AORC preview: Rd1, Kilkivan, Qld
The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship is set to take off again, with Toby Price the defending championRiders are set for a challenging weekend of racing when the 2015 instalment of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) gets underway in Kilkivan (Qld) this weekend.
Ten classes of racing will feature at the event, with riders and their bikes coming up against some of the toughest conditions that the Queensland terrain has to offer in the sprint format.
As in previous years, the series will run alongside state championship events, ensuring 12 rounds of fast-paced competition featuring fields of seasoned riders and brand new competitors.
Fresh off his podium finish in the 2015 Dakar Rally, defending champion Toby Price will again be the man to beat. Price, the only rider to win the AORC on four occasions, will face stiff competition however from his Motorex KTM Off Road teammates Daniel Sanders and Tye Simmonds.
However, Price's biggest rival over the past few seasons, Victorian Daniel Milner, won't be in action as he's now racing in America.
CDR Yamaha Off-Road rider Chris Hollis will be another contender for the title, but has had to overcome a disrupted preparation in the lead up to the AORC after he injured his AC joint in round one of the 2015 Australian Enduro-X Nationals in Brisbane.
Strong challenges are also likely to come from the likes of dual Australian Four-Day Enduro winner Glenn Kearney (Husqvarna Enduro Team), 2015 Australian Enduro-X Nationals runner-up Josh Green (Active8 Yamaha) and four of the top 10 placegetters in 2014: Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna Off Road Team), Tom McCormack (CDR Yamaha), Beau Ralston (Active8 Yamaha) and Geoff Braico (KTM).
After the opening rounds in Kilkivan, the 2015 AORC caravan will work its way down to Victoria, heading across to South Australia and back up to Queensland before finishing in New South Wales for the final two rounds.
Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship 2015 calendar
• Rounds 1 & 2 - March 21-22, Kilkivan, QLD: Sprint, Sprint
• Rounds 3 & 4 - April 18-19, Hedley, VIC: Cross Country*, Sprint
• Rounds 5 & 6 - May 23-24, Karoonda, SA: Cross Country*, Sprint
• Rounds 7 & 8 - June 20-21, Aratula, QLD: Enduro, Enduro
• Rounds 9 & 10 - July 25-26, Kyogle, NSW: Cross Country*, Sprint
• Rounds 11 & 12 - August 15-16, Monkerai, NSW: Cross Country*, Sprint
*Subject to weather conditions
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