11 Sep 2011

Yamaha riders lead all three premier championship classes and hold the first, second and third Outright positions in the championship point’s battle with just one weekend of Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) racing to go.

Tasmanian young gun and YZ475 pilot, Matt Phillips, took his fourth consecutive Outright round win today at round eight of the Yamaha AORC, held near Port Macquarie (NSW).

The victory scored the 18-year-old enough points to move into second on the Outright leader board (13-points behind Ballard’s Yamaha teammate, Chris Hollis).

Hollis, 27, from Port Macquarie, finished second to Phillips (and first in Championship E2) in yesterday’s round seven and today’s round eight.

Stefan Merriman, from Nelson Bay (NSW), sits third in the championship and first in Championship E1.

“I’m stoked to see everyone on the team doing so well,” Phillips said. “It would be awesome if we won the top three... it would be ideal from a manufacturer’s point of view.

“Today, I had a few issues. The track was really tough and [Chris Hollis] was right on my hammer.

“It was just a matter of trying to limit mistakes and trying to deal with the pressure, which was a challenge.

“We did eight rounds today. I won six and Chris won the other two.”

Phillips said that Toby Price would be making a come back for the last two rounds: “if I can put myself in the top spot, and Toby slots in between [Chris and I], I can win the championship,” he said.

“So the plan is to go and win at the last rounds at Salisbury. That’s all I can do.”

The Ballard’s Yamaha trio aren’t the only boys in blue in the Outright top-10.

Victorian Daniel Milner (of the Christensen’s Yamaha Off-Road Team) is eighth Outright and fifth in E2 (after scoring a third in class in Saturday’s round).

And Queenslander Kirk Hutton (who has won five national titles and 10 Queensland enduro crowns) is 10th on his YZ250F.

Yamaha is also dominating the Championship Women’s category, with the top three podium places being held by ladies on blue machines.

Championship points for the class hadn’t been collated at the time of release, but coming into this weekend’s rounds, Jemma Wilson (YZ250F) was in front of Emelie Karlsson (YZ250F) by seven points and Jessica Gardiner (WR250F) by 16.

In Saturday’s round, Wilson took the win (Karlsson second, Gardiner third) and in today’s round, Gardiner was the victor (Wilson second, Karlsson third).

The finale of the 2011 Yamaha AORC will be held at Salisbury (NSW) on October 2nd and 3rd. For more info go to http://www.ma.org.au/index.php?id=1417

Yamaha AORC Outright top-10 (after round eight)

1. Chris Hollis  Class: E2  Points: 166 Bike: YAMAHA

2. Matt Phillips  E3  153 YAMAHA

3. Stefan Merriman  E1  144 YAMAHA

4. Jarrod Bewley 140

5. Glenn Kearney 125

6. Bartosz Oblucki 108

7. Ben Grabham 84

8. Daniel Milner 82 YAMAHA

9. Toby Price 75

10. Kirk Hutton 63 YAMAHA