HQVA press release:

Still carrying the effects of a triple-fractured shoulder blade from the Clipsal 500, to say nothing of the fused right ankle which hampers his braking, Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team Manager Glenn Kearney made a demonstrative return to the podium at the weekend’s AORC rounds 3&4 at Portland New South Wales.

Kearney made it a double win for himself, the team, and for the Husqvarna FE 250 as he dominated the top step of the E1 podium in dusty, technical ‘old school enduro’ conditions.

And it wasn’t just at class level where he made a dent, the veteran racer and multiple national champion taking fourth outright on Saturday before backing that up today by besting everyone except runaway championship leader Daniel Sanders, who took his fourth straight outright win.

E3 rider and championship contender Lachy Stanford powered his Husqvarna FE 501 to another two runner-up finishes in the big-bore class, and added 5, 4 scores to his tally in the outright rankings despite toiling a little in the tricky conditions.

Ironically Stanford would have added to his double podium haul from the Queensland opener a month ago, were it not for the spectacular form of the boss (Kearney), who bumped Stanford from third to fourth overall!

Victorian Lyndon Snodgrass powered his Husqvarna TE 300 to a pair of top-fives in the E3 category, while fellow Husqvarna Factory Support Racer Broc Grabham added to his tally of top-10 outright finishes in familiar local conditions.

The FC 450 rider’s pair of 10th place overall finishes made it three such results from four rounds thus far, and was further boosted by two, fifth place finishes in the star-studded E2 category.

With Mitch Harper sidelined while his broken foot heals, it was left to Husqvarna Factory Support Racer Fraser Higlett to further add to the brand’s bag of podiums this week, taking second in the Transmoto 19 and Under class on Saturday before coming home with fourth today.

Just four races into his first year in seniors, the 16-year-old 2015 AORC Junior Champion incredibly holds third place in the under 19s, just 15 points behind championship leader Nic Tomlinson.

Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team Manager Glenn Kearney (FE250): “A really good weekend for the team. It was dusty and rocky, and the Oyster Bay club did a great job with the conditions they had. Yesterday Lachy, Greeny and I were all fighting for third outright, and Green pipped me for the outright podium by two seconds and Lachy was just behind me. Today Lachy was second in E3 and fourth outright. In the past he would have struggled a lot more in this technical, tighter stuff, but he’s worked on all that and I’m really happy with how he rode. I was first in E1 and just got the better of Green for second outright. I knocked Lachy down one outright position on both days, but I’ve got to keep him on his toes! Krystal just taped my shoulder really tight so it couldn’t move, and it was slightly painful but mainly just weak. The 250 was perfect all weekend. There were some seriously steep hills here, so to get second outright is a testament to the power of the Husqvarna FE 250.

Lachy Stanford (FE501): “I’m happy I suppose. On Saturday I couldn’t get the flow I wanted to on the track, but we still got fifth outright and second in E3. Sunday’s sprints were really rough and really hilly. I was running second outright initially but I ended up fourth. But I’m happy with my speed, considering how tough the conditions were, so thanks to Christian and Dave and Kevvy for working closely with me to get the absolute best out of the 501. It was a really good race for the team, we had me and Glenn both top five on both days, and we were the only team to do that. Our team is really confident and positive at the moment, so I think we’re going to be in for a good year.”

Broc Grabham (FE450): “It’s sort of my goal this year to be top 10 each round so I’m pretty happy to have done that three times out of four now. The track was a lot rougher than what I expected but once you found a smoother line and got it to flow a little bit more it was good. It was the most enduro-style track I’ve seen since starting in the AORC in 2009, so I liked it. The Husqvarna FE450 was awesome here, I think some 250s struggled because it was so hilly, but the 450 was good fun – you just lean back and hold it on!”

Fraser Higlett (FE350): “Saturday was good as for me, I started off a bit wary about the track, but I got to know it by the end and did a few good times so that was good. Sunday I struggled a bit because the track was real rocky, and there were long, endless ruts that you just couldn’t get out of. But that’s enduro. I got a fair few good lap times on Saturday, so I know that I can go fast on these sorts of tracks. It’s pretty good to be in third place in the championship, now I’ve just got to try and stay on the podium.”

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