Dungog AORC: What To Expect

Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2018 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) are on this weekend, and with that in mind, here’s what you can expect to see at Dungog in NSW on July 28-29. The paddock will host the first time-carded enduro of the season, and the Dungog Motorcycle Club have put together two tests that will challenge riders’ skills over the two days.

The format in the first four rounds of the season saw riders taking on sprints, but at Dungog they will face two one-day enduros. Many of the riders would have faced a similar format earlier this year at Cessnock for the Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE), but for those who missed the A4DE, they must think back to Kyogle last year for Rounds 9 and 10. A gruelling six to seven hours faces the riders on the Saturday, whilst on Sunday, the field will face five to six hours on the bike.

The riders will take on two different tests; an Enduro test and a Cross test. The Enduro test will be tight and technical with riders working their way through dry creek beds, rocky terrain, tree stumps and compact corners. The Cross test, on the other hand, will offer riders the chance to get on the throttle and open their bikes up as the grasstrack has a great flow.

A tantalizing battle lies ahead in the Women’s class this weekend as both Jessica Gardiner and Jemma Wilson come into Dungog tied on 92 points, and behind them, Emelie Karlsson and Sophie Coldicutt are split by just one point in the battle for third place on 74 and 75, respectively. To add to the battle in the Women’s class, at the A4DE, Gardiner got the better of Wilson, but the pair will be ready to duke it out once again in an enduro format as they try to leave Dungog as the points leader.

In the Men’s classes, the question is, can Daniel Milner (E3), Daniel Sanders (E2), Luke Styke (E1) and Michael Driscoll (EJ) all stay undefeated despite the change in format? Or will the change of format bring a change of luck for the likes of Lachlan Stanford (E3), Andrew Wilksch (E3), Josh Green (E2), Lyndon Snodgrass (E2), Jack Simpson (E1), Fraser Higlett (E1) and Joshua Brierley (EJ). Time will tell.

For more on the AORC, visit: www.aorc.org.au