KTM & HUSQVARNA INTRODUCE ENDURO TEAMS

Victorian Andy Wilksch will jump from Husqvarna machinery to lead KTM’s charge in the 2023 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) and Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE). Playing switcheroo, Stefan Granquist and Emelie Karlsson will lead Husqvarna’s enduro assault after riding KTM last season.

Wilksch, 26, rode to the AORC E3 championship last season after being victorious in class on no less than seven occasions, while also claiming the runner-up result in class at the prestigious A4DE event.

Andy Wilksch:

“To sign with KTM this season has been a massive goal for me. It’s the first European brand I ever rode back on a 65cc, which is where it all started, and my first year racing an enduro series was on a KTM, so it is cool to go full-circle and to have the best equipment to go racing here in 2023. After winning my class and finishing second outright last year in AORC, the goal is to go for the win and we should be in a great position to achieve that with the 450 EXC-F. There’s a lot of racing ahead of us and a lot to be ready for, but I learned a lot from last year and look forward to building with KTM to chase that goal, while keeping it fun and exciting all year.”

Both Granquist and Karlsson boast a Swedish heritage and the opportunity to join the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand marks a unique and vast milestone in their careers.

Stefan Granquist:

“I’m really happy to sign with Husqvarna Motorcycles in 2023 and it’s a privilege to join the brand for this season. I’m actually from Huskvarna in Sweden, where the brand is originally from, so it’s pretty special. I’m feeling good on the bike at the moment, even though bike time has been pretty limited due to some injuries. I’m returning from a broken tib and fib sustained at the end of last year, then I broke my wrist in late December, so it’s been minimal in terms of seat time. But, at the moment I’m feeling good with a couple of weeks on the FE501 and there are a few more to go before the first round. Everything is going in the right direction and we’re really happy with how everything has panned out heading into the season. The goal is to win the E3 class this year and I believe we have the package to do that, so we’re looking forward to kicking it off.”

Emelie Karlsson:

“We got the call in December with the opportunity to switch to Husqvarna, which we were really excited about being from Sweden, where Husqvarna was originally from. I’ve been on the bike for about four weeks now, so we’re excited and our starting point is really good. The goal for 2023 is definitely to try and be on the top step of the podium, that’s always the main goal, and we’re working towards that. I’m going to do the best I can and take each race as it comes, but the goal is definitely to try and win.”

The 12-round AORC series commences on March 25-26 at Mendooran, NSW.