Sherco Australia press release:

Rounds one and two of the 2017 Australian Off-Road Championship provided the DSR Motul Pirelli Sherco Team with very solid and satisfying results. Leading by example and showing a clean set of heels all weekend was Team captain Derek Grundy who dominated the Over 45 Class on his Sherco 300 SEF-R.

Grundy was never troubled as he laid waste to the competition, winning Saturday’s cross country event by a huge 6-minute margin. Grundy went on to smash the Enduro Sprint event on Sunday to take the double round win.

Andy Wilksch continued his rise up the Pro Class ranks by racing to his best-ever race results with 5th place in the super-hot and highly-competitive E2 Class on both days.

“This was a solid way to start off a busy year,” Wilksch offered after racing was completed. “My first race on the Sherco and I’ve already jagged my best AORC result ever. Huge thanks to the Team for all their hard work. I’m loving the Sherco 300 SEF-R. I just can’t get enough of this bike. There were times out there when I could see bikes in front of me that were bucking and kicking so I’d brace myself for the rough stuff but I could just hold the throttle on because Chad’s Off-Road Setups has my bike working perfectly.”

Nic Tomlinson showed he will be a serious contender for the EJ Class for riders under-19 with third place on Saturday and Sunday on his Sherco 450 SEF-R. Tomlinson finished just 1-minute and 17-seconds behind the class winner on Saturday which was frustratingly close considering Tomlinson spent time in the pits after the first lap to rectify an error in judgment.

“Nic let the class win slip through his fingers on Saturday,” said Team manager Dave Suter. “He gave it all he had but a silly mistake cost him and Championship points are precious. The positive is, Nic is young and has the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. The Team will work with him to get his race craft dialed in for the next round where he’ll be able to show just how good he can be on this amazing 450 SEF-R. For now, we’ll take a double podium with two third places because that’s not a bad weekend of racing.”

Rounding out the DSR Motul Pirelli Team effort for rounds one and two of the AORC was the consistent performance of Kate Norman with 6th and 7th places over the two days in the Woman’s Class.

“I had a lot of fun racing my 300 SEF-R,” said Norman. “It rained at the start of the two-hour cross country on Saturday which made visibility difficult as well as the track becoming very slick. I felt more comfortable after every lap, although the track become very rough, my times continued to improve. I ended up 3rd in the VORC and 6th in the AORC Open Women’s Class which was a solid start to the year and nice to get on the podium.

“Although the rain held off on Sunday the track had become extremely rough. Despite having a minor altercation with a tree on the third sprint which was just an error of judgement on my behalf, the day went smoothly and my times continued to improve. I finished up 4th in VORC and 7th in AORC.”

The DSR Motul Pirelli Sherco Team will be back in action for rounds 3 and 4 of the AORC on May 13-14 at Miva, Queensland.

For more information on Sherco Australia, visit www.sherco.com.au or to follow the progress of the DSR Motul Pirelli Sherco Off-Road Team, visit www.facebook.com/shercomotorcyclesaustralia