YAMAHA SNARE SEVEN AUSENDURO TITLES

Seven national titles in one weekend is a fair haul in anyone’s language – and that’s exactly what Yamaha walked away from the 2026 Australian Enduro Championship finale at Coonalpyn with. Here’s the full press release from Yamaha Motor Australia…

At the end of a huge final weekend of racing in tough and challenging conditions, Yamaha riders and teams went home with the number 1 plate in Pro Enduro (Outright), E1 (250cc), E2 (450cc), EW (Women), J4 (15 years), JG (Junior Girls) and the J1 (85cc) class, as well as several championship podium positions.

Wil Ruprecht lead the way winning the E2 class on Saturday and then managed to pull off the double, taking the Pro Enduro class in a gruelling weekend of racing. Ruprecht had taken control of the series from the opening round and had built up a good points buffer in both divisions. He had a 48-point lead in E2 and needed little more than to just finish on Saturday to secure the championship, while the Pro Enduro class presented a greater challenge.

Ruprecht finished the Pro Enduro class on Saturday in fifth place, and his 19-point lead had been whittled back to 10 points. The three-hour cross country proved to be demanded for the series leader and had more of a Hattah style feel about it and on a surface, sand, which isn’t his favourite.

He was ready for a fight on Sunday as he and series rival Korey McMahon faced off again. But not long into the first test, McMahon fell heavily and was unable to finish the day, effectively handing the championship to Ruprecht. The Yamaha rider soon realised he didn’t need to push the pace and rode a smart and conservative day to finish safely and secure the Aus Enduro number 1 plate for the ShopYamaha Off Road team.

“Firstly, I hope Korey is ok and congratulations to him on a great season. He was riding well this weekend and unfortunately went down in the first test, so it’s not the way I wanted to win it, and I hope he is doing ok,” Ruprecht begins.

“For me, it certainly wasn’t my best weekend in terms of riding as Saturday was a real fight to get any flow in my riding and I used a lot of energy. But I got up Sunday and ready to go as Korey was always going to be fast.

“Once he was out of racing, there was no point doing anything silly, so I rode at a comfortable pace and worked my way through the day.

“My goal at the start of the year was to win both classes and it feels good to make that a reality. The team have done an enormous amount of work and supported me well, throughout the season and thanks to them for showing up and putting in 100% every week. It’s been a while since I have won an Australian Championship, so we will enjoy this one,” he ends.

Cooper Sheidow locked down the E1 championship after a strong showing on the weekend. The SA native had a 29-point lead before racing started on Saturday, but he wasn’t about to mail in the last weekend when so many friends and family had gathered to watch him race.

Sheidow stamped his authority in the E1 class, winning both days. The championship was secured on Saturday, but Sheidow didn’t left off all weekend and with nothing left to prove and a tight class battle for round honours on Sunday, Sheidow dug deep and made it happen.

He won seven of the eleven rounds and didn’t finish off the E1 podium all year and a well-constructed championship assault.

“I won the E1 class championship a few years ago and that year I wasn’t able to win a round, but I was consistent. This year, I was consistent again, but more importantly, I was able to win rounds and even on my bad days, I kept it on the podium, so it’s been a great season for me.

“It was nice to put a couple of injury interrupted seasons behind me and get through the year without missing a race and build on my speed and fitness. My parents have been awesome and put so much effort into my racing,” Sheidow said.

Jess Gardiner racked up championship number 10 on the weekend as she won the Women’s class in her own typical fighting manner. She overcame a big crash on Saturday and some bike issues to claim fourth for the round but rebounded strongly on Sunday to get on the podium in second place and take her 10^th Australian Enduro Championship.

“The women’s class had extra depth this weekend with Rachael Archer and Emma Milesevic both back and Madi Simpson and I battling for the championship, so I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy weekend.

“And it certainly didn’t go the way I envisaged before the weekend. I got super loose in the sand on Saturday and crashed heavily, had some bike issues and was feeling pretty sore when racing ended, but everyone put in a big effort Saturday night and we were able to finish strongly and get the round win and championship number 10 on Sunday.

“I relived and pumped all at the same time,” Gardiner offers.

Harley Hutton also didn’t have an easy weekend. Hutton has improved immensely in 2026 and has been impressive with his newfound speed and skill. He blasted to the lead in the 2-hour junior Cross-Country and pulled a 12 second lead on lap one, only to crash and bend up his bike and have blood streaming from his nose.

But he stayed calm, got himself back into the race and worked his way forward to finish on the J4 podium and take the championship with a round to spare. Then just to cap off a great year, he won on Sunday and won the championship by 46 points over his nearest rival.

“I was pretty nervous on Saturday morning as the last time I was in the position, I didn’t do well and lost the title. I didn’t want that to happen again.

“I got off to a great start in the Cross-Country and was feeling good but on lap two I crashed and must have hit my face on something as I could feel and taste blood. That wasn’t bothering me too much, but the bike was twisted and the levers were all over the place, but I was able to get back to the pit area, get it as straight as I could and get back up to a reasonable speed.

‘It’s been a good year for me and this weekend I was able to show myself that I could handle the pressure and get it done when it matters. My Mum and Dad have been so supportive and thanks to Yamaha Junior Racing for helping me throughout my junior racing. It’s time to go senior and race Under 19’s next year,” Hutton said.

Is Lorna Lock our next Australian off-road star? She is certainly on the right path and at 13 not only does she win the Junior Girls class on her 85cc against higher powered bikes, but she also doesn’t mind showing her male counterparts the fast way around.

Lock dominated the Junior Girls class all season and deserved her championship. She cleaned swept the year, winning all 11 rounds contested and now looks to make the move to the YZ125 in 2027.

A name to watch in the off-road space, is Victorian racer, Clancy Stewart. Clancy won the J1 class at this year’s AEC and like Lock, won every round on his Peter Stevens YZ85.

“It’s been a very successful year for Yamaha at this year’s Australian Enduro Championships and one that we will remember for some time,” explains ShopYamaha’s Off Road Manager, AJ Roberts. “The year has produced some great racing and in a massive variety of terrain and conditions and securing so many national titles was a good reward for the effort the riders and teams have put in.

“Congratulations to all our riders and the families and well done on a great year,” Roberts signs off.

Yamaha Off Road Champions 2026

# 1^st – Wil Ruprecht (Pro Enduro)
# 1^st – Cooper Sheidow (E1)
# 1^st – Wil Ruprecht (E2)
# 1^st – Jess Gardiner (EW)
# 1^st – Harley Hutton (J4)
# 1^st – Lorna Lock (JG)
# 1^st – Clancy Stewart (J1)