Styke, Milner, Chucky and Bacon Reign Victorious For Round 3

Dungog, New South Wales (NSW) put on the perfect show today for Round 3 of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). With a Dungog record breaking field and a world class line-up, today delivered nothing short of magic as our Seniors used the seemingly pristine conditions to their advantage. Managing a full day of timecard Enduro, competitors were given the perfect canvas on which to produce their masterpiece, with recent rainfall helping tyres grip the soil as they blazed the trails.  

Riders confronted two tests, the WR 450F Cross Test and the Off-Road Advantage Enduro Test, navigating each four times. The EJ class tackled the bLU cRU loop, completing 11 laps across the day. 

Continuing their perfect streaks in Toowoomba, Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) and Daniel “Chucky” Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) came out victorious in their respective E2 and E3 classes. Kyron Bacon (MX Store, KTM) in EJ and Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) in E1, also finished today with the coveted top spot in their classes.

E1
E1 was the class to watch today as riders bobbed and weaved with one another for prime podium real estate. After an exhibition of fantastic Enduro racing which once again proves why Australia remains dominant overseas in Off-Road racing, it was Styke who landed on top of E1 for Round 3 with a total time of 42:04.943.

Breathing hard down Styke’s neck though was fellow Active8 Yamaha Yamalube teammate Michael Driscoll, with a total time of 42:35.031. With such a small time separating first and second place, the support Driscoll received from the familiarity and comfort of his hometown evidently drove the message home as he careered around the tests like a demon behind the handlebars.

Rounding out the top three for Round 3 was Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Fraser Higlett with a total time of 42:39.572. After a quiet weekend back in Toowoomba, Higlett was clearly chomping at the bit to jump start his position on the leader board.

2019 AORC Round 3 E1 Top 10 Provisional Results
1 Luke STYKE                42:04.943    
2 Michael DRISCOLL            42:35.031    
3 Fraser HIGLETT            42:39.572    
4 Lyndon SNODGRASS            42:52.364    
5 Jonte REYNDERS            44:05.529    
6 Lachlan ALLAN                46:22.486    
7 Thomas JENNER                47:36.230    
8 Alexander RUDLOFF            49:51.017    
9 Jeremy FRANKLIN            52:33.421

E2
Maintaining his perfect 2018 season and winning streak up North in Toowoomba, Milner was nothing short of comfortable as he navigated the Off-Road Advantage Enduro Test and WR 450F Cross Test. With a total time of 40:57.420, Milner lead the charge ahead of Active8 Yamaha Yamalube’s Josh Green, by just over one minute.

Stealing away the remaining podium spot from his French counterpart was a familiar face returing Scott Keegan, with a total time of 43:20.579.

2019 AORC Round 3 E2 Top 10 Provisional Results
1 Daniel MILNER            40:57.420    
2 Joshua GREEN            41:48.814    
3 Scott KEEGAN            43:20.579    
4 Jeremy CARPENTIER        43:30.164    
5 Broc GRABHAM            43:32.914    
6 Stefan GRANQUIST        43:59.160    
7 Alexander BOLTON        44:16.325    
8 Brad HARDAKER            44:47.648    
9 Kaleb TREASURE        45:23.728    
10 Harrison TEED        45:36.239    

E3
Leaping into action from the opening minute, Sanders owned the E3 class today to produce a crystal clear lead by just under three minutes. A devil behind the smile, Sanders simply could not be beat as he launched himself onto another playing field to finish today with a total time of 41:09.640.

Coming in to take second place for Round 3 was Beau Ralston, who remained a steady force near the front of the pack throughout the course of the day. Finishing with a total time of 44:02.716, Ralston needs to sink his teeth into tomorrow’s timecard Enduro if he hopes of knocking Sanders off his perch.

Nabbing the final podium position for the day was Husqvarna mounted Jesse Lawton, who finished after Ralston by just over one minutes. With a total time today of 45:33.445, Lawton has proven that his a prime contender for the title this season.

2019 AORC Round 3 E3 Top 10 Provisional Results
1 Daniel SANDERS    41:09.640    
2 Beau RALSTON        44:02.716    
3 Jesse LAWTON        45:33.445    
4 Matt MURRY        46:02.060    
5 Timothy LONSDALE    48:46.117    
6 Daniel WELSH        49:12.267        
7 Nathan DELAWARE    51:20.502        
8 Lachlan SMITH        51:47.874        
9 Chris DARK        52:18.983        
10 Liam FULLFORD    53:04.943

EJ
Continuing his winning streak from Toowoomba, Bacon has dominated the EJ leader board today to take out first place. Leading the charge by just over 15 seconds, Dungog’s sublime conditions proved Bacon’s sheer skill and tenacity for his first year in EJ.

Coming in hot on Bacon’s heels was Joshua Brierley, with a total time of 1:03:47.912. With roughly 15 seconds separating Brierley from first place, we’re no doubt in for a show tomorrow as fights to taste that gold.

Sitting in third ahead of fourth place by just over a minute was Korey McMahon, with a total time of 1:07:10.894.

2019 AORC Round 3 EJ Top 10 Provisional Results
1 Kyron BACON        1:03:32.667    
2 Joshua BRIERLEY    1:03:47.912    
3 Korey MCMAHON        1:07:10.894    
4 Riley NANCARROW    1:08:08.863    
5 Nathan HOWE        1:08:18.808    
6 Cooper SHEIDOW    1:08:20.184    
7 Mathew PYE        1:09:16.819    
8 Jackson PANETTA    1:11:59.376    
9 Raife DOOLEY        1:12:21.505    
10 Thomas TEED        1:12:29.422    

Our seniors return tomorrow for another timecard Enduro format. With the pristine racing conditions, blue skies and high speeds all set to reappear tomorrow, be sure head on down to Dungog to witness the adrenaline for yourself! If you can’t make it to the track, follow all the action and results viaAORC.org.au, Facebook and Instagram!

Images courtesy of John Pearson Media