Yamaha Ballards MXstore Off-Road Racing Team rider Jess Gardiner claimed victory at Round 3 of the AORC
Women’s
Early into Round 3, the results threw us all sideways with reigning Champion, Gardiner clocking up out of character test times and both Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha Motor Australia) and Emi Ruprecht smashing out speedy times. As the day progressed though and the rain rolled in, Gardiner seemed to find her feet and pushed through to first place.
Hot on her heels, Karlsson slid into second place with a total time of 50:24, ahead of Penrite Honda’s Emma Milesevic, who claimed third ahead of Ruprecht with a total time of 52:47. Like Gardiner, Milesevic appeared to struggle with the conditions early but as we have seen before, she fought tooth and nail to maintain her position on the podium.
“I had a pretty good day,” explains Gardiner.
“It was a lot of fun this morning, we were spoilt with no dust and perfect conditions and being a timecard format it was really good out there.
“We had a lot of fun on the trail too but when the rain came though it made things very interesting. It came down to who could stay upright and keep those wheels spinning.
“Overall it was tough, so I’m really happy to take the win considering the challenging conditions.”
2020 AORC Round 3 Women’s Top 7 Provisional Results:
1. Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha Ballards MXstore Off-Road Racing Team) 49:41
2. Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha Motor Australia) 50:24
3. Emma Mileseivc (Penrite Honda) 52:47
4. Emi Ruprecht 57:34
5. Julie Denyer (Dn and Mg Denyer) 1:01:25
6. Avril Gill 1:08:28
7. Kaitlyn Hall (Halls Transport Repairs) 1:08:29
Two-Stroke
Casual as anything, Braico lead the charge hot off the start line right from lap 1. With a total time of 42:54 after eight laps, Braico finished in first ahead of Dalton Johnson (Motul Pirelli Sherco).
Johnson finished Round 3 with a total time of 44:50, but got through by the skin of his nails ahead of Brad Hardaker (Banana Coast Pest Control, Yamaha Motor Australia), who clocked in just shy of three seconds behind Johnson.
Round 1 winner, Harry Teed had a challenging day today, conceding for fourth place with a total time of 45:28.
“My day was pretty fun and without much dramas,” explains Braico.
“I didn’t crash until the last lap but my YZ125 was having a ball in these conditions! I just thought I would come along and give this a go and Yamaha were kind enough to help me out.
“It’s great to have this class where it’s not necessarily as serious. I’ve seen the AORC pits change and evolve over the years, so the 2T class opens up that opportunity for people to compete without it being too serious.”
2020 AORC Round 3 2T Top 9 Provisional Results:
1. Geoff Braico 42:54
2. Dalton Johnson (Motul Pirelli Sherco) 44:50
3. Brad Hardaker (Banana Coast Pest Control, Yamaha Motor Australia) 44:53
4. Harry Teed 45:28
5. Brad Redman 51:06
6. Harrison Blatch 55:01
7. Brady Adams 52:58 +1 lap
8. Luke Bray 38:11 +2 laps
9. James Buttigieg 41:37 +4 laps
AORC returns to Dungog tomorrow morning. With refreshed and rejuvenated minds and bodies, our competitors will tackle a Sprint format. This change in racing is due to the recent heavy rainfall in the area.
Stay up to date with all the happenings of the 2020 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship by visiting the AORC website at www.aorc.org.au , Facebook or @aorc on Instagram. Don’t forget to download the Official AORC app via Team App. It’s as easy as download Team App and search ‘AORC’!
Photos: Troy Pears