The 2026 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship opened in brutal fashion at Roma, Queensland, where punishing heat, dust and rough terrain pushed Australia’s best enduro riders to their limits in a demanding first round of the season.
Originally scheduled as a two-day event, competitors instead faced a single marathon day of racing after heavy rain overnight on Saturday forced organisers to cancel Sunday’s second round. The already challenging course — which weaved through rough paddocks, technical log crossings and dry creek beds — would have become dangerously saturated and muddy following the downpour, leaving officials with no option but to call the event early.
Class victories went to Cooper Sheidow in E1, Wil Ruprecht in E2 and Pro Enduro outright, Korey McMahon in E3, Jessica Gardiner in the EW class and Mason Phillips in EJ, as the championship’s top riders battled through rough, dusty conditions across six demanding special tests.
Outright winner Wil Ruprecht supported the decision, acknowledging the risks of attempting to continue the event.
“Unfortunately, the rain did come, and we weren’t able to race today,” Ruprecht said. “The course would have been difficult and dangerous in sections with running water in the creek beds and even the conditions in and around the pits. It was the right call to make.”
Before the weather intervened, however, riders tackled six lengthy special tests in hot and humid conditions, with the opening round immediately confirming why Roma is widely regarded as one of the toughest stops on the national championship calendar.
E1
With defending E1 champion Jonte Rynders sidelined due to a pre-season injury, the category arrived in Roma wide open and ready for a new contender to emerge.
Cooper Sheidow wasted no time stepping into that role, the BluCru Yamaha rider launching the day with a blistering opening test that put him 15 seconds clear of the field.
But the race for victory quickly intensified. Deegan Graham and Shop Yamaha Offroad Team rider Maximus Purvis began clawing back time through the middle portion of the event, with Graham finding strong form to claim wins in tests two, three and four.
Meanwhile, Ryan Hayward rode with impressive consistency early in the day to position himself firmly in the podium fight as the demanding conditions began taking their toll on the field.
Despite the pressure, Sheidow held his nerve. Maintaining his pace across the remaining tests, the Yamaha rider remained within striking distance throughout the afternoon before ultimately securing the E1 victory.
A late push from Hayward in the final two tests wasn’t quite enough to disrupt the order, with Graham holding on for second place while Hayward completed the podium in third.
Purvis endured a challenging debut in the class aboard his Yamaha, recovering from early crashes to finish fourth in E1 and seventh outright in Pro Enduro.
Fresh from success in the New Zealand Motocross Championship, the talented Kiwi was still adapting to off-road conditions — and particularly Roma’s notorious log crossings.
“They don’t have logs on motocross tracks and every time I was near one, I had issues,” Maximus Purvis admitted. “I hit them at weird angles, I was slow over them, or sometimes I just crashed trying to get past them, so it wasn’t pretty.
“But, with the motocross over and time between the next rounds, I can get to work on some off-road riding and hopefully come back next time and be a lot more prepared. The team did a great job and the bike felt good. I can’t complain about that, and I like the environment of off-road racing. It’s good fun.”
E2
In the E2 category, Shop Yamaha Offroad Team star Wil Ruprecht picked up exactly where he left off at the end of the 2025 season.
The former EnduroGP world champion immediately stamped his authority on the event, winning the opening test by an impressive 17 seconds and establishing himself as the rider to beat from the outset.
Riding with confidence and precision, Ruprecht went on to win five of the six tests contested during the day and finished second in the final test as rain began to fall across the circuit.
The commanding performance secured victory in both the E2 (450cc) class and the Pro Enduro outright standings — a powerful statement to open his 2026 campaign.
“I was pretty keen to get the championship off to a good start and the conditions we had here at Roma last year were good for me,” Wil Ruprecht explained.
“From testing, we had the bike in a good place, and I felt like my off season had gone well, but you never know until you get racing and find out how things unfold.
“The conditions were dry but there was still traction out there and there were definitely elements that you could attack, while there were sections that needed some respect with log crossings. I was also aware of the weather forecast so I wanted to start the weekend positively and that’s what we were able to do.”
Behind Ruprecht, Jye Dickson delivered one of the most consistent rides of the day for KTM DM31 Racing. Dickson finished second in every test as he chased the Yamaha rider throughout the event, gradually closing the gap but never quite able to challenge for the win.
Impressing in his debut E2 outing was reigning EJ champion Kogan Lock, who immediately proved competitive at the higher level. Lock placed third in the opening test and maintained that pace throughout the day to secure a strong podium finish.
E3
In the E3 category, reigning champion Korey McMahon quickly asserted himself as the rider to beat.
The KTM DM31 Racing rider opened the day at the top of the class and maintained control across the demanding Roma tests, delivering a composed and confident performance to secure victory.
Max Midwinter found his rhythm early on the demanding terrain and opened the day with a strong second-place result. Despite growing pressure from the chasing riders, Midwinter maintained his composure to hold second overall by the end of the day.
A historic milestone was achieved by Broc Grabham, who rode consistently aboard the Stark electric motorcycle to claim third place in the class. The result marked the first time an electric motorcycle has stood on the podium in a Pro category at the Australian Enduro Championship.
Pro Enduro
While the individual class battles were intense, the fight for Pro Enduro outright honours delivered another layer of competition.
Ruprecht proved dominant throughout the day, setting the pace in the majority of the tests and establishing a clear benchmark for the field. His only interruption came in the sixth and final test when McMahon surged late in the day to claim the fastest outright time.
Dickson secured second outright thanks to his remarkable consistency, reinforcing his position as a serious contender in the 2026 championship.
McMahon completed the outright podium in third after overcoming a challenging start before finding his rhythm later in the day.
Positions four through seven in Pro Enduro were filled by E1 riders Sheidow, Graham, Hayward and Purvis — highlighting the impressive outright pace of the smaller capacity machines on Roma’s technical layout.
EW
In the EW class, reigning champion Jessica Gardiner began her 2026 campaign exactly how she finished last season — with victory.
Riding for the Yamaha JGR Offroad Team, Gardiner controlled the event from the outset and never looked threatened as she secured a commanding win in the opening round.
Madi Simpson had been widely tipped as a challenger for the victory but an early incident set her back in the opening stages. Despite the setback, Simpson recovered strongly to finish second.
Completing the podium was Emelie Granquist for Triumph Australia, who delivered a solid performance to begin her championship campaign.
EJ
The EJ class delivered some of the tightest racing of the day as a new generation of riders battled for supremacy.
Kai Austin fired the opening shot, storming through the first test to establish a near 10-second advantage over the field, while Mitch Ford, Beau Tripcony and Mason Phillips were separated by just three seconds behind him.
However, a costly error at a creek crossing in the second test halted Austin’s momentum and opened the door for the chasing riders.
Phillips seized the opportunity and took control of the race as the day progressed. Tripcony applied pressure throughout the middle stages, narrowly missing victory in test three by less than a second before claiming a test win of his own in test four.
Meanwhile, Marcus Nowland quietly built momentum through consistent performances, keeping himself firmly in podium contention.
In the final stages it was Phillips who proved strongest, extending his lead across the last two tests to secure an impressive EJ victory. Nowland’s consistency rewarded him with second overall, while Tripcony completed the podium in third.
With the opening weekend now complete, attention turns to the next stop on the calendar when the Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship heads to Dungog, New South Wales on April 11–12 for rounds three and four — an event that will feature a traditional two-day enduro format on some of the country’s most renowned off-road terrain.
