Gardiner Breaks AORC Record To Become Champion Alongside Stephens, Hutton And Giles
She’s done what she set out to do this season and broke the current record for most the most amount of Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) Women’s titles held by one rider. Jess Gardiner (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off Road Team) has earnt a consecutive AORC Women’s Championship title after Round 11 here in Hedley, Victoria, after a tough start to the weekend yesterday.
Racing across the Off Road Advantage test track, Gardiner was joined by Lee Stephens (True Painting & Decorating) as the 2019 AORC Veterans Champion, Paul Rudd (Kessner Motorcycles) as the Round 11 Masters winner and Adam Giles as the 2019 2 Stroke Cup victor.
Women’s
Much like yesterday’s unbelievable dance between Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha) and Emma Milesevic (Honda RideRed), today’s Sprint format saw Gardiner and Karlsson push bike and body to the limit, with one second separating the duo throughout the day. Gardiner managed to remain steadfast in her campaign to take home glory today, clocking in the fastest total time for the Women’s, of 51:40.759.
Karlsson, in superb form this weekend, finished Round 11 in second place with a total time of 51:46.906. Honda’s Milesevic fought hard all day today in an effort to regain her stance from yesterday, but couldn’t meet the fire of Gardiner or Karlsson, settling instead of third.
The 2019 AORC Women’s Championship podium after the eleventh and final round sees Milesevic in second and Karlsson in third.
“Heading into today I was very hungry for the round win, after losing it yesterday,” explained Gardiner.
“I knew this weekend I just had to finish both days. However, I really wanted to finish on a good note. I let myself down a bit yesterday.
“Today I wanted to finish on the high note so I went out there pretty hungry. In saying that I was still careful to not go to crazy. I just rode the way I can. I managed to win every test, apart from the last one as I came off. I think not only myself but the rest of the girls were feeling pretty fatigued after the cross-country yesterday. So, I’m just so happy to be able to get through today and win my fifth AORC!
“All of my championships are pretty special, so it’s hard to put a pin point which one is more special that the others. In early days, my first title in 2010 was fantastic as it was my first year in AORC and I was battling close with Jemma [Wilson] all year. So, each year has been a battle. This year’s championship has been the most consistent year I have had. It does make a difference to win back-to-back championships. I am already itching to get going again in 2020.”
2019 AORC Women’s Round 11 Top 10 Provisional Results:
- Jess Gardiner (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off Road Team) 51:40.759
- Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha) 51:46.906
- Emma Milesevic (Honda RideRed) 52:30.594
- Danielle Foot (Road & River Motorcycles) 54:43.303
- Kellie Catanese 56:26.178
- Ebony Nielsen 57:06.597
- Lauren Dunstan (On Point Motorcyles) 58:25.151
- Chloe Miles 59:20.014
- Julie Denyer 1:02:08.955
- Kasey Major (Rotaret) 1:04:39.429
Veterans
It seems that nothing can shake Stephens. Heralded the undisputed 2019 AORC Veterans Champion after the close of Round 10, Stephens didn’t let up or take his hand off the gas today as he rode comfortably into first place for Round 11.
With a total time of 52:15.000, Stephens finished today’s Sprint format racing well ahead, with Christopher Thomas (Thomas Lee, KTM) claiming second place with a 56:04.867.
Rounding out the podium and close on Thomas’ heels was Jason Pearce, with a total time of 56:15.472.
The 2019 AORC Veterans Championship podium reflects today’s results, with Thomas and Pearce finishing in second and third respectively, after Stephens.
“I’m feeling good today just a little bit sore from yesterday’s Cross Country,” explained Stephens.
“It’s been a great mixture of riders in this class where we’ve all been battling it out all year!”
2019 AORC Veterans Round 11 Top 9 Provisional Results:
- Lee Stephens (True Painting & Decorating) 52:15.000
- Christopher Thomas (Thomas Lee, KTM) 56:04.867
- Jason Pearce 56:15.472
- Luke Ablitt 57:03.606
- Allan Bennett 57:13.810
- Darren Lessio 58:57.615
- Scott Szabo 59:34.628
- Con Privitera 59:36.758
- Dean Minichiello 47:43.838
Masters
As he mentioned yesterday, Rudd was quietly confident heading into today’s racing, and with good reason. After five laps across the Off Road Advantage test, Rudd finished with a total time of 56:41.038, putting more than a two minute lead ahead of his rivals.
Stephen Boucher settled into second place today with a total time of 58:55.038, followed by Loui Stylianou (VC Traders), who clocked in a total time of 58:58.839.
After Round 11, the 2019 AORC Masters Championship podium sees Rudd join Kirk Hutton with a second place position, followed by Craig Treasure.
“It’s been a bit of s struggle today, as I felt a bit tired from yesterday. However, once again the tests were really awesome, so it’s been a great day,” confirmed Rudd.
“The tests certainly roughed up a lot from yesterday after the Pro riders were racing on it. In saying that, all the corners held up really nicely.
“Overall my season has gone quite well. It has got better and better! The main thing is I have managed to get more bike fitness throughout the year. Kirk [Hutton] has showed us all who was the boss in the class, which is a credit to him. I’ll be back next year to have another go and hopefully I’ll be able to give Kirk a run for his money!”
2019 AORC Masters Round 11 Top 10 Provisional Results:
- Peter Rudd (Kessner Motorcycles) 56:41.038
- Stephen Boucher 58:55.038
- Loui Stylianou (VC Traders) 58:58.839
- Peter Schaper 59:14.642
- Shane Cook (DMR) 1:00:00.379
- Ian McGillivray (Road & River Motorcycles) 1:00:25.215
- Ken Burt (DL Electrics and Constructions) 1:01:17.798
- Raymond Scott 1:02:02.134
- Nicholas Edward (Slims Engines) 1:03:01.002
- David Wagner (Toowoomba Yamaha) 1:08:00.794
2 Stroke Cup
Today’s final round for the 2 Stroke Cup saw John Isherwood (Bits For Bikes) drop off the starting order, leaving the door wide open for both Adam Giles and Chris Perry to bob and weave with one another for glory.
Quickly into the first test though, Perry racked up an impressive time, finishing Sunday’s racing with a total time of 52:53.745. Giles settled into second place behind Perry, clocking off after five laps with a total time of 57:20.326.
It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Adam Giles on becoming the first ever 2 Stroke Cup victor, who has scored enough valuable points across this season to comfortably claim first place!
2019 AORC 2 Stroke Cup Round 11 Top 2 Provisional Results:
- Chris Perry 52:53.745
- Adam Giles 57:20.326
And that marks a close on the 2019 AORC season. Further details on the 2020 season calendar with dates and locations will be released in due course.
Don’t miss a minute of the action of the 2019 and upcoming 2020 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. Don’t forget to download the Official AORC app via Team App. It’s as easy as download Team App and search ‘AORC’!
Images courtesy of John Pearson Media
