Yamaha Triumphs at AORC

Yamaha celebrated a remarkable success at the Australian Off-Road Championships (AORC), clinching victories in five classes. Riders Kyron Bacon, Jett Yarnold, Danielle McDonald, Marcus Nowland, and Ollie Gear all secured spots on the podium. Additionally, several other riders delivered impressive performances throughout the challenging 12-round series, also earning their place among the top finishers.

ShopYamaha Off Road rider, Kyron Bacon led the way, claiming another E1 championship after a strong performance over the weekend. Bacon started the weekend a little rough on the dry and hard pack Nowra clay, but soon found his grove and was able to assert himself as the premier 250cc off road rider in Australia by taking victory on both days and securing the Australian E1 crown.

Bacon has won two of the last three E1 championships and was the Outright winner in 2022. He was again in Outright contention this year but finished second in the final standings behind Daniel Milner.

“It’s been another tough championship with plenty of challenges along the way, but happy to get another championship for myself, the team and for Yamaha,” Bacon begins. “I made a few mistakes yesterday in the first couple of tests, just trying too hard and over riding the conditions, but once I settled down I was able to get a good flow going and finished of the weekend pretty well.

“Like most riders this time of year, I am carrying a bit of a hand injury, so I will need to rest that up before the ISDE, and hopefully we can get over the and get a great result.

“Thank you to Motorcycling Australia and the AORC team for putting on another successful year of racing as well as everyone involved with the ShopYamaha Off Road Team for their support,” Bacon ends.

Jett Yarnold parked his Yamaha at the top of the EJ division (Under 19) on the back of another impressive display at Nowra. Yarnold has stepped up his racing for 2024 and has been knocking on the door of the top 10 riders in the country while still in the development category.

He again showed his class on the weekend, taking the round win on Saturday and then only requiring a safe and smart day of racing to take the championship.

“Last year I finished third in EJ and my goal was to win the championship this year, so it’s cool that I have been able to make that happen. I wanted a top 10 finish outright on Saturday so I can match myself against the best and I got my best finish of the year on ninth, so I’m pumped with that.

“My family put in a huge effort for me to go racing and I can’t thank them enough. I also get plenty of help from Yamaha, AJ ands his team as well as SuperMoto dealership, so thanks to everyone that helps out,” Yarnold said.

After a season long duel with her teammate and boss, Jess Gardiner, Danielle McDonald has won her first Australian Off-Road Championship as a senior rider. McDonald and Gardiner went blow for blow in the early rounds, but McDonald stepped up in the later half of the year to go on a winning streak and put the championship out of reach for her rivals.

McDonald finished the championship in dominant fashion taking both round wins over Gardiner and her star continues to climb.

“I have had a busy month with the last of the ProMX weekends, then straight over to race some GNCC’s in the US before coming straight back for this weekend, so I’m looking forward to a couple of days off,” McDoanld says.

“This year has been so good for me in that I have managed to win the AORC, finish on the podium at ProMX, race in the US and now I go to the ISDE and hopefully we can have more success there.

“My family are so supportive of what I do, and they make huge sacrifices for my racing. Jess and the JGR team have also been there since the beginning so its cool to reward them with a championship as well.”

Yamaha also performed strongly in the junior divisions with Marcus Nowland and Ollie Gear winning their respective classes. GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing rider, Marcus Nowland as led the J3 division on his YZ250F since round and despite a couple of shaky moments in the middle rounds, has been able to rebound strongly and win the championship in emphatic fashion.

Nowland laid down some fast times over the final weekend, often the fastest junior on track to secure the class win on both days and with it, lock down the J3 championship.

“It’s been an awesome year and it’s good that I was able to finish it so well with the round wins here at Nowra. I struggle a bit on the softer surfaces when we race in SA, but I was feeling good here at Nowra and was able to get through without any issues to get the win.

“Yamaha Junior Racing have been unreal in their support of me, so thanks to them as well as my family who keep me going,” Nowland said.

And South Australia’s Ollie Gear notched up the fifth championship for Yamaha when he rode to a down round victory on the weekend to secure the J4 championship. The J4 division proved to be a tough fight all year as three riders argued over the top spot, but it was gear and his final round dominance that put him ahead of his rivals.

“We came into the weekend all pretty close on points and it was who ever had the best weekend was probably going to win, so I really needed to step up. I started well on Saturday and took some confidence from that as don’t always ride this really hard dirt that well, but I felt goods right away.”

In his first year of professional racing, Will Dennett secured a commendable third place in the E2 (450cc) championship. The 2023 Under 19 winner made a smooth transition to the professional circuit, battling hard throughout the series. He wrapped up the weekend with 2-4 results, showcasing consistent performance, and his podium finish was a well-deserved reward for his hard work.

Jess Gardiner finished second in the EW division, just behind her teammate, Danielle McDonald. Gardiner had a busy year, competing in both local and international events while also supporting her JGR Yamaha team across the country. Despite a strong effort, McDonald ultimately took the win, but Gardiner can be proud of another successful season.

Harley Hutton finished second in the J2 (85cc) class after leading the championship for much of the season. Although he entered the final weekend with a narrow lead, health issues on Saturday affected his performance. Additionally, Hutton experienced a significant growth spurt throughout the year, which made him a bit too big for his YZ85. Nevertheless, he refrained from making excuses and congratulated his competitors on a great season.

Dylan McDonald also secured a third-place finish in the J4 class. He was part of a three-way battle for the class championship, but the South Australian round proved challenging, preventing him from regaining enough points to claim the title.

The weekend also marked Cooper Sheidow’s return to racing after a series of injuries. After a wrist injury at the start of the year and another setback from hitting a kangaroo during the SA24 Hour race, he finished fourth on both days but will benefit from getting back on the bike.

AORC Championship Results

• E1: 1st Kyron Bacon (Yamaha) / 2nd Korey McMahon / 3rd Tom Buxton
• E2: 1st Daniel Milner / 2nd Jonte Reynders / 3rd Will Dennett (Yamaha)
• EJ: 1st Jett Yarnold (Yamaha) / 2nd Eli Tripcony / 3rd Oliver Paterno
• EW: 1st Danielle McDonald (Yamaha) / 2nd Jess Gardiner (Yamaha) / 3rd Ebony Neilsen
• J4: 1st Ollie Gear (Yamaha) / 2nd Bradley Rayner / 3rd Dylan McDonald (Yamaha)
• J3: 1st Marcus Nowland (Yamaha) / 2nd Harry Gilbertson / 3rd Kai Austin
• J2: 1st Levi Rossi / 2nd Harley Hutton (Yamaha) / 3rd Cooper Parkes
• J1: 1st Koby Munro / 2nd Ryder Lambing / 3rd Drake Hutton (Yamaha)