Crack line-up for 2011 AORC

The 2011 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) commences in Bulahdelah, NSW on February 26-27, with the line-up strengthened by the inclusion of local stars Chris Hollis and Glenn Kearney and Polish enforcer Bartosz Oblucki.

Hollis, who dominated the AORC title in 2008, returns after a hapless two years racing in the world title and will compete in the extremely competitive E2 class, which also traditionally produces the AORC outright winner.

Hollis will reunite with his erstwhile Yamaha team for the campaign, while Kearney and Oblucki will also compete in the E2 class on Husqvarna TE310s.

“I’m fit and healthy and ready to rock and roll,” Hollis said. “Everything’s sweet. I’m looking forward to the weekend.

“I’m glad we’re starting the year with the three-hour cross-country on Saturday. It’s more of an endurance race, more about who can go the longest and it won’t be coming down to hundreds of a second.

“Cross-countries are more of a tactical game. Some guys might go flat out straight away, others might come through at the end. Just depends if you get a good start or not.

“The competition’s gonna be tough... I don’t think Toby (Price) is the only threat. There’s five or six guys who could be the potential winner, then there’s always the dark horses.

“I haven’t raced here for a year, so I have no idea where everyone’s at speed wise. But I’m feeling good. I’m stoked to be here and I’ve been doing a lot of training.”

Oblucki is a class act, with a best world enduro result of second in the 2002 250cc four-stroke championship. He also finished third in the 2004 and 2006 E1 titles, so he definitely has the pedigree to rattle plenty of local cages in 2011.

Oblucki, who was ninth in the 2010 world E3 title, will also compete in the Australian Four-Day Enduro in 2011, as well as extending his talents into the prestigious Finke Desert Race arena.

Meanwhile, Kearney returns home after a number of years racing in America, with his high mark a third overall in the famed Grand National Cross Country series.

New South Welshman Toby Price (KTM) is the rider they’ll all be gunning for in E2, with the former motocross junior star now chasing his third E2 (and outright) title in a row.

Price has hit the sweet spot in enduro – he’s incredibly fast and composed, which makes him terribly hard to conquer in both the shorter and longer forms of the caper.

“It’s going to be pretty exciting since a lot of top international guys are back in Australia – there’s going to be stiff competition,” 23-year-old Price said. “It's all systems go for us. I’m trying not to think about defending my titles, we just have to take it race by race.”

Other E2 big guns include Queenslander and former AORC champion AJ Roberts (Honda), Victorian Mitcham Harper (KTM) and Luka Bussa (Husqvarna).

The E2 class has attracted the most entries for Bulahdelah, 28, while the E1 category has a healthy 24, including multiple world champion Stefan Merriman (Yamaha), Ben Grabham (KTM), Kirk Hutton (Yamaha) and former motocross star Cameron Taylor (Yamaha).

Merriman has made the switch from E2 for 2011, while Grabham and Hutton were E3 riders in 2010.

In E3, Jarrod Bewley (KTM), last year’s E1 champion, looks set to be the dominant player in the lean nine-rider pack.

This weekend’s format will be a mix of cross-country and sprint, with support classes for juniors, women, veterans, masters and clubmen.

Click on the following link for more information on the 2011 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, which will be held over 10 rounds.