Image: Foremost Media.

Husqvarna’s Todd Waters stepped it up to take a double E2 victory at rounds five and six of the 2022 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) at Mendooran, as Kyron Bacon (ShopYamaha Off-Road Racing Team) and Andy Wilksch (Simford Racing Husqvarna) charged to the top on both days in E1 and E3.

Waters set the fastest time outright during Saturday’s fifth round which saw him finish close to two minutes ahead of ShopYamaha Off-Road Racing’s Josh Green in E2, as KTM Newcastle’s Jye Dickson completed the top three in the category.

The opening day at Mendooran in E1 saw Bacon claim victory by a minute ahead of Samuel Pretscherer (Simford Racing Husqvarna), as Korey McMahon (GasGas) completed the top three. Wilksch finished ahead of Jonte Reynolds (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team) by 30 seconds to take the E3 honours, as the class podium was completed by Stefan Granquist (KTM).

For round five, the EJ class was won by Kodi Stephens (KTM), who was joined on the podium by Riley McGillivray (KTM) and Billy Hargy (Husqvarna). Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Jess Gardiner took a slim six-second victory, finishing ahead of Meghan Rutledge (Kawasaki) following an intense day of racing in EW, as Emelie Karlsson (KTM) completed the top three.

Waters again set the fastest time outright in Sunday’s round six, finishing ahead of Green and Dickson once more in E2. Bacon continued his strong run of form to do the double in E1, with McMahon improving to second on day two at Mendooran and Pretscherer completing rostrum in class. E3 saw Wilksch on top again ahead of Reynolds, with Luke Bunnik rising to take the final step on the podium.

In EJ, Stephens was victorious once more at the sixth round, ahead of Hargy and McGillivray, as Taylor Thompson put the hammer down in EW to secure the win ahead of Gardiner and Karlsson.

2022 AORC moves to Nowra, NSW in just under three weeks for rounds seven and eight on 6-7 August.

Detailed results

Round five