Rounds five and six of the 2025 Australian Enduro Championship (AEC) took place in Tintinara, South Australia, where riders were met with fast, dusty sand tracks and brutally rough conditions across two days of racing.
Saturday’s Cross Country tested stamina with long loops, while Sunday’s Sprint format demanded precision on chopped-out, high-speed specials. Both days delivered drama and new winners.
Daniel Milner was dominant in Saturday’s Cross Country, despite dropping to eighth early on after misreading a course change. He charged back through the field, took the lead during the refuelling phase and never looked back, crossing the line with a 56-second margin. “Rounds 5 and 6 went pretty well. We had a good day yesterday in the Cross Country, even though the start was a bit rough after I wasn’t told about a track change early on and dropped about five or six positions,” Milner explained. “From there, I just got fired up, charged hard all day, and managed to get myself to the front. Once I was there, I held a solid lead for the rest of the race.”
Will Dennett held off a late charge from Korey McMahon to secure second, with McMahon settling for third. “It was a brutal Cross Country on Saturday, but our pace was there all day,” said McMahon. “I made a few mistakes early, but I’m happy with how it went otherwise.”
Sunday’s Sprints brought a shake-up, as Jye Dickson bounced back in style. Fast and clean from the first test, Dickson edged out Milner in multiple runs and claimed his maiden outright AORC round win — also a first for Beta in the championship. “Sunday was a big turnaround for me,” Dickson said. “I knew I had the pace, I just had to stay consistent. It was a great day, taking out my first outright win. The Beta RR 480 RACE felt great all weekend.”
Milner held on for second. “Today, I tried to do the same, but just didn’t have the pace that Jye Dickson was running – he was riding well all day. I focused on staying consistent and avoiding mistakes, which I was able to do. I still got the class win, which I’m stoked about, and finished second outright.” He added, “Overall, it was a solid weekend for the team. Everything worked really well and it all ran smoothly. The bikes were faultless all weekend, so I’m happy with the result.”
McMahon was in the mix on Sunday but hit trouble late. “Today was going really good, I was battling in the top three outright all day until the last two Sprints,” he said. “I twisted my bad knee the wrong way, and it looks like I might’ve done something to it, but fingers crossed it’s okay.”
Andrew Wilksch overcame a rough Cross Country start to claim third on Sunday. “It was a very physical weekend, with over four hours of riding in rough sandy conditions, but the Beta RC 450 was faultless. I’m happy to come away with good results and move up to third in the Pro Enduro standings.”
Class Results
In the E1 class, Jonte Reynders was untouchable on Saturday, taking a commanding win. Cooper Sheidow powered through for second ahead of Fraser Higlett, while Will Price faded to fourth after an early lead. “The KTM 250 XC-F did unreal in the Cross Country – it didn’t miss a beat all weekend in the tough conditions,” Reynders said. “Saturday was awesome, we were able to get the E1 win. The track was brutal out there, but the bike was working well all weekend long.”
Sunday was a heartbreaker for Reynders. After blitzing the opening sprint tests, a time penalty dropped him to fifth. “Sunday wasn’t the result we wanted, and it was my misjudgment that cost us with the penalty there, but we’ll be back to get it done in the next rounds.” That handed the victory to Sheidow, who rode consistently all day to claim his first round win of 2025. Jett Yarnold and Price rounded out the podium.
In E2, Milner swept the class both days, with Dennett and Wilksch trading spots across the weekend. Dennett impressed with one of his best Cross Country rides to date, holding the early lead before Milner passed him mid-race. Wilksch finished third on Saturday, then stepped up to second on Sunday with faster sprint times. Dennett was again solid and consistent in third. Jeremy Carpentier had his best run of the season before a crash in Test 4, while Wil Ruprecht, riding with a hand injury, gradually dropped down the order.
In E3, Korey McMahon was unstoppable in Saturday’s Cross Country, finishing over five minutes clear to continue his title charge. Riley McGillivray took second ahead of Dickson, who recovered from a rough start. On Sunday, Dickson was the man to beat. He looked at home in the sand, finishing 90 seconds clear to prove both his class and outright potential. McMahon rode steady for second, while McGillivray recovered from a crash to claim third.
The EJ (Junior) class saw Will McInnes claim a breakthrough win on Saturday, holding off Kogan Lock after the pair were delayed by a fallen rider. Tomas Porto stepped up for third. McInnes backed it up on Sunday, dominating every test to go back-to-back. Lock was consistent in second, banking valuable points, while Fletcher Turner claimed third.
In EW (Women), Jessica Gardiner was in a class of her own, taking both round wins by significant margins. She raced her WR450F for the first time ever in a national event, and the big bike proved the right choice for the deep sand. “I had a lot of fun on the 450 today, it suited my riding style and terrain so perfectly, I’m so happy with the race I put together!” Gardiner also scored the holeshot and led every lap of Saturday’s race.
Emelie Karlsson was strong on Saturday, securing second before withdrawing on Sunday. That opened the door for Madi Simpson to grab second in the sprints, while Ebony Nielsen put in a gritty ride for third. “The rough sandy conditions weren’t my strong suit, but I continued to push and come away with a third place finish in class on Sunday,” Nielsen said.
Next up, the series heads to Casterton, Victoria, on June 28–29, where another sandy layout awaits and the championship battles continue to intensify.
For Standings and Results Click Here: https://www.ausenduro.com.au/results/
