What was the Australian Off Road Championship began in 2005 as the National Off-Road Series, the first nationally accepted series of Enduro events for Australian riders. Previously, the annual Australian Four Day Enduro was the only opportunity for riders from every State to square off against each other. Motorcycling Australia quickly recognised the Nationals and it became the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) before now becoming the Australian Enduro Championship (AEC).
The AORC has been a fruitful breeding ground for riders who went on to literally conquer the world. Toby Price and Daniel Sanders are both AORC champions who have both won the Dakar rally. Sanders and Daniel Milner both won an International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) outright off the back of racing AORC, and Matt Phillips and Wil Ruprecht both cut their Enduro racing teeth in AORC competition before moving on to win Enduro World Championships. Us Aussies are onto a good thing and it’s only getting better.
At the completion of 2024, Motorcycling Australia introduced the re-branded Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MXstore beginning in 2025. The new name comes with a slick new look along with a class structure and awards system bringing it in line with World Enduro GP, along with some new venues.
WHAT’S NEW?
The opening weekend of rounds one and two was scheduled for Kempsey in northeastern NSW and rounds three and four scheduled for Traralgon in southeastern Victoria. Kempsey played host to some epic Thumper Nats racing back in the 1990s and Traralgon, of course, most famously was host to the 1998 ISDE, so it was expected that there would be some hardcore dirtbike vibes at each event. Tintinara in South Australia hosts rounds five and six which is only a short distance from Coonalpyn, which has hosted some epic AORC racing in the past.
The new Pro Enduro Championship – which will see each E1, E2 and E3 rider accumulate points based on their outright placing from each round where all classes are combined – is the big prize all pro class riders will be shooting for in 2025. This is separate to the E1, E2 and E3 Class Championship points. At the completion of the 12-round Championship, the rider with the most Pro Enduro points will be awarded the Pro Enduro Trophy.
WHAT REMAINS THE SAME?
The basic recipe for the AEC remains with 12 rounds of Championship racing hosted over six weekends. The formats for each round can vary, however sprints will likely make up the majority of the Championship and if weather conditions are favourable, cross country events could be held. The major factor preventing cross country events is dust. With mass starts and all Championship classes on the track at the same time, dust can cause huge visibility issues that can significantly increase unnecessary danger.
While cross country events may be scheduled, it can be necessary to change events to the sprint format just days before the race for the simple reason of dry conditions. This can be a pain for riders and mechanics who alter bike setup specifically for the long duration of cross country racing who then have a hectic, time-pressured session on the tools after arriving at the track, often after a day or two of traveling to the venue.
Last-minute schedule changes can be difficult to navigate with bike set-up, however it can also be an advantage to riders who are quick to adapt and overcome change. Like most things with enduro racing, you can expect the unexpected.
INDUSTRY RECOGNITION
KTM Australia’s Rosie Lalonde is an Enduro enthusiast at heart but she’s also aware and supportive of the role that Enduro racing plays in the Aussie dirtbike scene.
“The Enduro scene in Australia has been fantastic over the past two decades,” Lalonde says.
“It’s pretty outstanding that thanks to our series, along with the Australian Four Day Enduro, has produced world champions. The success of riders like Daniel Milner and Daniel Sanders who went on to conquer the world at the International Six Day Enduro, to me is an absolute testament to the outstanding level of racing we have in Australia.
“It’s amazing that Aussie riders get to race on home soil then go overseas and beat the world. Like Chucky Sanders who got his start through the KTM group program here then went on to win Dakar. To me it’s crucial that we have a strong national racing series to foster the next generation of riders and to see them succeed on a global scale.”
Lalonde is equally supportive about the new Pro Enduro Championship status, which she explains.
“We have to understand that not everyone knows enduro like we do, so we need to make it more accessible for the everyday rider which is why we go racing and utilise our motorsports platforms as marketing tools for our brands.
“We create a hero like Daniel Milner to help sell our motorcycles. The old mantra of race on Sunday and sell on Monday. But the consumer needs to understand what is actually happening and that can be difficult compared to motocross where the first rider that crosses the chequered flag is the winner. But in Enduro it can be confusing with E1, E2 and E3, and special test times. There’s a lot going on.
“This is where the beauty lies in recognising the outright times and the Pro Enduro Championship. It’s important to highlight who is the fastest because that is what racing is all about.
“I’m really excited that the Championship has had a revamp and now that Daniel Milner is managing his three-rider KTM team we can help bring some highly competitive racing to Australia. We’re trying to garner not just racing, but off-road riding for our customers to get excited about.”
BACK ON AUSSIE SOIL
Wil Ruprecht literally grew up racing the AORC before moving to Europe chasing Enduro GP glory. Ruprecht became only the fourth Australian rider in history win a World Enduro Championship in 2022 but now Ruprecht has moved back home. The NSW-based rider is contesting the 2025 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MX Store for the first time since 2018. What does the Shop Yamaha Team rider expect from the AEC?
“As a rider you always adapt and Europe obviously goes about building tracks a lot different to what we do here in Australia,” Ruprecht explains.
“I’ll have to get used to braking bumps before corners again and going back to a motocross-style tyre. In Europe we don’t get a whole of that because of the FIM tyres we have to use. The FIM tyres seem to just fluff the ground up whereas motocross tyres (with larger knobs) kind of pack things in which creates braking bumps. As a result of that, bike setup has to change for different things you can encounter on the track.
“The style of racing is also quite different. In Enduro GP you typically get a lot of 180 degree turns and point and shoot style racing whereas here you have to sweep through the turns and carry good corner speed. If I can adapt to flowing more and not slamming every berm like you do in Europe, [that] will be the biggest adaptions for me racing back here.
“As for the change to making the outright results official, I think it’s a good thing. The rest of the world does it and from a rider’s perspective, our start order is based on our outright results and our bonuses include the outright win, so I guess the only real difference now is that it is official.”
GREENER PASTURES
Josh Green is the official track assessor for the Australian Enduro Championship. The 2023 AORC Champion is responsible for keeping the tracks safe and up-to scratch. Green’s experience as a racer has equipped him with the knowledge to keep racing fair, fun and challenging, and it also helps bridge the gap between competitors and officials. Greeny is still a racer at heart so he knows what the riders want. But what does he make of the name change from Australian Off-Road Championship to Australian Enduro Championship.
“If you look up AORC online the car racing series pops up. And that can be really confusing for people new to our sport and it makes it really hard to hustle support for our Championship if you are seeking sponsorship from outside the motorcycle industry and they look up AORC and car racing pops up. The brand change is good and it’s a different way for us to attract fresh eyes to our Championship.”
Green was top contender for much of his racing career and before his stand-out Championship win of 2023, Green was widely known as the bridesmaid for the number of times he placed second. So what does Green think of the new Pro Enduro points scoring?
“As a rider, for my career, I would have looked a lot better on paper by being the second-best outright. I have been E2 bridesmaid and outright bridesmaid a lot of times and if it was only based on outright, I would have been worth more because manufacturers would only be bidding for the best three or four riders. But having the three pro classes is good and better for the industry because we have three riders in three classes filling the three podiums. It also gives more manufacturers opportunity to win a pro class like Jye Dickson winning the E3 Championship last year for Beta. I think it’s great to have the outright positions recognised but it’s important to keep focus on the three classes.”
JONTE READY TO RACE
Jonte Reynders is a top contender on the AEC that is yet to crack it for a class Championship. Reynders is racing in the E1 division for 2025 but possesses the speed to be a real contender for the Pro Enduro Championship.
“Everyone always wants to be that top guy and up until now it was never officially recognised,” Reynders says. “Now with the Pro Enduro class, it brings it in line with the World Enduro GP and I think it’s a good thing.
“I’m on a new team with Daniel Milner racing a 250 KTM which isn’t much of a step-down from the 300 Sherco. I got comfortable really quickly and after some testing with Choice Suspension it just got even better. I’m just keen to be racing. I enjoy the three-hour cross country events because we do them often down in Tasmania. Either way, it’s nice to race sprints to break up the cross country racing but it’s nice to bring some fitness and racecraft into racing with three-hour cross country events. There’s a pretty stacked field with tough competition so we’ll see how it plays out.”
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Entry fee for the Championship classes is $260 per weekend consisting of two rounds.
Support classes cost $210 for each weekend and Junior classes are $195 per weekend.
For your money you get precise timing and well-organised events. You also get medical attendance with a doctor and trained support staff, which is very reassuring. You also get to rub shoulders with the best in the business and with advice and support only a question away. Most of the AEC riders are friendly and supportive so don’t shy away from getting to know everyone.
2025 AUSTRALIAN ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR
Round 1-2: 1-2 March, Kempsey, NSW.
Round 3-4: 5-6 April, Traralgon, VIC.
Round 5-6: 31 May-1 June, Tintinara, SA.
Round 7-8: 28-29 June, Casterton, VIC.
Round 9-10: 13-14 September, Kyogle, NSW.
Round 11-12: 11-12 October, Gympie, QLD.