2019 AORC Final Round Recap

Just like that, that’s all she wrote. The eleventh and final round of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) has come and gone, leaving all prior ten rounds in its wake. With Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) and Daniel “Chucky” Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) having already taken their rightful positions in first place for E2 and E3 as the 2019 class victors, today’s Sprint format racing decided who would reign victorious in E1 and EJ.
Here’s the official news from Motorcycling Australia…

Over five laps across the WR 450F test track, it was Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) in E1 and Kyron Bacon (MX Store, KTM) who came out on top to take home their respective class Championship titles! To close off the year, Round 11’s winners were Styke, Milner, Sanders and Bacon for E1, E2, E3 and EJ.

E1

Arguably the most concentrated pool of talent in the AORC pits, the E1 class has put on a spectacular show right from the get-go back in Toowoomba, Queensland. To mark the final round here in Hedley, Victoria our top five athletes banged bars for the fastest total time, but it was Styke who came out on top, with a total time of 46:35.735.

Claiming the Round 11 win, Styke now sits pretty as the consecutive AORC E1 Champion, ahead of his teammate Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube). Driscoll finished today with a total time of 46:52.326, stealing away second place for the day. Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) rounded out today’s podium, with a total time of 46:54.350. In terms of the 2019 E1 Championship board, Styke is followed by Snodgrass in second place and Fraser Higlett in third (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team).

Luke Styke: “It means a lot to me to win back-to-back E1 titles! It’s always easier to win your first title than it is to back it up the next year, and the boys out there really brought the fire this year. Today was a much better day for me, and the track was super challenging with muddy sections that required a lot of focus.”

2019 AORC E1 Round 11 Top 10 Provisional Results:

Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 46:35.735
Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 46:52.326
Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 46:54.350
Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 48:15.364
Lachlan Allan (Kawasaki Castrol Off Road Team) 51:32.690
Ashden Gramlick 53:11.795
Bailey Koolen 53:13.962
Christopher Wynd (Cassons Hargo) 54:08.874
Alex Rudloff (Kawasaki Castrol Off Road Team) 55:40.227
Lachlan Muir 55:59.567

E2

With the coveted first place position for the 2019 season already wrapped up as of yesterday, thanks to Milner, the remaining two podium positions were still up for grabs today in E2. The eleventh and final round was once again claimed by Milner, who although plagued with injury this season, has managed a spectacular perfect season. Second place today was clinched by Josh Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) with a total time of 46:16.689, just over a minute behind Milner.

Based on his spectacular performance all year, breathing hot down Milner’s neck, Green also takes home a second-place finish for the 2019 AORC E2 Championship. Rounding out the Round 11 podium was Yamaha’s Stefan Granquist, with a total time of 47:53.683. Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) landed into fourth place today, solidifying enough points to claim the third and final 2019 AORC E2 podium position.

Daniel Milner: “Today was pretty good. I just made sure I got through clean and make no stupid mistakes. All in all, it was a solid weekend for me and the team. I was over the moon to get the win yesterday and wrapped to back up another solid round today. Now I’ll be able to get some time off the bike and get the body the healed up and ready for the new season.”

2019 AORC E2 Round 11 Top 10 Provisional Results:

Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) 45:13.653
Josh Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) 46:16.689
Stefan Granquist (Yamaha) 47:53.683
Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) 47:55.038
Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM) 48:41.694
Jonte Reynders (Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team) 49:07.077
Brad Hardaker (Banana Coast Pest) 50:45.564
William Price (Kessner KTM) 51:07.616
Nicholas Graham (Peter Steven Motorcycles) 52:14.316
Brent Dean 52:16.446

E3

Chucky by name, chuckles by nature. With the 2019 AORC E3 Championship title already under his belt, it would be understandable if Chucky took it easy today. Naturally competitive and a demon behind the handlebars, Chucky sought the taste of another class win as well as the fastest overall time for the field. With a total time of 44:51.820, the Husqvarna rider took out both the Round 11 E3 win as well as the fastest time today, ahead of Milner by nearly 22 seconds.

Sliding into second place today was Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team’s Andy Wilksch, who clocked off today with a total time of 47:56.764. Claiming the third and final podium position was Tom Mason with a total time of 49:44.235. The 2019 AORC E3 Championship podium reflected today’s results, with Wilksch and Jesse Lawton (Thor MX) taking out the silver and bronze behind Chucky.

Daniel Sanders: “Once again it was another good day for the team and I. To be able to win five tests for the final round and the overall round for the year is a great way to cap off what has been a fantastic year. Today has been a smooth and consistent day really, as I had no crashes and made no mistakes. I managed to fix the little mistakes which I endured yesterday. I just rode well and smart and had to keep riding the nerves away. Overall, it’s been a great season and I have to thank my team as they have put in a lot of hard work throughout the whole season. I just can’t wait for 2020 now to begin.”

2019 AORC E3 Round 11 Top 7 Provisional Results:

Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 44:51.820
Andy Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team) 47:56.764
Tom Mason 49:44.235
Jesse Lawton (Thor MX) 49:48.761
Matt Murry (Kawasaki Castrol Off-Road Team) 51:05.590
Luke Bunnik (Sherco) 52:03.971
Trent Tucci 53:14.367

EJ

He well and truly brought home the bacon after a superb season all year, claiming the 2019 AORC EJ Championship title! Bacon, with a total time of 48:06.292, blitzed an impressive trail all day, but couldn’t beat the sheet ferocity of Round 11 victor, Mason Semmens (Davey Motorsports, KTM), who clocked out with a total time of 47:14.738. Bacon conceded therefore for second place today in Round 11.

Coming in hot after Bacon and Semmens was Korey McMahon (KTM), who tangoed once again with Josh Brierley all day for the final podium position. McMahon closed off Round 11 with a total time of 49:21.624, ahead of Brierley by just over 46 seconds. The 2019 AORC EJ Championship podium was accordingly filled out by Brierley in second and McMahon in third.

Kyron Bacon: “This Championship means the world to me. It was great to have Mason here to add that extra level of competition that really pushed each of us to work that bit harder!”

2019 AORC EJ Round 11 Top 10 Provisional Results: