The final weekend of the 2025 Australian Enduro Championships (AEC) took place on a hot and dusty property just north of Gympie in Queensland, with Yamaha riders claiming three national championship victories. Jess Gardiner, Marcus Nowland and Lorna Lock all added the Australian Enduro Championship to their resumes, taking out their respective classes for both the day and the year.
Jess Gardiner continued her remarkable run in the EW class, stopping only briefly to acknowledge just how many championships she has now accumulated. Despite an early-season challenge from Madi Simpson, Gardiner’s years of experience and racecraft allowed her to minimise mistakes in the latter part of the season and secure the 2025 EW championship. She wrapped up the title with a round to spare before capping the final weekend with a second consecutive round win, overcoming the heat and dust to finish the season in dominant fashion.
“Every year throws up another challenge and winning Australian championships are never as easy as they seem,” Gardiner said. “This year was no different but I’m fortunate enough to have some great people and team around me that keep me focused and on track when things get tough. The weekend was hard as the conditions were so dry. It was powder out there and vision was hard, but we were able to make it through and get it done to finish the year strongly and win a championship. Thank you to so many people for always supporting me and this one means a lot.”
In the junior ranks, Marcus Nowland achieved back-to-back championships, stepping up from the J3 class in 2024 to claim the J4 title in 2025. He entered the Gympie finale with a ten-point lead over his rivals and rode smartly in the challenging dry and dusty conditions to dominate both days of racing. Nowland’s strong performances over the season, including victories at Hattah in the junior class and a top-10 finish in the Australian Junior Motocross Championship, cemented his reputation as one of the nation’s rising stars.
“It was my last year of juniors so my goal was to win as much as I could before I move into seniors this year. I had a few hiccups along the way but managed to achieve most of my goals and had a great time with my family going to the races. My parents have given me so much support in racing over the years so it’s always good to win some championships for them and a reward for the sacrifices they make. It’s under 19s in 2026 and I can’t wait,” Nowland said.
In the JG class, Lorna Lock stepped into the shoes of Danielle McDonald after McDonald moved to the USA to race full-time in 2025. Lock’s first full season of AEC rounds on her YZ85 saw her consistently at the front, gradually improving throughout the year. Under the guidance of Jess Gardiner, Lock combined speed, consistency and growing race maturity to secure the JG championship.
“It was exciting for me to just get the chance to race with Jess and her team and now I have won a championship for her, and it feels good,” Lock said.
The Gympie finale was a fitting end to the 2025 AEC season, showcasing the depth of talent across both junior and senior categories, and adding more championship hardware to Yamaha’s collection for the year.
