Husqvarna rookie Billy Hargy achieved his inaugural podium in the senior division of the 2024 AORC opening weekend.
Aboard the 2024 Husqvarna FE 501, the 18-year-old settled into a good rhythm around the dusty, technical tests on Saturday to secure a confidence-inspiring fourth place finish in his first race since stepping up from the EJ class for the new year.
With his first E3 showing under his belt, and having had some more seat-time on his new bike, Simford Group Motorsport Husqvarna signing Hargy pushed harder around Sunday’s special tests, holding some of the field’s more experienced at bay to finish runner-up in the class.
The Wauchope-based rider’s strong showing on Sunday saw him lead the third-placed rider by 16 seconds once the four tests had been completed. Hargy will now prepare for the third and fourth rounds of AORC scheduled for Mount Misery, VIC, on April 20-21.
Billy Hargy: “I’ve only had the big Husqvarna FE 501 for a few weeks, so I’m still learning how to ride it – it’s a whole different ball-game! Yesterday was a bit slow and I was still feeling out the bike, but today I felt I had more flow and it was a track I could ride well. To be honest, I’m quite relieved to get the first weekend out of the way and to score some good points. I know I have the speed now, so we’ll go down and do some suspension testing this week, spend some more time riding the bike, and see if we can get an even better result at the next round.”
2024 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) – Roma, QLD
Round one results:
E3
1. Riley McGillivray (KTM)
2. Stefan Granquist (Husqvarna)
3. Fraser Higlett (Beta)
4. Billy Hargy (Simford Group Motorsport Husqvarna)
5. Jye Dickson (Beta)
Round two results:
E3
1. Riley McGillivray (KTM)
2. Billy Hargy (Simford Group Motorsport Husqvarna)
3. Fraser Higlett (Beta)
4. Stefan Granquist (Husqvarna)
5. Jye Dickson (Beta)