Off Road

Yamaha Racing Strong Showing at Renmark AORC

Posted:

Wednesday, June 28th, 2017

9:09 AM

Yamaha supported riders acquitted themselves well at rounds seven and eight of the Australian Off Road Championship, held at a very dry and dusty Renmark in South Australia.

No rain leading up to the event meant the conditions were extremely dry and the usual red, loamy soil in the area was reduced to a deep powder that created blinding dust and also meant riders needed to be aware of dirt being sucked into their motors.

Leading the Yamaha charge on the weekend was Scott Keegan (Snapfitness Yamaha) on his Yamaha YZ250FX. Competing in the E1 class (250cc), Keegan took a convincing class win on Saturday and then backed that up with a second place on Sunday.

‰ÛÏIt was a good result for me on the weekend but it wasn‰Ûªt easy for any of the riders as the dust and dry conditions made it really tough. The format was changed on the Saturday because of the dry and as a rider, you had to be aware of looking after your bike and not allowing dirt in the engine.

‰ÛÏAll up, it was good to get back on top of the podium for a round win. I'm just a few points out of the class lead but we still have lots of racing to go and there are areas of my riding that I will continue to work on,‰Û

Scott Keegan finished with 1-2 results in the E1 class. Credit: John Pearson

There was similar success in the E2 class with Riley Graham, Josh Green and Stefan Granquist in the top five on both days. Local South Australian pilot, Riley Graham rose to the occasion in his home state, taking an impressive third place finish outright on both days in an outstanding performance. In class, he took second on Saturday and a third on Sunday and the weekend helped him in the overall points standings.

‰ÛÏIt was the kind of weekend I have been working towards for a long time,‰Û

Michael Driscoll rode well for his results in the EJ (u19) division. Credit: John Pearson

Michael Driscoll also posted some good results this weekend, highlighted with a noteworthy seven place outright on Saturday. The rookie Under 19 off road rider again showed he is a real talent of the future racking up some impressive special test times to take second place in class and enroute to his seventh place.

Sunday wasn‰Ûªt quite as strong but still a good result, none the less. Driscoll took 12th outright and third in class and reflected positively on a good weekend at Renmark.

‰ÛÏWhile the rest of the off-road guys were doing Finke, I stayed at home and continued to work hard with my riding and training. I‰Ûªm still learning a lot of things about off road but I‰Ûªm really enjoying it and it‰Ûªs even better when you can see it rewarded in the results.

‰ÛÏThe points are pretty close in my class so I really need to keep working and have a strong finish to the year. Thanks to my family for all their support and for Yamaha who have helped me a lot,‰Û

Jemma Wilson continues to lead the way in the Women's class. Credit: John Pearson

Jemma Wilson suffered her first defeat of the year in the Women‰Ûªs class on Saturday to finish in third place for the round, but she instantly put that behind her to rebound and take victory on Sunday. She still comfortably leads the women‰Ûªs division and is already looking forward to the coming rounds.

‰ÛÏIt wasn‰Ûªt a prefect weekend for me and I found the dry dirt really tough,‰Û