Under clear blue skies and on a challenging and technical layout, over 300 riders contested the event on the weekend, with Yamaha winning multiple classes and several podium positions and have now positions themselves well in the championship hunt with just two rounds to go.
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Kyron Bacon charged to a dominant weekend in the E1 (250cc) class, winning on both days and clawing back valuable points in the championship. Bacon missed two rounds earlier in the season with a broken femur but is now within 14 points of the E1 class lead and with two rounds to go, anything is possible.
His speed was good enough on day one to claim the Outright victory, by the barest of margins over fellow Yamaha mounted rider, Wil Dennett, then he backed that up with second Outright on Sunday and now sits in second place in Outright honours and coming home with a wet sail.
“The weekend went well and it was good to get the e1 win on both days and be in the battle for the Outright,” Bacon offers. “The tests here are always tough and sometimes its not about how fast you go, its how many mistakes you make as they are very costly here if you miss the main like or lose your flow.
“I made a few over the weekend, but I think nearly everyone did as we were all pretty close. The team did a great job, and the bike was perfect. I’m not sure how far up the championship points I can get, but I will keep trying to win and see where I land after Dungog next month,” Bacon ends.
It was another rock-solid weekend for veteran Josh Green. Using his years of experience to counter punch against the raw speed of youth, Green stays in the fight and comes away from Kyogle leading both the E2 class (450cc) as well as leading the AORC championship outright.
Green finished the weekend with a second-place finish on both days and his consistency across every round so far has been the secret to his success. He came out all guns blazing on Saturday morning to win the opening test but fell in the next to halt the momentum. Then his experience kicks in and its business as usual as he racks up top five tests all weekend and maintains control of the championship.
“I haven’t been able to prepare as much as I would like with my recent injuries, so I just have to ride a little within myself and focus on doing the simple things well. The pace the Kyron and Jonte is setting is fast, so I need to continue to pick my battles, use my head and keep racking up the points every time we race.
“Conditions were tough as the weather was warm and the tests started technical and then got rough over the course of the day.
“I’m looking for to the final round at Dungog and the plan is to keep doing what we are doing and finish on a strong note,” Green said.
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Wil Dennett (Lismore Motorcycles) gave to the local fans something to cheer about as the Lismore based rider turned heads with some impressive rides over the weekend to announce his arrival as a major player in the off road world.
Still only 18 and racing in the EJ (Under 19) class, Dennett not only took the class win on Saturday, but gave current number 1 plate holder, Kyron Bacon, all he could handle in outright honours. After five sprinters, the pair were separated by .5 of a second with Bacon just snaring the win over his Yamaha counterpart.
Sunday saw Dennett take the class win again to consolidate his position in the EJ division and finished third outright to prove the day prior was no fluke.
Cooper Sheidow still leads the E1 class after ten rounds but saw his lead reduced back to four points over Korey McMahon with two rounds to come. Sheidow was consistent all weekend with two third place finishes but couldn’t quite match it with the class leaders of Bacon and McMahon.
The E1 class will come down to a final weekend shoot-out in Dungog with the top four riders separated by just 14 points.
Jett Yarnold also landed on the podium both days, taking third in the EJ (Under 19) class. He over come some mechanical issues on Saturday to keep a cool head and finish not just the day but the weekend out positively. Yarnold currently sits in third place in the EJ class for the championship, a great effort for his first year in the senior division.
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The duo of Marcus Nowland and Harley Hutton had an eventful weekend at Kyogle. Hutton took the honours on the J2 class (12-15 years 85cc) with some super riding and then returned on Sunday finish in second after some hard-fought racing. Hutton is a little down the leader board in the J2 championship in fourth as he missed the South Australian rounds due to illness.
Nowland started the weekend on fire, winning several tests, but an in-course penalty and a fall saw his day come unravelled. He was sore and sorry Sunday morning but soldiered on for a top five finish to retain fifth in the championship.
The final two rounds of the championship now head to Dungog in NSW on October 14 and 15.
