Wilksch and Bacon dominate AORC at Mackay

2022 Australian Off-Road Championship Rounds 3 & 4 report

Round 3

Round 3 of the 2022 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented by MXstore (AORC) raised the bar as world-class competitors screamed across highly technical test tracks in Mackay, Queensland for day one of Sprints.

The field set a cracking pace immediately from test 1, with surprises throughout the day as each test called for more speed, which caused tighter and tighter competition.

After seven back-to-back Sprint tests for the Seniors, and 11 rounds of one test for our Juniors, the top speed demons for Round 3 was Andrew Wilksch, topping the overall ahead of Josh Green and Kyron Bacon, while Todd Waters and Stefan Granquist rounded out the top five.

Round 3 Overall Top 10

Round 4

Round 4 wrapped up the 2022 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented by MXstore (AORC), in Mackay, Queensland, with riders facing rainfall and greasy tracks. Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team) cooked the competition to take out his fourth E1 class win and the fastest time for the day. Jonte Reynders was hot on Bacon’s heels by just over a second, claiming the E3 win.

Seniors tackled two tests, the familiar WR450F track, as well as the MXstore track where they averaged a high-speed five-minute turnaround. The Juniors took on the Offroad Advantage track for Round 4, where they were presented with five test laps that offered both tight, technical turns and high speeds.

Round 4 Overall Top 10

E1 Round 3

Even with a target on his back after Rounds 1 & 2 in Cherrabah, Kyron Bacon (Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team) seemed unfazed as he pushed his Yamaha YZ to the limit in E1. Coming out on top with a total time of 1:49:05.461, Bacon has maintained top dog position in his class.

Taking second was fellow Yamaha teammate Blake Hollis, with a total time of 1:52:29.974. Over seven laps across the Offroad Advantage and WR450F tracks, Hollis’ times continued to improve as he fought to secure his spot on the podium.

Rounding out E1’s Round 3 podium was Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team), who finished with a total time of 1:52:43.999. Carpentier seemed to be breathing down Hollis’ neck over the course of the day but had to concede for bronze after seven laps.

Kyron Bacon

“I had a really good day today. Tracks were pretty technical which was good. It got a bit fast and sketchy out there, but I kept consistent and came away with a win! Tomorrow I need to keep consistent and stay on the bike. If the conditions are the same as today, I just want to stay clean and have fun!”

E1 Round 4

It’s safe to say that Bacon is comfortably at home as the E1 leader for 2022 after his Round 4 performance. With a total time of 51:13.540, the Yamaha gun seemed totally at home on the slick and tricky test tracks. GasGas’s Korey McMahon jumped up the leader board to claim second place meanwhile, with a total time of 52:51.132.

Rounding out the E1 Round 4 podium was Cooper Sheidow (Kessner Motorcycles, KTM Australia), with a total time of 53:50.825. Bacon’s teammate Blake Hollis dropped to fourth place. Even Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) struggled with the tough conditions, dropping down to eighth place.

Kyron Bracon leads the E1 on 100-points, ahead of Korey McMahon (82) and Blake Hollis (76).

E1 Standings

E2 Round 3

2022 is shaping up to be really positive for Joshua Green (Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team), who took out his third consecutive class win at Round 3. Aboard his Yamaha WRF, Green continued slicing valuable seconds off his test times, even with the classic Queensland humidity and a lofty near two-hour stint across the two test tracks. Green claimed first place in E2 with a total time of 1:49:05.256.

The final two podium positions were hard fought and won by Husqvarna’s Todd Waters, and Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team’s Michael Driscoll. Each finished the day’s Sprints with respective times of 1:51:29.060 and 1:52:12.574. Beta’s Fraser Higlett was just behind with a total time of 1:53:48.587.

E2 Round 4

Shop Yamaha Offroad Racing Team wrapped up a very positive weekend in Mackay, with Joshua Green and Michael Driscoll taking out first and second place in E2 for Round 4.

Green took out the gold with a total time of 52:09.815, with Driscoll hot on his heels, taking out silver with a total time of 52:29.422.

Bronze was clinched by Husqvarna’s Todd Waters, who was mere seconds behind Driscoll with a total time of 52:35.233. Beta’s Higlett struggled today under the slippery conditions, settling for fourth place again.

Todd Waters

“It was an intense two days of racing and while I’m disappointed to miss just out on second in the E2 class today, I’m happy to still walk away with a couple of podium results. I crashed twice on today’s opening sprint loop – once on rocks and another into a tree – and dropped 40 seconds on Josh Green. Even though I beat him in the rest of the tests, it was just too much time to make up! The most disappointing aspect is that I felt I rode much better today, but got a slightly worse result. Still, I’m healthy and ready to line up for the ProMX Championship tomorrow in Mackay and finish off a big weekend of racing on a high note.”

Josh Green will lead the E2 class into Round 5 with 100-points, with Driscoll and Waters tied on 84-points.

E2 Standings

E3 Round 3

Round 3 was well and truly Wilksch’s day! This absolute demon tore up Mackay, smoking the competition in both his class and the overall field, by nearly one minute. Wilksch finished Round 3 with a total time of 1:48:12.207. Even with some challenges through the day, including bike issues and some bingles, Wilksch seemed totally at home and unfazed.

The E3 podium was completed by KTM’s Stefan Granquist in second with a total time of 1:52:03.699, and third place won by Sherco’s Jonte Reynders, with a total time of 1:52:32.763.

Andrew Wilksch

“Today was a really exciting day! I put myself in the lead early on and I just tried to keep it upright for the rest of the day. It was a good, challenging day of racing and I learnt a lot. The conditions played into my hand with the big 501.”

E3 Round 4

E3 was where a lot of the action could be found for Round 4, as Andrew Wilksch (Simford Racing, Husqvarna), Jonte Reynders (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team) and Stefan Granquist (KTM Offroad Racing Team) tangoed for top spot.

After some bad luck at Round 3, Reynders came out with a point to prove. Reynders claimed a well-deserved first place today, with an impressive time of 51:14.829.

Wilksch started off with some challenges but fought tooth and nail to score second place, finishing four laps with a total time of 52:06.651. Granquist comfortably claimed the third and final podium spot in E3, ahead of the next competition by nearly five minutes.

Jonte Reynders

“My day went really well. I finally stopped making mistakes and rode like I know I should, so I came out with the win in E3! I’m absolutely stoked with the result. The conditions out there and last night’s rain made it quite tricky. My 300 was comfortable out there but I basically went into cruise control because it so easy to make a mistake. In the end, I just worked to keep focused and avoid mistakes.”

Stefan Granquist

“Yesterday was a solid day and I felt like I could push harder and harder as the day progressed. At the same time, I was careful to stay consistent and not crash, as you can lose so much time if you make a mistake. Sometimes I thrive in the wet, but today I felt a lot more hesitant as I’m still carrying a thumb injury from Cherrabah. I guess that was in the back of my mind all day, so I decided to focus on being smooth and minimise any mistakes. Overall, I’m happy with my riding, to come away from today with a third overall and maintain my run of podium results – it was a good day for a ‘not-so-good’ day.”

A consistent Wilksch retains the lead on 97-points, ahead of Jonte Reynders (89-points) and Granquist (82-points).

E3 Standings

EJ Round 3

There was big upset in EJ at Round 3 with current class leader, Billy Hargy (Husqvarna Offroad Racing Team) dropping down to fifth place. Suffering a wrist injury, the Husqvarna gun had a tough day out in the sugar canes, with consistent times that just couldn’t compete with the Round 3 victor, Riley McGillivray (Shepparton Motorcycles, KTM).

McGillivray took out a hard-fought win with a total time of 1:56:39.308, after seven gruelling laps on the bike. Behind him in second and third place was Kobi Wolff and William Dennett (Yamaha Australia), who clocked in a total time of 1:57:38.312 and 1:58:30.927 respectively.

Riley McGillivray

“Today wasn’t too bad at all. I slowly found my flow and we brought it home. The competition was pretty strong. Kobi was right up there with me, so I had to work hard to keep the lead. The class is pretty heated this year, which makes for a lot of good racing.”

EJ Round 4

After four laps across two tests, it was William Dennett (Yamaha Australia) who scored first place in EJ Round 4. Marking Dennett’s first gold in EJ, his closed off Round 4 with a total time of 54:58.953.

True to form, Kobi Wolff was hot on Dennett’s heels all day, riding into second place with a total time of 55:21.854. The final spot in EJ today was won by Billy Hargy (Husqvarna Offroad Racing Team), with a total time of 55:23.749.

Round 3 victor, Riley McGillivray (Shepparton Motorcycles, KTM) dropped down to fourth place, demonstrating how challenging the conditions were for all riders but also how fierce the competition is in EJ.

William Dennett

“My day was good, I made up my time in the first three tests and keep consistent to get the result I wanted. The conditions were very slippery so you just had to take your time, stay centred. In the end we got through it! The competition is super fierce in EJ, we were all within roughly 10 seconds of each other at the end of the day.”

The EJ standings are about as close as they can get, without being tied, with McGillivray on 87-points, to Hargy’s 86 and Dennett’s 85, with just three points separating the leading three.

EJ Standings

EW Round 3

True to form, Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off Road Team) blazed an absolute trail in EW, as she tackled the Offroad Advantage and WR450F tests. Hard on bike and body, Gardiner finished the day’s racing with a total time of 2:09:29.387.

KTM’s Emelie Karlsson rode comfortably into second place today, with a total time of 2:15:50.689. The day throwing Karlsson many challenges but even after over two hours on the bike, Karlsson pushed on. Claiming the final podium position was Ebony Nielsen.

Jessica Gardiner

“Today was very interesting! Tracks were pretty different to what we’re used to. Parts of the track asked me to dig deep and send it hard, so the stress on my body was tough. Tomorrow we’re definitely going to regroup and recover. The long tests were hard on the body, so we need to rest and recover so we’re good to go again tomorrow.”

EW Round 4

Round 4 marked Jessica Gardiner’s 100th AORC race start and she definitely delivered a result to match it, clocking in with a total time of 1:03:34.931, Gardiner maintained a solid lead ahead of the EW competition, claiming a well-earnt first place.

KTM’s Emelie Karlsson took second place and it looks like her earlier troubles in Round 3 have been left in the mud. Ebony Nielson came home in third place.

Emelie Karlsson

“I’ve been really sick the past two weeks and I spent Wednesday night in hospital in Mackay. The doctors still don’t know what the problem is, but I had a fever for days, all of my joints were swollen and I couldn’t walk for a couple of days. I’m feeling a lot better now, but my intention for the weekend was to just concentrate on getting points for the championship. It was a massive win to finish second on both days and I couldn’t be happier with my results. It was tough today with the rain, but I’m just glad we didn’t have to ride in those conditions on Friday, because I don’t know how I would’ve coped. It was a challenging weekend, but the results were as good as a win for me!”

The EW standings now see Gardiner in the lead on a perfect 100-points, with Karlsson on 86-points in second, and Ebony Nielsen third with 82.

EW Standings