Wilksch and Bacon top AORC Rounds in Keyneton

AORC 2023
Rounds 7/8 – Keyneton, SA

Images by Troy Pears

Rounds seven and eight of the 2023 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented by MXstore kicked off in Keyneton, South Australia over the weekend with low temps and limited visibility for the Cross Country event, comprising round seven.

Competitors had to duke it out over the tough tracks and dry terrain, with Andrew Wilksch taking the overall win and naturally the top E2 honours with it. Other class winners for the day included Kyron Bacon in the E1, Riley McGillivray in E3, Jess Gardiner in EW and Luke Chellas in the EJ class.

Andrew Wilksch – P1/DNF E2

“It was a big weekend and managing energy was key. It was cool to have a return to the Cross Country format and I had a really good race – I got the holeshot and pushed hard early to gain a lead. Knowing how dusty it was, we spent some extra time at the fuel-stop swapping out the filter and cover, to make sure we could manage the bike as best we could for the rest of the race. I had some E2 contenders right behind me, but I focused forward, hit my marks, and was able to pull it together and win my first outright of the year! Today I wanted to back it up, but sadly I hit a soft spot in a creek on the first test and hurt my right knee, which I’ve had dramas with all year. I really struggled to put weight through it on the second test, so we made the tough decision to not continue as I wasn’t competitive anymore. It was a far from ideal way to end the weekend, but I’m super-stoked to get my first win for KTM and show what we can do.”

Of the remaining Senior classes, we also saw Leigh Bentley (Yamaha) top EM (Masters 45+), Rowan Pumpa the EVs (Vets 35+) and Stephen Matheson in EL (Enduro Legends 50+).

Meanwhile in the Juniors, Jackson Versteegen was the top J4 finisher, Danielle McDonald fastest in JG, Jackson Rossi won the J3 class, Mitch Ford the J2, Chase Weston J1 and Ryder Lambing was fastest JJ.

For round eight the clouds drifted away and the sun heated things up in Keyneton on day two, with three Sprint tracks on the menu – all dry and dusty – demanding extra focus and determination from riders.

This time it was Kyron Bacon claiming the round overall and the E1 win, while Jonte Reynders topped E2, Riley McGillivray took the E3 win, Will Dennett was fastest EJ rider and Riley Crimmins took out the J4.

Kyron Bacon – P1/P1 E1

“I’m just happy to be back at the AORC and racing again. It had been nearly three months between races for me and while my recovery went well, I just wanted to get back to an AORC round and see how my progress was coming along. I still think there is room for improvement and it took me a little to get warmed up each day, but it was a positive weekend for me and the team and its good to be back Thank you to everyone in the team for supporting me and standing by me during my injury. It was cool to be back with the guys and having fun racing. You don’t realise how much you miss it until you can’t do it.”

Jonte Reynders – DNF/P1 E2

“I didn’t get the best of starts in yesterday’s 3-hour XC, which saw me having to push my way through the pack. I was able to make the ground up and was knocking on the door of the lead group when we suffered an issue with the bike and had to withdraw, resulting in a devastating DNF. Fortunately, we were able to turn things around today and rebound in the best way possible with a strong win in the E2 class and P2 outright. I felt great on the bike all weekend. A huge shoutout to my team and supporters for everything they contribute, I’m glad to repay them with the class victory today and looking forward to continuing this momentum and finishing out the year strongly.”

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Riley McGillivray – P1/P1 E3

“It was a great weekend for me and I was more stoked to score my best-ever outright position than I was to win the E3 class both days, to be honest! Yesterday I started slow in the Cross Country race, but soon got into the flow of it and tried to keep it on two wheels. Conditions were pretty tough – dusty and rocky – but I really like the technical stuff. Conditions were similar today and it was a matter of finding new lines and being more creative to stay out of the dusty ruts and off the ground. I was consistently about 15 seconds faster each lap, so was able to build a good buffer. After such a huge break in the AORC calendar it’s great to be back racing again and I’m looking forward to Kyogle in a few weeks’ time.”

Over on the Offroad Advantage test, Jess Gardiner claimed EW victory, Leigh Bentley (Yamaha) the EM, Rowan Pumpa topped EV and Michael Widdison won the EL.

Jess Gardiner – P1/P1 EW

“The weekend went well, and the team were able to achieve some great results in some challenging conditions. I’m not sure how much skin I have left on my elbows after racing each day, I don’t think it’s a lot, but I was able to put each crash behind me and keep going at a good pace to take the win on both rounds. The dry conditions made it tough, especially if you started towards the back as vision be come an issue when the field was all together. But once I was able to get some clear track and see what was happening, I felt much more comfortable and didn’t make as many mistakes. Thank you to everyone at the club for putting on the event, and everyone that supports the JGR Yamaha team. We are all in a good place in the championship and will continue to work hard at the remaining rounds.”

The Juniors competed on the MXstore test, Danielle McDonald taking out the JG class, Marcus Nowland fatest J3 rider, Mitch Ford the J2 victor, Chase Weston top of J1 and Ryder Burchell winning the JJ.

Danielle McDonald – P1/P1 JG

“I’m pretty happy with how I went on the weekend, and it was good to get up near the front against the boys. I try to use them as a guide to how I’m riding and want to be closer to the front at every round we do. My bike was perfect all weekend and its good to have Jess and Jeremy on hand to guide me through any issues I face.”

Leaving South Australia, we see Cooper Sheidow leading the E1 class on 124 points to McMahon and Price on 116. In the E2 Josh Green leads the standings on 141-points, Dickson on 124 and Reynders on 106.

McGillivray holds a narrow E3 lead on 137-points, Granquist not far off on 133, and Pretschrer a close 132-points. Dennet leads the EJ class meanwhile on 145-points, Hargy second on 124 and Chellas third on 112. Jessica Gardiner holds a strong lead in the Women’s standings, on 144-points to Karlsson’s 120, and Ariana Collin’s 104.

Read on for more results, standings and the class leaders from each round:

Round Seven

Round seven was not Korey McMahon’s day and Bacon to leapt ahead to claim the top step in the day’s Cross Country. Back from injury with just two weeks on the bike under his belt, Bacon looked his typical cool, calm and collected self regardless of the slippery dust and low visibility. In second was Will Price, while Cooper Sheidow rounded out the E1 podium.

Scoring the holeshot, Wilksch staying at the front of the pack for all six laps. This ensured he had the best visibility possible and won his first Tefol E2 place win alongside fastest overall time for the day. Current E2 leader Josh Green fell behind Wilksch,  but managed to hold off Jye Dickson, with the duo rounding out the podium.

McGillivray clocked up valuable points as we near the pointy end of the 2023 Championship, taking the top step ahead of Granquist, while Sam Pretscherer took third in E3.

Gardiner couldn’t be beat in Keyneton. Although the tracks were dusty and visibility low, Gardiner utilised her trademark focus to steer true through the drama unfolding around her. After five laps, Gardiner took the EW win followed by Emelie Karlsson. Monique Simioni clinched third.

It was Luke Chellas’s day in Keyneton, beating the likes of leader Will Dennett to the top step. Behind Chellas was Billy Hargy, and Dennett on the EJ podium.

In EM, Bentley carried over glory from earlier rounds this season to claim another first place ahead of Anthony Greene and Stylianou.

Pumpa was in fine form claiming an impressive first place win in EV, ahead of Josh Murphy and Matthew Boyle.

Heading in leading the Championship in EL, Craig Treasure was knocked off his perch by Matheson, Michael Widdison second and Widdison third.

Versteegen was miles ahead of the pack in J4, followed by Riley Crimmins, Levi Stephens and Davey Gear.

Yamaha’s McDonald set a blistering pace in JG, with Madi Simpson the runner-up, ahead of Audrey Moller in third.

Rossi has come out of seemingly nowhere to change up the pace and leader board in J3, seconds ahead of Charlie Connolly and Dylan McDonald.

Ford continued to improve his lead for the J2 Championship title ahead of Harry Gilbertson, claiming another win. Rounding out the podium was Kai Austin.

Weston succeeded in pushing ahead of Darcy Huston for the top step on the J1 leader board, claiming the Cross Country win. Rossi finishing second and rounding out the J1 podium was Huston.

Lambing beat the current leader in JJ, Ryder Burchell, while Tao Letton  clinched the third and final podium position.

Round 7 Senior Top 20

E2 (220cc-250cc 2/ & 275cc-450cc 4/) Results – Top 10

E1 (100cc-200cc 2/ & 150cc-250cc 4/) Results – Top 10

E3 (290cc-500cc 2/ & 475cc-650cc 4/) Results – Top 10

EW (Women) All Powers Results – Top 10

EJ (16 to U18) All Powers Results – Top 10

Round Eight

Kyron Bacon wasted no time to cement his return to AORC, leading the E1 pack, tussling Korey McMahon for the win across the four Sprints, but it was Bacon who came out on top with the victory. McMahon was a minute off winning pace, leaving Cooper Sheidow to claim the third.

Korey McMahon – DNF/P2 E1

“Saturday started really well when I got into the lead of the Cross Country race early and controlled things from there, until a malfunction about five kilometres from the finish. It was disappointing as we were sitting first in class and first outright at the time, but that’s part of off-road racing and the conditions were brutal. Today I showed really good pace, but I struggled to keep it on two wheels… The track was really tricky, with very deep ruts, deep dust holes, and the powder dust covered everything, which made it super-hard to read the terrain. All in all though, it was a good bounce back and it was encouraging to see we have the speed to win tests outright, so I’ll take that confidence into the next rounds.”

After a poor Round Seven Cross Country, Reynders came in with a fire in his belly to reclaim the top step in the Tefol E2 class, ahead of Yamaha’s Josh Green. Jye Dickson rounding out the E2 podium. Yesterday’s victor, Andy Wilksch bowed out early due to injury.

Josh Green – P2/P2 E2

“I can’t say I had a lot of fun on the weekend as most of the time it was damage control to get through the weekend and preserve my body. I had strapping all over me and then the dusty conditions also meant looking after the bike also become a priority. Thankfully we were able to do both, and we leave here in pretty good shape. There are a few weeks until the next round and being at Kyogle, it will be technical, so I will need the time for my thumb to recover and be ready to go in September.”

Beta’s Fraser Higlett just missed out on the podium on both days, for fourth overall.

Fraser Higlett – P4/P4 E2

“It was a really tough weekend with very dry, dusty conditions making it a challenging race but the RR 390 performed great and continued to take all I threw at it. Finishing 4th place in both rounds with only tiny margins between the podium and 4th place was disappointing but considering the conditions, I was pleased with how the weekend went overall. I’m looking forward to the next AORC round at Kyogle in September.”

It was back-to-back glory for KTM’s McGillivray as he collected more Championship points to improve his standing on the leaderboard, well ahead of the E3 pack. Sam Pretscherer claimed second, Stefan Granquist third.

Stefan Granquist – P2/P3 E3

“It was incredibly dry and dusty this weekend, and it made for very tricky riding conditions. Despite that, I actually had one of my better races of the year, finishing fifth outright in the Cross Country race. I felt I had good pace for the first four laps before I dropped back a little. Today’s Sprint tests were difficult and I felt like I was fighting the bike all day long. For about 80 percent of the tests, the powder dust was so deep, it was almost like riding in snow where you can’t see the ruts, rocks and roots hiding underneath. I laid the bike down in the first test, then just tried to get through the rest of the day healthy and in once piece, so we can go again in a few weeks time at Kyogle.”

Over on the Offroad Advantage test, Gardiner seemed comfortable regardless of the slippery and rocky conditions. Keeping speedste, Taylor Thompson (GASGAS Australia, Motorex) at bay, while Emelie Karlsson was third.

Emelie Karlsson – P2/P3 EW

“I started slow both days, but felt my riding got better and better as each day went. My first lap of the Cross Country was a shocker – my arms pumped up and I was very tense in my riding, so I decided to back off a bit to find my flow. That really helped and I was able to start making ground up on the leader. Today was similar, as I lost a lot of time in a crash on the second test, then in the fourth test I caught a rider in front of me and I literally had to stop in some of the corners as I just couldn’t see through all the dust. That lost me a lot of time and probably cost me a second-place finish today.”

Round Seven didn’t go the way of Dennett in EJ, however he reclaimed the glory with an impressive Round Eight win. Jett Yarnold jumped up the ranks with second, and third went to Billy Hargy.

It was like Groundhog Day in EM, as Bentley landed back on top of the podium again, followed by Anthony Greene and Loui Stylianou (GASGAS).

Pumpa also left with consecutive EV class wins! Pumpa screamed across the Offroad Advantage test, followed onto the podium by Josh Murphy and Matt Harkness.

Widdison pushed hell for leather to claim the step today in EL meanwhile, ahead of Round Seven’s victor, Stephen Matheson. Rounding out the EL podium was Craig Treasure.

Shaylynne Kuhnke completed a challenging five Sprints across the Offroad Advantage test track today, clocking off with a total time of 1:25:09.257, as the sole Enduro Women’s Development competitor.

Jackson Vertseegen was knocked off the top step by Riley Crimmins, who set a blistering pace for the J4 class, current leader Davey Gear settling for second, ahead of Vertseegen.

The JG class battled it out across the MXstore test Sprints and after five laps McDonald once again claimed the win, followed by Madi Simpson and Jade Chellas.

In J3, Nowland claimed a well earnt, nail-biting victory ahead of Dylan McDonald, Bradley Rayner rounding out the class podium.

Ford couldn’t be beat, claiming a back-to-back J2 win, Kye Little second, Harry Gilbertson third.

Weston also claimed a consecutive J1 win, heading off Levi Rossi by roughly 12 seconds, Darcy Huston grabbing the final podium place.

It was an exciting battle for glory in JJ, Ryder Lambing and Burchell tangoing for the top step. After five laps, Burchell conceded the win to Lambing, Austin Schulz rounding out the JJ podium.

Round 8 Senior Top 20

E2 (220cc-250cc 2/ & 275cc-450cc 4/) Results – Top 10

E1 (100cc-200cc 2/ & 150cc-250cc 4/) Results – Top 10

E3 (290cc-500cc 2/ & 475cc-650cc 4/) Results – Top 10

EW (Women) All Powers Results – Top 10

EJ (16 to U18) All Powers Results – Top 10

2023 AORC Standings after Round Eight (Keyneton, SA)

E1 Standings – Top 10

E2 Standings – Top 10

E3 Standings – Top 10

EW Standings – Top 10

EJ Standings – Top 10