Gardiner, Stephens, Hutton and Giles Lead The Charge in Toowoomba
Round 2 of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) presented our Masters, Women’s, Veterans and 2 Stroke Cup competitors with challenge upon challenge, drawing the outstanding talents to front of each class’s pack!
Over three tests on the WR 450 Track, the Round 2 titles were awarded to Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) for the Women’s, Kirk Hutton for the Masters, Lee Stephens for the Veterans, and Adam Giles for the 2 Stroke Cup!
Women’s
Delivering a glittering performance on today’s WR 450F Track, Gardiner remained a dominating force in the Women’s class, taking out a consecutive class title! Living up to her campaign in chasing the current record for the Women’s titles, Gardiner lead the class by just over three minutes!
Landing in second behind Gardiner was Emma Milesevic with a time of 47:36.299. A maiden voyage in Enduro racing for Milesevic, who currently continues to compete in Motocross, today’s racing proved her growing comfort in the new discipline.
“So far so good! I’m still racing in Motocross as well, but I’m loving the challenge and change in riding Enduro,” explained Milesevic.
“I’m trying to bring the same speed and aggression from my Motocross racing, whilst also refining my technical skills”
Third place today was clinched by Ebony Nielsen, who managed an impressive weekend to hold onto the final podium spot, with a time of 48:16.332.
AORC Women’s Round 2 Provisional Results
- Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) 44:21.944
- Emma Milesevic 47:36.299
- Ebony Nielsen 48:16.332
- Danielle Foot 48:57.051
- Emelie Karlsson 49:28.960
- Zoe Boccari 56:57.933
Veterans
Stephens continued his domination today, clinching his consecutive class title, leading the Veterans by just over 20 seconds! With a time of 43:19.237, Stephens was trailed by Matthew Keipert, who finished Round 2 with a time of 43:43.326.
Nabbing the final podium position in third, was Christopher Thomas, who finished behind Keipert by just over forty seconds!
AORC Veterans Round 2 Provisional Results
- Lee Stephens 43:19.237
- Matthew Keipert 43:43.326
- Christopher Thomas 44:30.010
- Benjamin D’Arcy 45:30.266
- Jason Pearce 45:55.472
- Daniel Sawtell 47:39.455
- Paul Chadwick 47:40.939
- Luke Ablitt 48:41.890
- Phil Newman 51:19.834
- Daniel Wall 51:54.248
Masters
Moving on up to the Masters class after previously competing in Veterans, Hutton came out victorious today to take out the Round 2 Masters class title! With a time of 44:12.694, Hutton lead the charge on the WR 450F Track, juggling both a highly technical test and stifling Queensland heats.
Reflecting on today’s success, Hutton noted that “today was a little bit harder than yesterday considering we tackled the Pro’s track, which was tough straight from the get go. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have any rain because the conditions made it that bit more difficult.
“The competition this weekend has been great, making it an absolute pleasure to compete in a sport I love. I haven’t seen Tim Martin since 1996, so it was fantastic to race against one another once again,” highlighted Hutton.
Filling out the remaining podium positions was Timothy Martin and John Baker, with a time of 45:34.107 and 47:36.194 respectively.
AORC Masters Round 2 Provisional Results
- Kirk Hutton 44:12.694
- Timothy Martin 45:34.107
- John Baker 47:36.194
- Ian Jenner 48:11.147
- Craig Treasure 48:30.065
- Peter Rudd 49:47.717
- Ian McGillivray 49:58.049
- Kenneth Hicks 50:19.411
- Andrew Dennett 50:29.575
- Zac Williams 50:40.066
2 Stroke Cup
It was a very successful weekend for Giles, who has left Toowoomba today with two class trophies under his belt. Giles dominated during the three tests, keeping ahead of his competition to finish the day with just over a four-minute lead!
The remaining podium positions were clinched by John Isherwood and Todd Charlick, with respective times of 46:53.488 and 48:56.977.
The 2 Stroke Cup will return as a supporting class at Dungog, New South Wales, from April 6-7.
AORC 2 Stroke Cup Round 2 Provisional Results
- Adam Giles 42:25.605
- John Isherwood 46:53.488
- Todd Charlick 48:56.977
- Luke Francis 50:56.691
Our riders now have less than four weeks until they land in Dungog, New South Wales, for Rounds 3 & 4 of the AORC 2019 season!
Stay up to date with all the happenings 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
Images courtesy of John Pearson Media
