HQVA press release:

Image: Greg Smith (iKapture).

Just two weeks after Husqvarna Australia won the National endurocross championship at the hands of Mike Brown, the marque’s compact new two-rider 2015 AORC squad is excited to take aim at this weekend’s first round of the Australian Off-Road Championships at Kilkivan, near Gympie in Queensland.

Defending AORC and Australian Enduro Champion Glenn Kearney will be back into national level competition for the first time since his off-season ankle operation at the end of last year.

The 34-year-old from Picton had to have his right ankle fused due to a combination of injuries from earlier in his career, and will return to the fray this weekend sporting a new Clake handlebar-mounted brake system which combines a clutch and a rear brake lever neatly into the same perch.

Kearney tested both the setup and his preparedness for combat a fortnight ago at a round of the New South Wales enduro championship, and came out with a first and a second over two days of competition aboard his trusty Husqvarna FE501.

He’ll be joined under the Husqvarna awning by 23-year-old Byron Bay ace and current Queensland Enduro Champion Lachy Stanford, who finished fifth in the premier E2 division of last year’s AORC, and will return with renewed ambition and vigour aboard the nimble Husqvarna FE350.

Fifteen year-old Brisbane racer Fraser Higlett, who just a fortnight ago completed a three-round domination of the Enduro-X Nationals Junior class, will ride a Husqvarna FE 250 in the first stop on the AORC Calendar.

Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team Manager Glenn Kearney: “It’s exciting for me to be back on the bike, it feels like forever. It’s been six months probably since the last time I raced a national, possibly longer, so it’s good to be back. I’m probably a little further ahead than I thought I would be with limited prep time; originally I was hoping to just be here and score a few points, but in all honestly, I’m all but 100%. I’m really excited to try and defend the E3 championship with Pricey in my class this year; if I can win a championship over him it will be well earned.
Two riders will be much more manageable on race days this year plus we’ve still got Kristian and Pat on board as mechanics, and all our sponsors stuck behind us after a really strong 2014. This year we also want to try to help Lachy achieve his potential, and I’m on the FE 501 again. I’ve done a fair bit more work with (Husqvarna Team tuner) Danny Apro on the suspension and I feel like we are in a better position there. The biggest change on my bike is that due to the fusion of my ankle I am no longer able to use the rear brake pedal, so I’m running a Clake handlebar-mounted brake system. It’s taken a little bit of effort to get my head around it, but speed-wise it appears that I’ve figured it out.”

Lachy Stanford (FE350): “I’m really excited to start the AORC season off and get racing. I’ve raced at Kilkivan before and had some luck there, so hopefully the track is similar. I really like the sprint format – I’m more of a sprint rider, and I’m looking forward to getting that first ride under my belt and seeing where I’m at, and then building on top of that. That’s what I like about the sprint format, you get to see how fast you can go, work out your bike, work out the track, and really get it going fast as you can. It really proves who is the fastest rider.”

For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com.