Image: John Pearson.

Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Lachlan Stanford strung together a pair of E3 class wins last weekend at Kyogle’s ninth and 10th rounds of the 2017 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

Hailing from Byron Bay, the Kyogle event marked Stanford’s home round of the series, which saw him claim his best finish of the season thus far, finishing second Outright on both days behind Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team).

The New South Welshman was evidently pleased with his weekend, stating it’s a result he’s been endeavouring to achieve all year long.

“It was definitely a positive weekend for me,” said Stanford. “Two second Outrights and two wins is by far my best weekend in the AORC. It’s what I’ve been wanting to do all year, just be battling for wins in the tests.

“Milner’s exceptionally fast, there’s no doubt about that, but in one test today I got [within] 0.9s, and that’s the closest I’ve been to him all year. It’s where we wanted to be for sure, so we’re pretty stoked. It’s great to reward Christian, Lewie, Kevvie and Dave because they put so much work into me.”

Stanford commented on the track selections that have featured in the championship, mentioning their resemblance to motocross circuits, although he praised the Kyogle venue, which delivered a much more enduro-spec layout.

“The tracks this year have been half-motocrossy and very fast, where as this was an enduro track,” he continued. “We had rocky creek sections, really steep hill climbs, off-camber. The really technical tests and that definitely worked in my favour, and the FE 501 was such an awesome bike here. Even though the tracks were pretty tight, the bike still felt really good.”

The Husqvarna rider controls the E3 championship with a six-point advantage, as the next AORC stop on the calendar is scheduled for 5-6 August, which will mark the title decider at Omeo, Victoria.