Image: John Pearson.

Former national motocross and supercross champion Luke Styke’s turn of career started in convincing fashion at Gympie’s opening rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), winning the E1 class on both days.

Styke, 26, has established himself as the early class title favourite on the Active8 Yamalube Yamaha WR250F, topping 14 of the 16 tests across rounds one and two.

It was a remarkable effort for the former MX2 World Championship regular, who finished fifth in the MX1 ranks of the MX Nationals last season despite a late-season back injury. Already he’s proven he will be one to watch in the AORC, but is aware he faces a steep learning curve as the season progresses.

“It was good weekend results-wise and I really enjoyed the weekend,” Styke commented. “It was all new to me and I’m still learning a lot of things, even the simple stuff like how the day runs, but it was a fun weekend and I guess I couldn’t have asked for more.

“We have a bit of a gap between now and the next event which is the four-day, so there are some things I want to improve on and even just get more time on the bike in general. Thanks to Yamaha and the Active8 team for a great weekend to start my off-road career and look forward to building on things from here.”

Styke is up against well-credentialed competition in the E1 class, including 2016 champion Jack Simpson – himself a former national-level motocross racer – and Fraser Higlett, the factory Husqvarna rookie who has stepped up from a strong year in EJ.