Yamaha's Stefan Merriman continues to lead the E1 category of the A4DE.

Reigning A4DE winner Toby Price put about 20 seconds on the field yesterday at the 33rd annual Yamaha Yamalube Cycra GYTR Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE), being held at Koumala, near Mackay, in Queensland.

Price, of the Motorex KTM Off-Road Racing Team, won all six special tests to extend his lead of championship E2 and Outright to 21 seconds.

“It all went fairly well,” Price said. “I had a few tests there where I made a few little mistakes, but I got through pretty good.

“I opened up that little bit of a lead, but that’s basically just one crash really, that could bring that all unstuck.

“There’s still another big full day tomorrow to go riding and plus you’ve got the final moto on the fourth day, so anything can happen.”

Closest rival Chris Hollis (Ballard’s Yamaha) sits second in E2 and Outright.

Third in Outright today went to Hollis’s teammate, 18-year-old Tasmanian, Matt Phillips.

Phillips was fourth after Thursday’s opening day, but strong times on Friday moved him ahead of fellow Yamaha racer, Daniel Milner (from Victoria), who is now in fourth.

Phillips also extended his lead of championship E3 ahead of Motorex KTM’s, Jarrod Bewley. Honda rider and Queenslander, Nick Beattie, from the Sunshine Coast, is third.

“Most importantly, all I wanted to do was stay on and be fit and healthy and ready for the next couple of days,” Phillips said.

“I really enjoyed myself and had a couple bad tests, but I came back and to gap Jarrod today was excellent, I’m really happy about that.

“I can’t make any mistakes to let him catch up, because he’s a great rider, and he will.”

Still ahead in championship E1 is Ballard’s Yamaha racer, Stefan Merriman.

Merriman, 38, managed to maintain a two-second lead on Husqvarna’s Alex Salvini, despite Salvini putting in faster times in all six tests.

Salvini, from Italy, suffered a sore ankle after multiple crashes day one, but certainly was back on form today, laying down several top-three Outright special test times.

“We had good, nice trails, a little bit tougher than yesterday, which was nice,” Merriman said.

“I was just a little bit slow today, I lost a few seconds to Alex Salvini, but hopefully tomorrow I can try and get a little bit more of an advantage.

“I need a bit of an advantage before the final motocross… Salvini is a GP motocross rider, so he’s going to be fast there.”

In the Masters, five-time winner of the class, Geoff Ballard (Yamaha) managed to slip in front of A4DE rookie, James Deakin (KTM).

Ballard now has a four-second lead heading into day three.

And in Veteran’s, local rider Matt Dumigan maintains his advantage over Brad Williscroft (KTM) and Damian Smith (Husqvarna).

Another battle not worth missing will be between Yamaha’s leading ladies – Alison Parker, Jessica Gardiner and Jemma Wilson.

There was a shake up in the class today, after several of the ladies incurred penalties for being late into one of the controls.

Wilson, from Brisbane, was one of the hardest hit, slipping from the lead into fourth place.

Jess Gardiner (Ballard’s Yamaha) took the lead, ahead of Alison Parker (Yamaha) and Natasha Cairns (KTM).

And in Outright, TM rider Josh Green moved up one place to fifth, followed by Jarrod Bewley (sixth), Merriman, Salvini and teammate, Bartosz Oblucki (ninth). Queenslander, Nick Beattie, moved into 10th Outright.

2011 Australian Four Day Enduro
Mackay, Queensland

Outright Standings (after two of four days):
1. Toby Price, E2
2. Chris Hollis, E2
3. Matt Phillips, E3
4. Daniel Milner, E2
5. Josh Green, E2
6. Jarrod Bewley, E3
7. Stefan Merriman, E1
8. Alex Salvini, E1
9. Bartosz Oblucki, E2
10. Nick Beattie, E3