s not easy but it’s definitely separated the men from the boys. People like Milner, Bacon and Reynders definitely showed us how to ride this stuff this weekend. I got pretty banged up yesterday and came into Round 4 sore. It took me a bit of time to find my feet but we worked some things out and took our time. Consistency definitely pays off! Kyron had some dramas today and that’s just Enduro racing. I don’t like to win like this but I’ll take any win I can get.”

Buxton rode into second place, behind McMahon just shy of 20 seconds. He finished Round 4 with a total time of 1:08:02.365. Rounding out the E1 podium for Round 4 was Price, with a total time of 1:10:17.604.

E1 (100cc-200cc 2/ & 150cc-250cc 4/) Results – Top 10

E2 Round Four

It was a beautiful, undisputed, clean sweep for Milner at Mount Misery. From start to finish, the KTM racer was utterly unstoppable as he went hell for leather for the top step in E2 as well as the fastest overall time. After five sprints, Milner set the pace with a total time of 1:03:52.269, despite a recent shoulder injury.

Behind Milner in second place was Jonte Reynders (Motul Pirelli Sherco), who bounced back after a lacklustre start to the weekend. The Motul Pirelli Sherco rider comfortably claimed silver thanks to a total time of 1:05:10.309.

Jonte Reynders

“Very challenging weekend to say the least. Saturday I had some electrical issues resulting in a DNF. Sunday was a lot better, but bending a gear lever and having a decent crash in the last test didn’t help our day. All in all, just happy to come away healthy with solid finish.”

Last but certainly not least was Yamaha’s Will Dennett, in third place. With a total time of 1:06:45.944, Dennett couldn’t quite crack silver but had no trouble defending his position from the rest of the field.

E2 (220cc-250cc 2/ & 275cc-450cc 4/) Results – Top 10

E3 Round Four

In E3 it was another orange-coloured weekend of glory as McGillivray claimed another consecutive class win. The Victorian local was once again totally comfortable on the WR450F track, regardless of the many twists and turns. After five Sprints, McGillivray claimed the top step with a total time of 1:07:58.699.

Husqvarna’s Stefan Granquist jumped up the leader board today to claim second place, thanks to a total time of 1:08:33.229. Granquist tangoed all day with Beta’s Jye Dickson, managing to successfully fend off the speedster by a difference of just over 16 seconds. Dickson settled for third, clocking off with a total time of 1:08:49.304.

E3 (290cc-500cc 2/ & 475cc-650cc 4/) Results – Top 10

EW Round Four

It was McDonald’s day to shine in the EW class on Sunday, and after battling it out with fellow teammate, Jess Gardiner (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) all weekend long, McDonald managed to produce super-fast Sprints all day to claim first place. After five Sprints across the Offroad Advantage track, McDonald finished with a total time of 51:31.583.

Danielle McDonald

“My day was good, I managed to claim the win with a solid lead, whilst enjoying some great battles with Jess today and yesterday. The track conditions here in Victoria were tough with plenty of bulldust and rocky hail but I enjoyed the fast, grassy tracks.”

Gardiner settled for second, clocking off with a total time of 52:40.136. The Yamaha racer was in fine form all day however she couldn’t quite beat the demon behind the handlebars that was McDonald.

Third place was claimed once again by Emelie Karlsson. The Husqvarna rider comfortably protected her spot on the podium from the likes the Ebony Nielsen (Beta Motorcycles Australia) and Courtney Rubie (Wearlusty, GASGAS), finishing five Sprints with a total time of 55:18.428.

EW (Women) All Powers Results – Top 10

EJ Round Four

There was even more action over in EJ, as the field screamed across the WR450F test track. After five Sprints, Yarnold reclaimed his position at the top of the leader board thanks to a total time of 1:10:41.221. Clearly the previous day’s lesson was learnt as he climbed back up from third to first, beating round three victor, Kogan Lock (GASGAS).

Jett Yarnold

“My day was good. We regrouped from yesterday and ended having a great day! The track was rough, rocky with some great loamy, grass tracks out back. The competition was tight the weekend between me, Kogan and Eli, it definitely made for some great racing. Now I’ll work on regrouping, getting stronger and preparing for Edenhope next month.”

Lock dropped to second place, with a total time of 1:12:54.931. While he couldn’t quite beat Yamaha’s Yarnold, the Hard Enduro rider was able to protect silver from Eli Tripcony (Husqvarna, Motorex), who settled for third place, thanks to a total time of 1:13:12.315.

EJ (16 to U18) All Powers Results – Top 10

2024 AORC Standings after Round Four

E1 Standings

E2 Standings – Top 20

E3 Standings

EW Standings

EJ Standings

Next, we head West to Edenhope, Victoria for Rounds 5 & 6 from 18-19 May.