Beau Ralston Returning To AORC

Beau Ralston has endured a hard road of injuries over the past two years, but this weekend, he will be returning to the 2018 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). The Active8 Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team has stuck by the talented enduro rider, and he is determined to prove himself at Kingston SE in South Australia. The last time we saw Ralston in action was back at the 2017 season opener at Rawson, Victoria. Here’s what he had to say ahead of his return:

MA: Beau, it’s been a long time coming this year, but we will finally see you competing at an AORC. How are you feeling heading into Kingston SE?
BR: I’m very excited and I can’t wait to race again. It’s been a long time coming due to an unlucky run of injuries. After the first two rounds of AORC last year, I pretty much destroyed everything in my knee, so I had to have a knee reconstruction, ACL replacement, MCL and hamstring reattached, plus a damaged femur and fibia. Coming back from those injuries, the plan was to be a desert racer as my main focus this year. Bad luck would strike again, as a week before Finke I crashed and broke everything in my foot. That was a real kick in the gut, as I was in the best shape of my life…

What did you try differently off the bike to get yourself back into shape?
Training didn’t really kick up, I just worked a lot smarter and worked on parts of my body that I didn’t before. I also tried to train myself mentally by reading books, which I’ve never done before! I feel like it gives you a mental edge instead of being just physical all the time. It’s all about kicking the brain into gear.

How have you seen the AORC competition this year? You will be competing in the E2 class – a change up from last time we saw you.
From afar, it looks like it’s the same guys running towards the front end. I would like to throw a spanner in the works there, if I can. We have to be realistic, however, as physically we are not at one hundred percent. I will be riding in the E2 class on board a Yamaha YZ450F.

What are your expectations heading into Kingston SE?
I’m a racer at heart, so I’ll definitely be trying to win. We’ve competed in two races in about two years, however, so we have to build race fitness to properly challenge at the front. Can’t wait to get amongst it!

You must gain a lot of confidence with the Active8 Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team sticking by you through these tough times. Are you keen to get out and repay the faith?
The team has been unbelievable, including the riders, mechanics and Team Manager, AJ Roberts. We have a few new guys in the team such as Michael Driscoll, even though I’ve known him for a few years from racing before. I’ve also raced with Luke Styke in Juniors, so he’s not a new face. We both come from a motocross background as well.

It will be interesting to see how Ralston gets on this weekend at Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2018 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). The E2 class he’s competing in is stacked full of talents such as Daniel “Chucky” Sanders, Lyndon Snodgrass and Josh Green. Stay tuned to AORC.org.au to see if he can, in fact, throw a spanner in the works.