2024

Dickson leaves them high and Jye

Welcome to the penultimate Rounds of the 2024 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented by MXstore (AORC). Round 9 here in Kingston SE, South Australia featured a Cross Country across super tight, technical and sandy tracks. Thanks to overnight rainfall, conditions were primed for a perfect day of racing.

With just three Rounds remaining in the 2024 season, there’s plenty of room for drama in the fight for valuable points. Coming out victorious after a three-hour Cross Country race was Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha Off Road Racing Team) in E1, Daniel Milner (KTM Australia, DM31 Racing Team) in E2, Jye Dickson (Beta Racing Australia) in E3, Danielle McDonald (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) in EW and Jett Yarnold (Yamaha Motor Australia, Yamalube) in EJ. Each of these five riders also holds the lead in their respective class, for the 2024 Champion title.

Fastest overall time was claimed by Milner, with a total time of 2:56:00.150.

To access provisional results for all classes, please click here.

Bacon was untouchable today. Although his start wasn’t perfect, the Yamaha racer managed to push ahead and sit at the front of the pack for all three hours and six laps of racing. It all came down to the final 200 metres of racing, as Bacon tangoed with Milner for the fastest overall time. Unfortunately, the Tasmanian just couldn’t quite beat Milner, falling short by just over nine seconds.

“Round 9 today was quite good,” confirmed Bacon.

“There were no breaks at any point on that track, so it was probably one of the gnarliest tracks I’ve done in a long time. It was a good race between me and Milner, as well as the other boys in my class. I know Milner and I were fighting right up until the end to get that fastest time.

“The track conditions were brutal. There were at least 1-2 metre whoops throughout, with no straights so basically no breaks. It was a mentally challenging day, that’s for sure.”

Behind Bacon in second place was GASGAS’s Korey McMahon. Claiming the hole shot, the afternoon of racing looked perfect for McMahon but his speeds just couldn’t match that of the current E1 Championship leader. McMahon finished Round 9 today with a total time of 2:56:09.150.

Rounding out the E1 podium today was Tom Buxton. With a total time of 3:07:12.068, Buxton comfortably protected his bronze finish from the likes of Will Price and Brock Nichols, by more than three minutes.

2024 AORC Round 9 E1 Top 3 Provisional Results:

Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha Off Road Racing Team) 2:56:09.150
Korey McMahon (GASGAS Australia, Motorex) 3:04:20.835
Tom Buxton (KTM Australia, DM31 Racing Team) 3:07:12.068

It shouldn’t surprise you considering his track record all season long but Milner claimed another consecutive E2 class win. The KTM racer clocked off Round 9 with the gold and fastest overall time, further cementing his prowess and expertise in all Enduro formats.

Just over five minutes behind Milner in second place for Round 9 was Andy Wilksch (Beta Offroad Team). The Beta Offroad Team racer was a steady figure across the track, remaining steady and consistent to achieve his silver finish. With a total time of 3:01:23.467, Wilksch also successfully protected his podium position from Sherco’s Jonte Reynders (Motul Pirelli Sherco), as well as Yamaha’s Will Dennett (Shop Yamaha Off Road Racing Team).

Reynders conceded for third place today, finishing with a total time of 3:04:44.961. With his sights firmly set on collecting as many points as possible in the remaining three Rounds of the season, we’re sure Reynders will be back and breathing hard down Milner and Wilksch’s backs tomorrow.

2024 AORC Round 9 E2 Top 3 Provisional Results:

Daniel Milner (KTM Australia, DM31 Racing Team) 2:56:00.150
Andrew Wilksch (Beta Offroad Team) 3:01:23.467
Jonte Reynders (Motul Pirelli Sherco) 3:04:44.961

Dickson has returned back up top of the E3 pack! Thanks to his work back in Queensland Moto Park for Rounds 7 & 8, Dickson also currently holds the lead in the bid for the 2024 Champion title. With a total time of 3:06:49.240, the Beta racer comfortably claimed his win, regardless of the challenging track.

Reflecting on a hard day of racing, Dickson explained that “Round 9 was brutal.”

“It was a long three hours out there – the track got rough pretty quickly and when you add in how tight and technical it was, it was a tough day.

“Heading into Round 10, I just need to help my body recover as quickly as possible.”

Hot on Dickson’s heels was Riley McGillivray (KTM Australia, Shepparton Motorcycles). With a total time of 3:07:36.671, the KTM racer was just 47.431 seconds behind Dickson. It’s great to see McGillivray back up near the front of the pack, in his bid to protect his Champion status. With that in mind, we’re sure he’ll come in raring to go, bright and early tomorrow for Round 10.

Rounding out the Round 9 E3 podium today was Stefan Granquist. With a total time of 3:14:22.211, Granquist couldn’t quite meet the speeds of Dickson or McGillivray but he comfortably protected his bronze from Nathan Trigg.

2024 AORC Round 9 E3 Top 3 Provisional Results:

Jye Dickson (Beta Racing Australia) 3:06:49.240
Riley McGillivray (KTM Australia, Shepparton Motorcycles) 3:07:36.671
Stefan Granquist 3:14:22.211

Right from the get-go, McDonald seemed very in control of the EW field. Although she didn’t claim the hole shot, the Yamaha racer only took seconds to reclaim the lead. While she and fellow teammate, Jess Gardiner (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) banged bars throughout their five laps, McDonald’s speeds just couldn’t be matched and she simply ran away with the win.

“It was a really good day for me,” confirmed McDonald.

“I managed to get a good start, a good flow and stay upright. The conditions were tough, with plenty of sand whoops and rocky edges but overall, I really enjoyed it!”

Reigning EW Champion, Gardiner conceded for second place today. With a total time of 2:59:19.209, Gardiner happily protected her silver finish from the likes of Emelie Karlsson and Ebony Nielsen (Beta Off-Road Team). Tomorrow’s Sprints should be very exciting in EW, as Gardiner and McDonald battle it out for more valuable Championship points!

Third place was won today by Karlsson. Her racing gradually picked up and although other riders found the conditions tough, Karlsson scored her best time on the fifth and final lap! Karlsson clocked off Round 9 with a total time of 3:00:34.781.

2024 AORC Round 9 EW Top 3 Provisional Results:

Danielle McDonald (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) 2:56:03.518
Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) 2:59:19.209
Emelie Karlsson 3:00:34.781

Even more action was to be had over in EJ! Yamaha’s Yarnold claimed a hard-fought win for the top step against Eli Tripcony (Motorex, Husqvarna). After six laps, Yarnold scored gold thanks to a lead of just 34.741 seconds, leaving Tripcony in second.

Attributing his lead in today’s racing to his strong start, Yarnold explained that “Round 9 was tough. The track conditions were very choppy, rocky, with dry spots throughout.”

“It was probably one of the most challenging races I’ve done this year. It was tight competition throughout and thankfully I got a good start to help me.”

Clearly, the South Australian terrain and these tight, technical tracks suit Tripcony, so we’re excited to see what the Husqvarna racer does tomorrow to try and clinch that gold!

Last but certainly not least is Cody Howell in third place. Howell clocked off today with a total time of 3:24:22.308, a good five minutes ahead of Jackson Versteegen (Peter Stevens, Fox) in fourth.

2024 AORC Round 9 EJ Top 3 Provisional Results: