ShopYamaha Off Road racer, Josh Green, has used a successful weekend at rounds three and four of the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) to take control of the championship in both E2 class and Outright honours.
Dry, windy, and dusty conditions greeted the competitors at Queensland Moto Park with over 300 riders signing up for the event and turning the sleepy area into a hive of activity. The weekend saw a traditional style enduro format used and the conditions made it a challenge for all riders as they worked their way around the long, hard pack and rocky course in the Scenic Hub.
Green came off a strong performance at the opening weekend of the championship in the sandy conditions of Mendooran, but the weekend was far removed with the surface hard clay, with rocks and extremely dry. Green adapted well and was instantly on the pace first thing Saturday morning. He peeled off special test win after special test win to take the round win Outright and in the E2 (450cc) class.
Sunday and he wasn’t quite as dominant. With the conditions now powder and the ruts dry and deep, Green didn’t quite have the same flow and decided a safe approach was the way to get through the day, he rode smartly to take second on the day behind Jonte Reynders but extend his lead in the E2 and Outright classes.
“Two weekends and two really different conditions to race in,” Green begins. “I enjoy the sand a lot more than what we faced this weekend, but I think I adapted well to them. In the past, I would have really struggled this weekend as bulldust and powder ruts aren’t usually my thing but I felt pretty comfortable and was able to get some good results.
“Vision was tough in certain areas where the wind wasn’t able to blow the dust clear and regardless of where you were in the field, everyone had to deal with it. But it was a good weekend, the team did an awesome job and we were able to come away with the lead in E2 and Outright so there is nothing to complain about,” Green concluded.
The weekend saw Cooper Sheidow step into the big shoes of the injured Kyron Bacon and contest the E1 class for the ShopYamaha team. He took the opportunity with both hands showing good pace and street smarts over the course of both days. He claimed several special tests wins in class and often inside the top five Outright to finish up with second overall in E1 on both days and moved into second place in the championship in the 250cc division.
“It’s been a crazy few days for me and I’m happy to get some good results here and reward the team for their decision to bring me in while Kyron is injured. We don’t get dirt like this much in South Australia so I had to adjust my riding, but I was pretty pumped to finish in second on both days and work well within the team.
“Thank you to AJ and the team for giving me this chance and to be surrounded by a professional team gave me a lot of confidence over the weekend. Nothing was too much to ask and they had everything sorted so I just needed to focus on my riding.”
The next event for the ShopYamaha team is the A4DE in Hervey Way before resuming AORC action in July for rounds five and six in Victoria.
