Hutton Crowned Masters Champion, Milesevic Causes Upset and Stephens Flies Under The Radar
It was nothing short of sweet here in Coonalpyn, South Australia as our Seniors screamed across the WR 450F test track for Round 9 of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). Over seven demanding, sandy laps, your girl Emma Milesevic (Honda RideRed) used her prior Motocross experience to catapult to the top of the Women’s, whilst Lee Stephens drove comfortably into first place for the Veterans.
It was extra sweet though for Kirk Hutton (Yamaha Motor Australia) today, as he claimed first place for Masters, clocking up enough points to be crowned the 2019 AORC Masters Champion!
Women’s
This weekend marks a momentous occasion for two ladies in the AORC pits. Milesevic scored her second class win in her first full season, looking utterly at home on the sandy WR 450F test track as she crossed the finish line with a total time of 52:42.653.
Second place was scored by our flying swede, Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha), who came in hot after Milesevic with a total time of 54:14.649.
The second lady who can celebrate a very successful weekend and impressive career in Off-Road is Jess Gardiner (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off Road Team), who finished this weekend making history in the ladies class. Never before in AORC has a competitor in the Women’s class clocked up 2,000 points and we congratulate Gardiner on the fantastic effort!
Gardiner finished Round 9 in the third and final podium place, with a total time of 55:37.788.
“I’m really happy with how today went, so I couldn’t have asked for a better today,” explained Milesevic.
“The sand suited me really well and I thought I rode really well all day except for a crash in the last corner of the last lap!
“Heading into Hedley my plan is just to remain consistent and work on my technical training because I think that’s where I’m lacking right now.”
2019 AORC Round 9 Women’s Top 7 Provisional Results:
- Emma Milesevic (Honda RideRed) 52:42.653
- Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha)54:14.649
- Jess Gardiner (Yamah MX Store Ballards Off Road Team) 55:37.788
- Danielle Foot (Road & River Motorcycles) 55:41.875
- Chloe Barton 1:08:38.011
- Kate Bail 1:11:44.426
- Monique Hardbottle 1:21:27.921
Veterans
Cooler than ‘Cool Hand Luke’, Stephens was unfazed by the new, well-worn WR 450F test track, sliding comfortably into first place for the Veterans. With a total time of 48:52.847, Stephens was followed by Rowan Puma into second place, who crossed the finish line after seven laps with a total time of 51:54.866.
The final podium position was awarded to Leigh Bentley, who finished today with a total time of 53:16.861.
“I had an awesome day, it was a ball,” confirmed Stephens.
“I’m used to the sand so I’m really comfortable here in Coonalpyn. I have heard that the conditions in Hedley are similar to here so I’m hoping to just remain consistent as we near the end of the season.”
2019 AORC Round 9 Veterans Top 10 Provisional Results:
- Lee Stephens 48:52.847
- Rowan Puma 51:54.866
- Leigh Bentley 53:16.861
- Christopher Thomas 55:05.182
- Jason Pearce 55:54.309
- Matthew Robinson 56:07.952
- Luke Ablitt 56:11.807
- Paul Chadwick 59:36.986
- Chad Reichstein 1:00:22.682
- Matthew Lawrence 1:02:19.145
Masters
Masters Champion is another title Hutton can happily add to his already impressive resume, which includes numerous other Australian titles and FIM International Six Days’ Enduro (ISDE) medals. Aboard his Yamaha, Hutton closed off Round 9 with a total time of 52:38.729.
Peter Rudd stole away second place today behind Hutton, with a total time of 56:48.313.
Third place for Round 9 of the Masters was won by Owen Richards, who clocked in a total time of 59:11.253 after a demanding seven laps.
“I had no idea that I would be coming away today with the round win as well as the Championship title,” explained Hutton.
“I am very honoured to receive this Australian title and means as much to me as all my other titles over the years.
“This year I thought I was only riding for fun, alongside my son Harley, so I never imagined this sort of result!”
2019 AORC Round 9 Masters Top 10 Provisional Results:
- Kirk Hutton (Yamaha Motor Australia) 52:38.729
- Peter Rudd 56:48.313
- Owen Richards 59:11.253
- Michael Widdison 59:41.086
- Nathan Simpson 1:01:56.139
- Craig Treasure 1:02:04.071
- Ian McGillivray (Bright & District Electrical Services) 1:02:11.766
- Dominic Burman 1:03:09.351
- Peter Schaper (Torquepower Husqvarna) 1:03:30.156
- Dwayne Potter 1:04:37.747
AORC now moves to Hedley, Victoria for the final rounds of the 2019 season, from September 14-15. It will be down to the wire for our Women’s and Veterans as they fight for the coveted Australian Champion titles!
Don’t miss a minute of the action 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. 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
