Ballard‰Ûªs Wellard Yamaha racer Stefan Merriman beat a 218-strong field today to take the Outright win of round five of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) held at Murray Bridge (SA).
Merriman, from Nelson‰Ûªs Bay (NSW), had a shaky start to the day, but managed to charge up through the pack and post the fastest lap of the day on lap seven (of eight).
Today‰Ûªs victory was the third this season for Merriman, who kicked off ‰Ûª09 with dual wins at rounds one and two.
The four-time World Enduro Champion broke his shoulder six weeks out from rounds three and four - former AORC Champ, AJ Roberts won the third round and Merriman‰Ûªs teammate, Jarrod Bewley, won the fourth.
Kawasaki rider Toby Price pulled an early lead this morning in the deep sand and ended up second Outright, 12-seconds off Merriman.
‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm really happy with the win, but I didn‰Ûªt think it was going to happen this morning, I was riding pretty rubbish really,‰Û
