HQVA press release:

Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team riders Lachy Stanford and Glenn Kearney are ready to take on their toughest physical challenge of the racing year so far when the Australian Off-Road Championships continue this weekend at Hedley in Victoria.

While the opening rounds of the series in Queensland adopted the shorter sprint format on both days, the second stop on the calendar will open on Saturday with the gruelling three-hour cross-country format in the deep, dark energy-sapping sands for which Hedley is famous, before reverting to the shorter sprint format for Sunday’s fourth round.

After claiming his first ever AORC outright podium last time out aboard his Husqvarna FE 350, Lachy Stanford will continue with renewed confidence in the E2 class where he currently sits fourth.

Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team boss Glenn Kearney is hoping all of the off-bike fitness training he did while recovering from off-season surgery to fuse his right ankle will stand by him in Saturday’s demanding conditions as he attempts to better his last-start third placing.

The Husqvarna FE501 rider and defending E3 champion has adopted a radical new Clake combined clutch/rear brake system, and after fine-tuning a new riding style to accommodate his new physical and mechanical configuration, the Picton ace is looking forward to measuring himself in the toughest of company.

Husqvarna support racer Scott Keegan walked away with tenth overall last time out after a pair of top-ten outright finishes, while fifteen year-old Brisbane racer and Enduro-X Nationals Junior winner Fraser Higlett kicked off his junior campaign with two wins in Queensland aboard a Husqvarna FE 250.

Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team Manager Glenn Kearney (FE501): “I’m pretty excited about heading off down to Hedley for the first cross country of the year. I’ve been doing a lot of fitness in this off-season – mostly off the bike because of the injury – and I’m really fit, so I’m looking forward to a three-hour race, that’s for sure. Using the Clake system is still just a developmental process for me, with little changes here and there. I feel like I’ve got the hang of it a bit more, so I guess the proof will be in the pudding this weekend, whether I get the job done or not. Lachy’s been working hard; after the last one I spent a couple of weeks up there with him just training in the sand so we’ve both just continued with that, getting our sand skills dialled in because we’ve got the sand with his one and we are expecting South Oz to be sandy as well.”

Lachy Stanford (FE350): “Heading down for round three and it’s the first cross-country/sprint. The cross-country is always fun, and we’ve changed up the training a lot for this style of race, doing longer motos and cardio sessions. It’s good to mix up the training a little bit, so I’m really looking forward to getting out there and getting into the cross-countrys. We’ll run a bigger tank on the 350 and being as how it’s a sand track we’ve got a slightly different set-up on the bike, but not much. That first round result was important, it definitely gives you a confidence boost to know that your speed is up there, and you believe you can do it. It’s a big bonus knowing that you can run with the front guys. It gives you a bit of an edge.”

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