The sun was beaming down on the paddock at Kingston SE, South Australia for Round 8 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) on Saturday. Track conditions were pristine to kick off the penultimate weekend, and it would be Daniel Milner (E3), Daniel Sanders (E2), Luke Styke (E1) and Michael Driscoll (EJ) who took out class victories.

Its been a familiar sight this season for the four riders mentioned above, they have all lead from the front and today was no different around the YZF450 test. It was five kilometres of flowing grass track with a good mix of sandy terrain with a few tight and technical bush sections.

In the battle of the sprints at Round 9 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) at Kingston SE, South Australia it would be Daniel Milner (E3), Daniel Sanders (E2), Fraser Higlett (E1) and Michael Driscoll taking the victories on Sunday.

After battling it out on the YZF450 test yesterday, the riders were shifted on to the Total Earthworx KTM test today. The conditions proved to be quite physical for the riders as the soft sand formed big ruts and the technical sectors which included logs proved to be quite a task for the riders.

Daniel Milner - Image by John Pearson Media

Daniel Milner – Image by John Pearson Media

E3 – Round 8 (Saturday)

Milner was once again simply in a class of his own aboard his KTM, he stopped the clock at 58:44.297 after completing nine laps. After a nasty fall during the third test, Milner still had his composure and came away with yet another E3 victory.

It was another win, but Milner had to work for it; “It was a solid win today, it actually got quite difficult out there throughout the day. I had a good cartwheel on the third lap after going into the corner to hot, but after that I pushed to remain smooth and clean and finish well,” said Milner.

Finishing behind Milner was once again Lachlan Stanford aboard his Husqvarna who completed the nine laps with a time of 1:02:25.285. Stanford continued his consistent season that has only seen him miss the podium on one occasion this season.

Rounding out the podium in the E3 class was Broc Grabham on his Gas Gas, who makes a welcome return to the podium here at Kingston SE. His time of 1:03:29.791 left him ten seconds ahead of Andrew Wilksch on his Sherco in fourth.

AORC Round 8 E3 Provisional Results

  1. Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Off-Road Team) 58:44.297
  2. Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna Enduro Off-Road Team) 1:02:25.285
  3. Broc Grabham 1:03:29.791
  4. Andrew Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Off-Road Team) 1:03:39.909
  5. Jesse Lawton 1:04:43.551

E3 – Round 9 (Sunday)

The E3 class was once again the Milner show aboard his KTM, despite putting his bike down in the first test, he composed himself and got back to his usual speed, taking the win with a time of 54:29.417.

Daniel Milner - Image by John Pearson Media

Daniel Milner – Image by John Pearson Media

Milner was made to earn the win here today with the tough conditions; “My first run today I pushed too hard into the corner and tucked the front end and lost a bit of time there. There was a log section that had us all struggling and I was definitely struggling with it but once I sussed out a line I managed to overcome the logs. The track was awesome it was rough, technical, hard and something we haven’t seen in AORC in a long time, credit to AORC for not taking it out and letting us battle through,” finished Milner.

Backing up his second place in yesterdays sprint it was once again the Husqvarna rider in Lachlan Stanford, who pushed through the conditions to record a 58:46.646.

Taking the final spot on the podium and showing great improvement from yesterdays results was Thomas Mason. The KTM rider made some slight adjustments today and they payed off for him, with a time of 1:00:05.087.

E3 Podium - AORC Round 9 - Image by John Pearson Media

E3 Podium – AORC Round 9 – Image by John Pearson Media

AORC Round 9 E3 Provisional Top 5

  1. Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Off-Road Team) 54:29.417
  2. Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna Enduro Off-Road Team) 58:46.646
  3. Thomas Mason 1:00:05.087
  4. Broc Grabham 1:00:20.564
  5. Andrew Wilksch 1:00:32.740

E2 – Round 8 (Saturday)

Continuing his undefeated run in the E2 class was Sanders aboard his Husqvarna, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Sanders out on the track, finishing the day with a few battle scars in a hard-earned victory.

Daniel Sanders - Image by John Pearson Media

Daniel Sanders – Image by John Pearson Media

His time of 59:00.645 was enough to keep Wil Ruprecht at a safe distance; “It was a pretty good run for me today, I had a bit of pressure on me in the class from Wil who kept me on my toes finishing in second for most of the tests today. It was good to have a consistent day and take the class win, we now look forward to tomorrow,” finished Sanders.

Ruprecht has had a frustrating 2018 season to date with multiple shoulder injuries, but today he found the form many come to expect for the Yamaha rider, grabbing second in the E2 class with his effort of 1:00:16.082.

Lyndon Snodgrass continues to improve aboard his KTM after moving from the E3 class down to E2 for season 2018, collecting the last spot on the podium with a time of 1:00:55.865.

AORC Round 8 E2 Provisional Results

  1. Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Off-Road Team) 59:00.645
  2. Wil Ruprecht (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 1:00:16.082
  3. Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Off-Road Team) 1:00:55.865
  4. Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 1:01:08.709
  5. Beau Ralston (Actie8 Yamaha Yamalube) 1:02:49.186

E2  – Round 9 (Sunday)

Daniel Sanders has continued his stellar season, taking his ninth win in as many starts since returning from Enduro GP. Sanders found a way to navigate around the tricky conditions that took a toll on the rider’s fitness, but the Husqvarna rider stayed consistent to register a 54:58.946.

Daniel Sanders - AORC Round 9 - Image by John Pearson Media

Daniel Sanders – AORC Round 9 – Image by John Pearson Media

Sanders was happy to take the win but will look to improve at the final round; “The track was pretty rough today but I got off to a good start, but a few mistakes and crashes set me back from the times I was after today. All in all it was a good weekend for us and the team did really well to adapt to the conditions and help me achieve the win,” said Sanders.

After missing the podium yesterday, Joshua Green bounced back here today to grab second place on his Yamaha with a time of 55:54.471. Green is one of the smoother riders in AORC and today it showed as the track became rough and he still looked cool and calm out there.

Lyndon Snodgrass made it a pair of third place finishes here at Kingston SE, as the KTM rider ended the day with a time of 56:46.015. Snodgrass leaves Kinston SE in second place in the E2 championship race.

E2 Podium - AORC Round 9 - Image by John Pearson Media

E2 Podium – AORC Round 9 – Image by John Pearson Media

AORC Round 9 E2 Provisional Top 5

  1. Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Off-Road Team) 54:58.946
  2. Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 55:54.471
  3. Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Off-Road Team) 56:46.015
  4. Wil Ruprecht (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 58:23.192
  5. Stefan Granquist 59:27.463

E1  – Round 8 (Saturday)

After making the cross from motocross to off-roads, Styke has looked completely at home picking up yet another E1 victory. The Yamaha rider got out of the blocks well in the first few tests and didn’t look back, collecting a final time of 1:00:35.392.

Luke Styke - Image by John Pearson Media

Luke Styke – Image by John Pearson Media

Finishing behind Styke was Fraser Higlett aboard his Husqvarna, who has shown great improvement during his first season in the E1 class. Higlett registered a time of 1:01:54.958 to put himself right in the mix.

Rounding out the podium was the birthday boy Jeremy Carpentier who ended todays sprints with a time of 1:03:42.378. The Yamaha rider gave himself a birthday present by finishing on the podium and showing he is starting to come to grips with the Australian conditions.

AORC Round 8 E1 Provisional Results

  1. Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 1:00:35.392
  2. Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Off-Road Team) 1:01:54.958
  3. Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) 1:03:42.378
  4. Jack Simpson 1:05:18.374
  5. Brad Hardaker 1:06:23.545

E1  – Round 9 (Sunday)

After a second-place finish on the Saturday, Higlett has turned the tables to record his second race win of the season in the E1 class aboard his Husqvarna. Higlett has been known to enjoy the dusty and rough conditions and today was no exception as he stopped the clock at 58:30.922.

Fraser Higlett - AORC Round 9 - Image by John Pearson Media

Fraser Higlett – AORC Round 9 – Image by John Pearson Media

Frenchman Jeremy Carpentier grabbed his best finish down under, claiming second position to cap off a solid rounds riding with his third place on Saturday. The best result also comes on his 25th birthday, not a bad birthday present for the Yamaha rider.

Jack Simpson missed the previous round at Broken Hill, but he bounced straight back upon his return this weekend to snare the last spot on the podium. Simpson recorded a 1:01:07.670 to show he has found the speed again on return.

Luke Styke received a five minute penalty for deviating off the course, pushing him to fourth position with a time of 1:02.14.246.

AORC Round 9 E1 Provisional Top 5

  1. Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Off-Road Team) 58:30.922
  2. Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) 1:00:14.556
  3. Jack Simpson 1:01:07.670
  4. Luke Styke 1:02:14.246
  5. Brad Hardaker 1:03:08.529

EJ – Round 8 (Saturday)

The defending champion is looking to goods once again, Driscoll took out his eighth win of the season from as many starts. Driscoll set the tone on his Yamaha from the first test of the day, registering the only test time in the six-minute barrier. He ended the day with a time of 1:01:51.711.

Michael Driscoll - Image by John Pearson Media

Michael Driscoll – Image by John Pearson Media

“It was pretty good out there, it was quite a tough track, but I really enjoyed the challenge and just happy to take another win. I’m looking forward to backing it up again tomorrow,” said Driscoll.

Grabbing second place for the day was Husqvarna’s Joshua Brierley who is really cementing himself as the challenger to Driscoll’s undefeated season, registering a time of 1:04:09.735.

In another cameo appearance here at the AORC, motocross prodigy Mason Semmens was back at it and rounding out the podium on his KTM after clocking a 1:04:19.286. To add to the motocross flavour MX Nationals rider Callum Norton made his first AORC appearance and grabbed fourth in the EJ class.

AORC Round 8 EJ Provisional Results

  1. Michael Drsicoll (bLU cRu Off-Road Team) 1:01:51.711
  2. Joshua Brierley 1:04:09.735
  3. Mason Semmens 1:04:19.286
  4. Callum Norton 1:04:20.182
  5. William Price 1:06:48:981

EJ – Round 9 (Sunday)

The rider who continues to dominate the EJ class is defending champion Driscoll, who battled the rough and technical test here at Kingston SE to register his ninth win of the season. The Yamaha rider stopped the clock at 57:24.799.

Michael Discroll - AORC Round 9 - Image by John Pearson Media

Michael Discroll – AORC Round 9 – Image by John Pearson Media

Driscoll took the win, but it wasn’t the easiest weekend for his team, “It was definitely a technical track today and I was happy with how I rode and to take the class win again is great, big thanks to the team as it wasn’t the easiest weekend for us, as I had a few spills throughout but we got it sorted and took the win,” said Driscoll.

What a ride it was from Callum Norton, yesterday was his first go at AORC and today he has leaped into second position. Norton normally competes in the motocross format and was riding a Husqvarna in MX Nationals this season, but he jumped on a KTM and tried off-road and he adapted well, collecting a time of 57:51.715.

The podium was rounded out by Joshua Brierley to back up his second place yesterday, his time of 1:01:12.612.

Juniors Podium - AORC Round 9 - Image by John Pearson Media

Juniors Podium – AORC Round 9 – Image by John Pearson Media

AORC Round 9 EJ Provisional Top 5

  1. Michael Driscoll (bLU cRU Yamaha Off-Road Team) 57:24.799
  2. Callum Norton 57:51.715
  3. Joshua Brierley 1:01:12.612
  4. Mason Semmens 1:01:30.827
  5. Cooper Sheidow 1:03:33.958

The final rounds of the AORC will see the riders venture to Omeo, Victoria on October 6-7, with a Cross Country on Saturday and then sprints on Sunday.

Share this article