Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia:

The Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team featured all three riders on their respective class podiums in Broken Hill’s seventh round of the 2018 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) in New South Wales.

Dry conditions as a result of the drought in the region made for one of the most challenging weekends of all in the Cross Country format, however Daniel Sanders managed to take a deserved victory in E2 aboard his Husqvarna FE 450.

Sanders had to start out of ninth position following the Prologue, however a convincing effort on Sunday saw him record a total time of 3h50m44s, just 47.902s from the overall win despite having to work his way through the field in ultra-dusty and difficult conditions. Sanders topped his class by 6m20.615s, capping off his round in a stunning effort.

It was also a brilliant performance from E1 rookie Fraser Higlett, making the most of his Hattah Desert Race experience to finish second in class and sixth outright. From 17th in the Prologue, Higlett put his best foot forward on race-day and posted a 4h01m26s race time riding his Husqvarna FE 250.

Directly behind Higlett overall following a late battle together was Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team mainstay Lachlan Stanford, powering his Husqvarna FE 501 to second in E3 and seventh on combined times, within a minute of Higlett across the finish-line. That performance comfortably placed him second in class, continuing his consistency once again.

Next up for the AORC series will be rounds eight and nine, to be held at Kingston SE in South Australia between 22-23 September.

Christian Horwood – Team Manager, Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team: “It was an awesome result to see ‘Chucky’ win his class and the other two boys on the podium. Using more of the river bed was a good decision for this weekend, considering the dry conditions, and we salvaged a good result after a challenging Prologue. Daniel’s result was outstanding, to see him work through the field for position, and then both Fraser and Lachy had a good tussle for their places on the final lap. The team worked faultlessly though, we couldn’t have asked for a better result on race day in those tough conditions.”

Lachlan Stanford – Husqvarna FE 501: “It was good to finish sixth in the Prologue, that gave me good track position. The track was better than I’d expected, the sandy creek beds were a lot of fun and I would think that the Husqvarna FE 501 would have been the best bike for it. Everything went well, the mechanics did an awesome job of the fuel stops, so a huge thanks to them. After sitting out Hattah, I wasn’t sure how I would do, but it all came together and I was happy with the result.”

Daniel Sanders – Husqvarna FE 450: “It was a case of survival for me, working my way through the field and it was good to get away with that because of the dust. I pushed as safely as I could in those conditions, to get through to the front and that held me back, so I had to settle for second outright and salvage points with the E2 class win. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for me, but the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team worked really well together this weekend and had some really good results.”

Fraser Higlett – Husqvarna FE 250: “This weekend was pretty positive, especially considering my result in the Prologue. To start 17th and then climb to sixth overall for second in class – I’m just happy to get through it! It was a bit sketchy making some of those passes through the field, but all in all it was good. The Husqvarna FE 250 was good for me, I knew what intensity I could race at and enjoyed it in the end.”