Image: Greg Smith (iKapture).

Reigning E3 Australian Off-Road Champion Glenn Kearney will return for the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team at this weekend’s 2015 opener in Kilkivan, Queensland.

Kearney, 34, underwent ankle surgery in the off-season and missed the Enduro-X Nationals which was won by Husqvarna’s Mike Brown, but has confirmed he will be back in time for the AORC series.

“It’s exciting for me to be back on the bike – it feels like forever,” Kearney commented. “It’s been six months probably since the last time I raced a national, possibly longer, so it’s good to be back. I’m probably a little further ahead than I thought I would be with limited prep time.

“Originally I was hoping to just be here and score a few points, but in all honestly, I’m all but 100 percent. I’m really excited to try and defend the E3 championship with Pricey in my class this year – if I can win a championship over him it will be well-earned.”

Kearney will again be serving double-duty as team rider and manager, but should benefit from a down-sized operation with just two riders this season – Kearney in E3 and Lachy Stanford in E2.

“Two riders will be much more manageable on race days this year, plus we’ve still got Christian and Pat on board as mechanics, and all our sponsors stuck behind us after a really strong 2014,” Kearney added.

“This year we also want to try to help Lachy achieve his potential and I’m on the FE 501 again. I’ve done a fair bit more work with Danny Apro on the suspension and I feel like we are in a better position there.

“The biggest change on my bike is that due to the fusion of my ankle, I am no longer able to use the rear brake pedal, so I’m running a Clake handlebar-mounted brake system. It’s taken a little bit of effort to get my head around it, but speed-wise it appears that I’ve figured it out.”