Cherrabah hosted a tough introduction to the 2022 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented by MXstore (AORC) for our Masters, Veterans and 2 Stroke Cup but in the end, the victories were well worth it.
Over four laps across the Ballards MXstore test track, the Round 1 victors were John Baker in EM and Lee Stephens (True Painting, KTM Newcastle) in EV. Over on the WR450F and Beta test tracks, Kane Hall took first place in the 2 Stroke Cup.
EM (Masters)
There was plenty of action in the EM class today, delivering the perfect opener to the 2022 racing season! With a total time of 58:48.805, Baker comfortably claimed top spot.
Behind Baker by just over a minute and settling into second place was Craig Rayner (Rayners Haulage Pty Ltd), who finished four laps with a time of 59:52.874. Last but certainly not least was Kenneth Hicks with a total time of 1:01:17.346.
2022 AORC EM Top 5 Provisional Results:
1. John Baker 58:48.805
2. Craig Rayner (Rayners Haulage Pty Ltd) 59:52.874
3. Kenneth Hicks 1:01:17.346
4. Peter Rudd (Kessner Motorcycles, Husqvarna) 1:02:06.626
5. Ian Jenner 1:03:22.173
EV (Veterans)
It was a tight fight all through the EV’s four laps across the Ballards MXstore test. After an exciting battle right to the end, Stephens claimed the gold with a time of 54:12.488.
Hot on his heels but conceding second place today was Jason Dwyer, who finished Round 1 with a total time of 54:18.957. Bronze went to Christopher Thomas (Thomas Lee KTM), who finished his four laps for a total time of 55:55.019.
2022 AORC EV Top 5 Provisional Results:
1. Lee Stephens (True Painting, KTM Newcastle) 54:12.488
2. Jason Dwyer 54:18.957
3. Christopher Thomas (Thomas Lee KTM) 55:55.019
4. Ian O’Brien (O’Brien Plumbing) 1:00:47.570
5. Sean Morris 1:01:41.936
2 Stroke Cup
The 2 Stroke Cup fought through both the WR450F and Beta test tracks today, clocking up a huge number of hours on the bike. Hall reigned victorious, coming in first with a total time of 1:34:10.960.
Hot on his heels with nearly 36 seconds breathing space was Geoffrey Braico, who settled for second place with a total time of 1:34:46.914. Rounding out our 2 Stroke Cup podium for Round 1 was Brad Hardaker (Finance My Bike), who rode into third place with a total time of 1:35:43.318.
2022 AORC E1 Top 4 Provisional Results:
1. Kane Hall 1:34:10.960
2. Geoffrey Braico 1:34:46.914
3. Brad Hardaker (Finance My Bike) 1:35:43.318
4. William Scott 1:55:49.671
Our world class seniors return tomorrow bright and early, for Round 2 featuring another day of Sprints.
