10 Talking Points From Bulahdelah

The topics that will be dominating conversation from Bulahdelah’s opening Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) rounds…

1. HOLLIS’ METRONOMIC CONSISTENCY

When Chris Hollis last won AORC’s Outright title – back in 2011, on a Yamaha – he did it without posting an Outright round-win. The fact he was a model of consistency and rarely far from the top of the podium is what earned him the title. After a mixed bag of results (including the 2013 AORC E2-class win) and several injuries in the past two years, the Port Macquarie rider is now back with Yamaha, and seems to have had the perfect pre-season prep. Hollis put in an impressive showing at the recent Troy Bayliss Classic, before towelling everyone up at the three-round KTM Australian Enduro-X Nationals. So, after posting a rock solid 2-2 Outright result at this season’s AORC opener – while his front-running rivals were up and down like yo-yos on the unforgiving, rock-littered, dusty Bulahdelah track – you can’t help but get the feeling that Hollis’ experience and being race savvy is going to play a key role in the outcome of this year’s AORC title. And don’t think for a moment that the 29-year-old doesn’t badly want to claim his third Outright AORC title in seven years.

2. MAD COCKY

We’ve all seen some crazy stuff go down at off-road races over the years, but Saturday afternoon at Bulahdelah topped the lot. About halfway around the 16km Supersprint lap, some character jumped out in front of reigning champ, Daniel Milner, near the top of a high-speed hill and flagged him to a stop. Thinking a rider had been badly injured, Milner pulled up and asked the bloke what was going on. “You’re on my f#@cking land is what’s going on, mate,” the irate bloke replied. After an incredulous Milner explained that he was mid-lap in a national enduro event, and that there were another 200 riders on their way through, the bloke dug his heels in even harder and threatened to fell a tree over the track. When he finally settled down and the riders returned to the pits after aborting the lap, organisers sent a posse out to investigate. Long story short, it turns out that this farmer was claiming the course had strayed 30 metres onto his land and that, unlike his brother – who owned the adjoining property – he had not been paid for the event’s use of his land. After the shemozzle cost everyone more than an hour’s downtime, competitors were diverted onto another track for the rest of the afternoon’s racing. But with so much time lost, they only got one more lap in before 5pm – making it a meagre three laps for Saturday’s Round 1 of the series. Not ideal, and enough to prompt some to claim that the entire round should have been scrapped because 75% of the intended six laps was not run.

3. PRICE’S RETURN

Having been sidelined with his well publicised neck surgery late last year, Toby Price could have been excused for easing himself into season 2014. But after running second to former teammate, Chris Hollis, at the Enduro-X Nats, Price was clearly done with the idea of running second. And when the boys had all cut their first lap in anger at Bulahdelah on Saturday, Pricey had bettered his nearest rival by 30 seconds, over the 19-minute lap. Considering that these top guys are rarely separated by more than 10 seconds a lap, Price’s balls-out maidenly mad-lap put the fear of God into his rivals from the get-go. It was if he had never been injured, and simply took up where he left off a few rounds into the 2013 season; as the guy that everyone would have to chase. So how the hell did he amass that 30-second margin? A wide-open-in-fifth-gear ridgeline that was peppered with loose rocks, big trees and precipitous cliffs on either side of the track. Put simply, Price was prepared to hold it on when his rivals weren’t. Price’s ridiculous bravado not only rattled his opponents; it also prompted them to complain to organisers that the section of the racetrack was downright dangerous, which led to the insertion of a couple of chicanes in it to bring speeds down. With the handsome lead, Price “backed it down a tad” for subsequent loops, and took the round win on Saturday. He opened his account on Sunday with another Outright win, despite collecting a tree on the opening lap and losing some time in the crash. But on the Sunday’s second lap, he speared offline at speed and pinballed his way though a cluster of tress, badly injuring his hip and arm. Valiantly, he refused painkillers and tried to race the final lap of the day, but had to shut it down just a minute into the lap in excruciating pain. His 1-DNS wasn’t the start to the season he was after. And with Daniel Milner’s 14-1 result, Hollis’ super-consistent 2-2 looked even better.

4. THE ORGANISERS’ ANGST

Organsing events can be a thankless task, but the crew from the Central Coast Dirt Riders Club certainly had their patience tested this weekend at Bulahdelah’s Chicken Farm. First up, the dry conditions forced them to change the cross-country format into a Supersprint. Then they had the drama with the mad farmer putting a spanner in Saturday’s proceedings. Then on Sunday, thanks to the genius of a few spectators who kicked the cord out of the timing equipment’s socket, a lap of the Senior and Junior laps had to be scrapped for Sunday’s Sprint format. Not happy, Jan!

5. ACTIVE8 YAMI BOYS

AJ Roberts – former three-time AORC winner and now Team Manager for the ‘second’ Yamaha team in the AORC pits, Active8 Yamalube Yamaha, can’t have been too upset after the weekend. In fact, he’d have to be pretty damn chuffed. Aside from E1 class rider, Tom McCormack, going 2-1 (his first ever AORC class win), and new signing, Stefan Granquist, going 2-3 in the E3 class, Roberts’ strike rider, Josh Green, came back just seven weeks after major arm surgery to card a 4-4 Outright, which put him in second place in the E2 and Outright standings after the weekend. And to add icing to AJ’s cake, Beau Ralston – who was finally signed just last week – showed he had to speed to mix it with the series’ best riders when he ran 4-3 Outright on the last two gnarly laps of Sunday’s race program.

6. BEWLEY’S RESURRECTION

After winning the AORC’s E3 class title in 2011 – back when he was a regular on the series’ Outright podium, Jarrod Bewley has sure done some soul searching. Having reinvented himself and rediscovered his love for the sport, Bewley now races as a Privateer (hilariously, he thanked himself on Sunday’s podium for being his own spannerman) with support from Husaberg Australia and a few other private sponsors. And this weekend, riding his beloved FE501, the Oberon Meat Axe put everyone on notice that he’s a genuine Outright contender again this year. He went 3-1 in the E3 class, but his third on Sunday’s Outright standings included an Outright lap-win. Bewley credits his wife, Victoria, for a pep talk that turned his weekend around. The woman makes a mean spag-bol, too!

7. RALSTON’S ARRIVAL

When Beau Ralston – Transmoto test pilot and 2013 frontrunner in the MX Nats’ MX2 class – posted a few podiums at the recent Enduro-X series, he turned heads from the off-road pit paddock elite. And it certainly created some expectations when the 22-year-old Newcastle boy lined up this weekend for his maiden AORC hit-out. Perhaps the big guy felt the pressure, too, as he crashed relentlessly on pretty much every lap on Saturday and finished just inside the top 10 Outright. But, after fitting a softer fork and making the conscious decision not to try and race the rock-strewn Sunday track as if he was on a motocross track, Ralston began to work his way up the Outright ladder, and on the final two laps of the weekend, he went 4-3. Not bad for a bloke at his debut AORC and who’d barely ridden in the bush up until a month ago. Look for big things from this quietly spoken but determined kid. We’ve been calling him “the next Toby Price” for 12 months now.

8. The WR450F

If you’ve been around Aussie enduro circles for a bit, you’ll be well aware of the political hotcake for Yamaha riders and their choice of YZ-F or WR-F race bikes. In the E1 class, Yamaha’s big brass have accepted that the motocross bike is clearly the weapon of choice – just as it is for several manufacturers. But in the premier E2 class – which is regarded as the perfect opportunity to showcase the abilities of Yami’s biggest-selling and most important off-road model, the WR450F – Big Blue’s brass have consistently leant on sponsored riders to ‘choose’ the WR-F over the YZ-F. This is in spite of the fact that the lighter and more nimble MX-spec machine tends to suit the intense Sprint-formats used for much of the AORC. Reigning AORC champ, Daniel Milner, had a YZ-F-only clause written into his contact for 2014, and Active8 Yamaha’s Josh Green has also managed to get his way and race a YZ450F this season. So how good was the smirk on Ray Howard’s face at the end of play this weekend?! Yes, it didn’t escape the attention of the Yami Racing Department boss that the WR450Fs of Chris Hollis and Stefan Granquist posted a 1-3 Outright finish, respectively, on Saturday afternoon, and that Hollis came away from the weekend with the championship lead. Of course, far be it from us to spoil Ray’s party by pointing out that – engine, main frame and wheels aside – Hollis’ WR450F is otherwise using YZ-F parts.

9. CHANNEL 9 IN DA HOUSE

To help fund Jess Gardiner’s Enduro World Championship (EWC) campaign this year (with Team Azzalin Sherco), the 21-year-old Aussie has embarked on a fundraising mission. Fortuitously, a producer from Channel 9’s Today Show caught wind of Jess’ story via that fundraiser – and the fact the AORC paddock has an Outright ISDE No.1 (Jess) and 2 (Dan Milner) in its midst – and sent a film crew out to the Bulahdelah AORC round to shoot a story about Jess, ahead of her departure for Europe on Monday. Given the complete disconnection between the world-class athletes in the AORC paddock these days and the ongoing lack of sponsorship for the series, a little mainstream media can’t be a bad thing. We understand the segment is set to air on the Today Show this coming Wednesday.

10. THE 19 & UNDER CLASS

Okay, so let’s get this right from the start. It’s not the Under 19 class, right?! It’s the “19 & Under” class, and it’s new to the AORC for 2014. The class was introduced for largely the same reasons it was brought into the MX Nationals a few years ago – as a stepping-stone to help bridge the gap between being a hero in Juniors and a zero in the Pro ranks between the ages of 16 and 19 – and appears to have been embraced wholeheartedly by young racers from several states this year. Riders in the Transmoto 19 & Under class (yes, that’s right, Transmoto is actually the naming-right sponsor for the class) are scored in the AORC’s Outright results, but not in the individual classes: E1, E2 or E3. Instead, they can ride any machine in the 19 & Under class, in which they’re independently scored. And the line-up of talent on show at the series opener suggests the new concept is working a treat. Standouts on the weekend were Daniel Sanders (aka, “Chucky”, or “Dirty Sanchez”), Tom Mason, Broc Grabham, Nick Lean and Kane Hall … plus a host of other youngsters who can keep these guys within sight, rather than get disheartened by finishing way down the order on the Pro classes.

11. TEAM HUSKY’S ARRIVAL

Okay, so this is the 11^th talking point, but this one can’t be overlooked. Even though the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s existence and rider line-up was announced just a month ago, the Glenn Kearney managed outfit – whose pit tent was buzzing with family and friends and helpers – put in a great performance at their first AORC hit-out. Kearney led the way on Saturday, with an E3-class victory and a masterful third Outright behind Toby Price. Close behind him in fifth in the Outright standings was FE450-mounted Lachy Stanford. Despite riding with injuries, Scott Keegan and Damian Smith also put in standout performances. Keegan went 3-3 in the E1 class, battling all weekend with split webbing in his hand – courtesy of a coming together with a tree early on Saturday. The wily old Smith soldiered on with a knee that he strained badly at last weekend’s Transmoto 12-Hour, and still managed to go 1-1 for the weekend in the Over 35 Masters class. Only one race in and the new Husky team is already mixing it with the AORC’s powerhouse teams. Word, Ginger General!