Image: John Pearson.

Former Australian motocross champion Luke Styke has established is capabilities in off-road racing after finishing third outright and dominating the E1 category at the weekend’s seventh round of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) in Broken Hill, New South Wales.

Styke made the transition to AORC this season with the Active8 Yamalube Yamaha team, and his since captured victory in the E1 class at six of the seven rounds completed in the series.

The all-new cross country format introduced at the weekend posed as a new challenge for the New South Wales native, however his commanding performance proved otherwise as he showcased his ability to excel in the most diverse conditions, finishing five minutes clear of his nearest rival in the division.

“I liked how things went on the weekend as while it was fast and the sand was good to ride, the country is so dry out here and the majority of the course was going to be thick dust and difficult to ride,” Styke explained.

“It was important to start the day well as vision would be an issue for the guys further in the pack, so I was determined to be as close to the front as possible.

“The team did a great job again as its hard keeping a bike going in these conditions and the Yamaha WR250F was a lot of fun to ride. It had to work hard in the sand but handled it well and it’s good to get another round win and show we are good in all conditions.”

The number 26 holds a 27-point advantage in the E1 standings as the AORC is scheduled to visit Kingston in South Australia on 22-23 September.