AORC: Green & Price win at Hedley

Active8 Yamaha’s Josh Green claimed his first Outright win for the year at the third round of the 2015 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

Green, who completed the Cross country circuit in a time of three hours, 22 minutes and 14 seconds held off strong challenges from KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Daniel “Chucky” Sanders and teammate, Beau Ralston. All three had their moments, with Sanders leading in the early laps, before Green grabbed control of the race at the beginning of the fourth lap to lead from there on in. Ralston then engaged in a see-sawing battle with Sanders, with each jostling throughout the day for a proper crack at the lead.

Defending AORC champ, KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Toby Price, finished in fourth Overall, while Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team rider, Lachlan Stanford, rounded out the top five. CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis had a day to forget after succumbing to an elbow injury in a tangle on the first lap. Hollis was sent to hospital for scans, and was deemed unable to race Sunday’s Sprint round.

Victorian Tom Mason had a fantastic day with a win in the Transmoto 19 & Under class, defeating Lyndon Snodgrass and Wil Ruprecht. The Bolton’s KTM rider managed to finish 11th Outright, too. In the Women’s class, Yamaha’s Tayla Jones continued on her dominant start to the series with a convincing win over Jess Gardiner and Emelie Karlsson.

On Sunday, Price took out all five Sprint heats on offer with a total time of 59 minutes and 27 seconds. In the process, he claimed the E3 class win and extended his Overall series lead. Green was again at the pointy end of the field, taking his fourth E1 class victory of the year and claiming second Outright, while Price’s teammate, Tye Simmonds, took home his first-ever E2 class win and claimed third Outright. Sanders and Yamaha-mounted Privateer, Stefan Granquist, rounded out the top five.

In the Transmoto 19 & Under Class, Mason made it two-from-two, extending his lead in the Overall standings. He was joined on the podium by Snodgrass and Andrew Wilksch. Jones won four out of five heats on offer to claim victory the Women’s class. Gardiner, who won the last heat, finished in second, while Yamaha-mounted rider, Jemma Wilson, finished in third.

The AORC will now head to Karoonda, South Australia, for the fifth and sixth rounds on May 23-24.

Stay up to date with all the happenings of the 2015 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (and find detailed series results) by visiting the AORC section of the Motorcycling Australia website.