2013 AORC ready to rock

The 2013 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship begins in Bulahdelah (NSW) on March 15-16, complete with the full suite of marquee names including multiple world champion Stefan Merriman, Matt Phillips, Toby Price, Glenn Kearney, Daniel Milner, Chris Hollis, AJ Roberts, Josh Green and Ben Burrell.

The biggest change during the off-season has seen the powerful CDR motocross team also take over management of Yamaha’s enduro team from Geoff Ballard, but Merriman and reigning Australian-Four-Day Enduro champion Daniel Milner remain on the roster. Merriman will compete in E2, and Milner in E1.

Meanwhile, Kearney (Husqvarna) will shift from E1 – where he was second behind Milner in 2012 – to E2, while Price will remain in E3 on his KTM 500EXC -- the bike that brought him class and outright success in 2012. It was Price’s third outright victory in the AORC.

“It’s going to be a pretty big year for me with the Aussie stuff and Baja,” said Price, “I look forward to getting on that bike and just going for it.”

Price’s stocks have risen with the recent announcement that Phillips, the 2012 E2 winner, will only contest an abridged AORC campaign in 2013, as his main focus will be on the junior class in the world enduro title.

Price (pictured) recently shook off illness to partner American factory KTM racer Mike Brown to fourth place in the 27th running of the Baja 250 in Mexico -- the first of three SCORE races he’ll do for the official factory KTM squad this year on the famous Baja Peninsula.

The formats for rounds one and two of the AORC will be cross-country and sprint respectively.

The 2013 AORC will be held over 12, concluding in Dungog (NSW) on September 7-8.

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