Source: KTM Australia.

KTM Enduro Racing Team newcomer Peter Boyle will look to rebound when the upcoming Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) commences as pressure mounts in his first full season as a factory rider.

Boyle entered the Enduro-X Nationals with the number one plate after winning the one-off event at Calder Park last year, however he struggled to meet pre-season expectations and finished fifth overall in the 2014 series.

With a diverse background including national motocross, Boyle will depend on experience when the AORC series commences later this month – vying for the E1 title aboard KTM’s 250 EXC-F.

“With going over the ‘bars three times, this weekend was a bad one,” Boyle said of Calder’s finale on Sunday, where he finished with DNF-9-11 results. “I need to go home and take a day off.

“We’ll head out in the next two weeks and do a bunch of testing before the AORC and I’ll try to put this behind me and start fresh. Maybe I just put more pressure on myself than I needed to here.

“I know I can do it, but I just found myself hesitating at the wrong times. Whatever, I’m looking forward to getting back into the bush now.”

Team manager Brad Williscroft is confident Boyle can turn his form around in time for the AORC season opener.

“Boyley had a shocker today – he’d be running really well but then just crash,” Williscroft commented. “I’m sure it dented his confidence a little bit, but it was a pretty techy track which wasn’t just catching out the lesser riders, it was catching out the best riders as well.

“The main thing for him is to put the Enduro-X series behind him, and focus on the new series which is AORC. We’ll turn our focus to the AORC now, so bring on the outdoors.”

The AORC series will commence at Bulahdelah in NSW on 22-23 March.