Motorcycling Queensland

Please be advised that due to wet weather throughout South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales over the last couple of days, a decision has been made to postpone Round 1 of the Honda Pony Xpress Series which was scheduled to take place in Kyogle, New South Wales this Sunday 1st June.

Sunday 29th June has been identified as a possible alternative date, however nothing has been confirmed at this stage. Keep checking the Motorcycling Queensland www.mqld.org.au or Queensland Enduro www.qldenduro.com websites over the comiing days / weeks for updates.

Round 3 of the North Queensland Pony Xpress Series which was scheduled to be held at Wallace Road, Malanda this Sunday 1st June has been postponed.

Recent wet weather in and around the country where the ride was to be held has led to the landowner making a decicion, based on concerns about potential damage that the bikes may do to the land.

Details regarding a new date, once confirmed will be advertised her eon the MQ website.

Team Maroon Women - (l to r) Alison Parker, Rosie Lalonde, Jemma Wilson

Queensland’s best enduro racers will make the trek to southern Victoria this week to contest one of the world’s most prestigious off road events – the 30th annual Hog’s Breath Café Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE).

Queensland’s Senior Trophy Team won the coveted state Senior Trophy Team crown at last year’s contest, snatching the honor from the southern states for the first time in more than two decades.

Queenslander and three-time Australian champion AJ Roberts and two-time Australian champion and eight-time Queensland champion ‘King’ Kirk Hutton will be among the senior riders on this year’s team and will also be battling for individual national titles.

GHR Honda Off Road Team rider Roberts said he was aiming to win the event, which was taken out by enduro world champion David Knight last year and Juha Salminen in 2006.

“Winning the four day is my goal for this year… it’s something I haven’t achieved and I want to take the trophy home this year,” Roberts said.

“It’s a very prestigious event, every year it attracts more big-name riders – this year five-time Motocross World Champion Joel Smets is coming out and world enduro racers Bartosz Oblucki and Antoine Meo.

“Even though these riders are really fast, I want to win the four day for Australia, I am sick of all the Europeans winning it.”

Roberts managed to place fourth outright in the race last year, dropping several positions in the final moto. This is not uncommon as the event - even though it is four days long and includes six timed special test phases per day - is normally won and lost by mere seconds.

Hutton also had an exceptional result at the 2007 A4DE, nabbing his second Australian title on his YZ125 and sixth outright.

While Hutton said winning as an individual was one of the best accomplishments of his decade-long career, winning the highly sought after team category was “even better”.

“It was really amazing to win the senior team trophy last year,” Yamaha Queensland Off Road Team front man Kirk Hutton said.

“New South Wales usually has the fastest riders and Victoria is normally not far behind… we had a very solid team and everyone had a good event, it was such a thrill to beat the other states that have always won".

“It just goes to show that the level of talent in Queensland is growing, and with the amazing field of juniors we have coming through the ranks I only expect our sides to get stronger and stronger.”

This year’s Queensland Senior Trophy Team will consist of Kirk Hutton, AJ Roberts, Michael Oliver, Brad Peterson, Kristian Sprenger and Chris Reading.

The Junior Team will be made up of Nick Beattie, Michael Hand, John Day and Brent Carlson. Reserve for both teams will be Rob Hand.

The Queensland Junior Trophy Team got third at last year’s event and team organisers are expecting an even stronger result from the “extremely talented team” this year.

Another Queenslander who will be defending a national title is Yamaha Queensland Off Road Team’s Grant Siebenhausen, who won the Over 35’s class last year.

Also flying the Queensland flag in 2008 will be a record four of our most talented women, including Queensland Women’s number one and Yamaha Queensland Off Road Team racer Jemma Wilson, who placed second in the Women’s Championship Class last year, and fellow Yamaha rider Jacqui Beattie.

“I am certainly looking forward to the four day,” Wilson said. “A four day is really exciting... I really want to finish again this year and do well... I want to have less crashes this year, not get tired and do my best and come out feeling like I couldn’t have done any better.

“The four day is extra exciting because it’s the biggest thing on my enduro calendar and it’s so far to go this year too. There are lots of girls riding this year too so that will be awesome.”

Yamaha’s Alison Parker, who now resides in the Glass House Mountains, will be riding with Team Queensland for the first time this year.

This will be Parker’s seventh A4DE – she has ridden more than any other woman and was the only female to win a gold medal last year.

‘Racin’ Rosie Lalonde is another Yamaha vixen who will be wearing maroon this year. Lalonde said she was looking forward to the event which is “so much fun”.

Race organisers, Dirt Bike Promotions’ Phil Sargent and DeTour’s Lyndon Heffernan, said this year’s event was in a “great spot” with lots of “fantastic riding”.

To check out rider profiles of AJ, Kirk and Alison or for more information on the event please visit www.a4de.com

AJ Robert fronts the media at Rounds 1 and 2 in Port Macquarie

Queensland riders were out in force on March 15 and 16 for the opening rounds of the nation’s premier off road titles, the Yamaha Australian Off Road Championships (AORC).

The Sunshine State was represented in several classes at the event held about seven hours south of Brisbane at Port Macquarie, from Championship E2 and E3 to juniors, clubmen and Championship Women.

The top placing Queenslander was Bribie Island’s AJ Roberts, who has won the highly sought after championship for the last three years.

Roberts, who had spent the weeks before the event recovering from a broken tibia, was happy to have been able to race and finished third in Yamaha Championship E2 and outright on day one and third in E2 and fourth outright on day two.

Port Macquarie local Chris Hollis beat the record 210 riders to win outright both days.

“I was slightly off my pace and a bit underdone,” Roberts, who rides for GHR Honda Racing, said. “My hands were sore and in the double lap at the end I felt fatigued.”

Championship E1, E2 and E3 riders did an extra lap to the rest of the field (of the two tracks linked together) at the end of the day to give the other riders a chance to watch.

“Now I just need to spend more time on the bike and harden up a bit. The depth of the pro riders this year is big and I will need to work hard to stay on top,” Roberts said.

GHR Honda Racing Team Manager Glenn Hoffman said considering AJ’s injury, the result he achieved was “better than we could have hoped for”.

“The depth of competition has certainly expanded, which is the sign of a healthy sport,” Hoffman said.

“There were many name riders outside of the top-10, including the likes of Brad Williscroft, Kirk Hutton and Craig Carmichael.”

Yamaha Queensland Off Road Team’s ‘King’ Kirk Hutton was the second placed Queenslander, bringing home second in the CTI Championship E3 class both days.

“I was happy to get the first national of the season under my belt, my nerves are always pretty bad before the first national because it has been a few months since any of us has raced together and you don’t really know what to expect,” Hutton said.

“Port Macquarie is a great venue, the tracks were really rough though and eight laps on Saturday and seven on Sunday really took it out of you, I was glad that I have been training hard and riding a lot.

“I am really looking forward to the A4DE now, which is my next national race, and then the next AORC which is going to be held at Conondale in Queensland on May 17 and 18, after the four day.”

Other Queenslanders who had exceptional results at the first and second AORC included Jemma Wilson, Alison Parker, Nick Beattie, Jake Reading and Nigel Heap.

Yamaha Queensland Off Road Team racer Wilson came third on both days in the Incite Graphics Championship Women’s class, beating the national number one woman Alison Parker on the first day.

Wilson was also beating Parker on the second day, however Parker allegedly had an issue with one of her times, which she took to officials, and ended up finishing ahead of Wilson.

Beattie finished day one in 10th spot in Championship E2 and 13th on day two, only one spot behind Australian titleholder and factory Honda rider Ben Grabham. Nick even beat Grabham in four of the seven heats on Sunday and looks as thought he has the potential and speed to be challenging more of the established front runners.

Reading finished a commendable third in the UFO Clubman E1 on Sunday, after coming sixth – one placing behind Nigel Heap – on Saturday. Heap came fifth on Sunday.

Kaitlynn Sprenger also did extremely well – although junior girls didn’t have their own division, Kaitlynn finished ahead of at least one on day one and managed to compete the demanding track on day two to beat several of the junior boys in the outright stakes.

Rounds three and four of the Yamaha Australian Off Road Championships will hit the legendary Conondale track in the Sunshine Coast hinterland on May 17 and 18.

Take a look at the Yamaha Queensland Enduro Championships Champions Trophy, and several really big names in Enduro racing can be seen etched on small, rectangular-gold plaques.

Stefan Merriman, 1997. Shawn Reed, 1996. Gavin McLeod, 1987. Peter Buckley 1989 and 1990. Geoff Dawson, 1983.

However, it’s hard not to notice the plaques with one particular name carved on them – they take up nearly two whole rows of the base of the 600mm-high trophy.

These placards are hard and fast proof of ‘King’ Kirk Hutton’s domination of the Queensland Enduro scene during the last decade.

He has won the championship eight times, six more times than anyone else, and will look to add another plaque to the trophy when the first round of the three-round Yamaha Queensland Enduro Championships gets underway at Manar Park on March 22 and 23.

Hutton's name appears on the trophy for the first time on the plaque for 1998, when he was 24. Again for 1999, mate and once-racing partner Peter Retke won his first and last title in 2000.

Kirk Hutton, 2001. Kirk Hutton, 2002. Little brother Duncan Hutton won the rivalry for one year – his name is carved in time for 2003.

Kirk Hutton, 2004. Kirk Hutton, 2005. Kirk Hutton, 2006. Kirk Hutton, 2007. Blank plaque. Blank Plaque. No more space on trophy.

“I get a great sense of satisfaction when I look at the trophy and realize that I have put in a lot of hard work and preparation and dedication to my sport,” Hutton said.

“Hopefully I can make it nine times this year, but I don’t look at it that way. I just look at trying to win every race I can because I enjoy racing so much. If I win the title then that is a bonus.”

“I hope a few more, yet,” Hutton says with a smile. “I feel better than I ever have now and I have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.”

The news might be disappointing for the younger generation of riders who would normally be rising up and defeating the older rivals – a cycle which Hutton has kept from happening for 10 years in the Sunshine State.

Hutton said there were a lot more juniors in Enduro racing now than 10 years ago, which is “very promising to see for the growth of our sport”.

“The sport really is looking good for the future, especially the support and motivation the parents are putting into it,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to the first round of the two-days because they are what I really enjoy; the Enduro formats as opposed to sprint, I like to be in the saddle of my machine for at least seven hours,” Hutton said.

“The more riding the better, I seem to get better the longer I am riding more so than just sprint laps.

*Manar Park is located about 1 and a half hours north west of Kingaroy. More information on the venue, and how to get there available from www.manar.com.au

Yamaha’s ‘King’ Kirk Hutton has kicked off his 2008 season with two wins from two rounds of the Yamaha Sprint Cross-Country Series.

Eight-time Queensland Enduro champion Hutton, who is spearheading the new Yamaha Queensland Off Road Team, blitzed the field for the second time at the second round of the Yamaha Sprint Cross Country Series on Sunday.

Hutton’s teammates Grant Siebenhausen and Jemma Wilson also put in commendable performances, walking away with third outright and first in the Women’s All Powers class respectively.

The first and second rounds of the series were both staged near Boonah about and hour an a half south east of Brisbane and both attracted an impressive turn-out of nearly 200 riders.

The first round on February 10 was characterized by extremely wet and boggy conditions. Competitors at the second round were greeted with semi-loamy to dry conditions.

Both events were changed from their original format which consists of three, class mass start 30-minute races, to Enduro cross format (the same as ‘NSW sprint’ format), with riders competing against the clock and doing one lap at a time.

“I was really happy with how the event went,” Hutton said. “Basically, I had a mistake-free day. I felt very confident on the bike as I have it set up just how I want it.

“Everything went to plan. The track was good, back to the true Queensland-style, mostly dry and dusty with rocks and logs.

“My YZ250 was working perfectly as usual and my Dunlop 773’s were hooking up great in the conditions, so I had a really good day.

Hutton said he was “extremely” looking forward to the next Queensland event, the first round of the Yamaha Queensland Two Day Enduro Championships that will be held at Manar Park on March 22 and 23.

Hutton said he also wanted to thank Yamaha for “all of their fantastic” support.

“Yamaha have supported me for eight years now and that has been fantastic and it’s really good to see them step up their support of the sport up even more by forming this team, which no other manufacturer has done in Queensland,” he said.

Siebenhausen, who is riding a 2008 WR450F this season, still managed to claim third outright, despite having a major crash and crushing his left foot against a tree. He finished second outright in the first round.

“I made one mistake today, in the second lap, and I crashed because of it... but that’s racing I suppose,” Siebenhausen said.

“The crash affected the rest of my laps, I couldn’t hit G-Outs as hard and I had to keep my foot up.

“But the WR450F went really well, I’m getting more and more used to it and I love the machine.”

A full list of results from the first two rounds of the Yamaha Sprint Cross Country Series will be available at the Qld Enduro website www.qldenduro.com

The next Queensland event will be the first round of the Yamaha Queensland Two Day Enduro Championships at Manar Park on March 22 and 23. Supplementary Regulations are available from the Motorcycling Queensland www.mqld.org.au or Queensland Enduro www.qldenduro.com websites.

Bribie Island’s Anthony ‘AJ’ Roberts is still unsure if he will be able to contest the opening rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off Road Championships (AORC) due to injury sustained in training earlier this year.

Roberts has dominated the championships since its inception, winning the number one plate for the last three years in a row.

However, if the GHR Honda Off Road Team pilot hasn’t recovered from his broken tibia in time for the first and second rounds of the championships at Port Macquarie on March 15 and 16, it will put him at a serious disadvantage to win the title for another year.

AORC rules stipulate that a rider can not ‘throw’ a round, meaning the lost points from not competing the first rounds would have to be made-up by exceptional performances and luck for AJ to win.

“I am trying to do all the right things. It’s an unknown at the moment whether I will be able to ride, I’m just taking it day by day,” Roberts said.

“I want to be there but I don’t know where I am at the moment. I have been training in the gym and on a push bike and having other people do the testing for me.

“I just got the results from an MRI back, and it said I crushed the bone at the top of the tibia and I’ve got bleeding of the bone as well… ligament-wise everything seems to be ok, I haven’t snapped anything.

“The specialists have said it’s a six-week job all up [for it to heal], it’s been four weeks, six weeks is the weekend of Port Macquarie. I am hoping to start riding by the end of the week, but they say impact isn’t good for the healing and I am trying to take all the right precautions.

“I think sprints will be not bad in a sense, as they are only short laps and then you can stop. But I’m not sure how I will go for the two-hour cross-country races, trying to hang on for that long.

One Queenslander who feels AJ’s injury is “a real shame, as he’s been doing so well and getting some great results for Queensland” is ‘King’ Kirk Hutton of the Yamaha Queensland Off Road Team.

“AJ is a great rider and I hate to see anyone suffer from injury, especially when it’s right at the beginning of a season and its someone who I enjoy racing with and against,” Hutton said.

AORC organiser Phil Sargent of Dirt Bike Promotions said it was an “exciting year ahead” for the championships.

“We work hard to ensure that the championships get bigger and better every year,” Sargent said.

“We have made some big changes for this year, including professional media management for the championships provided by Shooting Star Media, including a media conference with the riders to be held Friday before every round and every Sunday following racing.

“Kirk and AJ will be involved in these media conferences – AJ at every round as he is the reigning winner and Kirk at the Queensland rounds at Conondale as he is a bit of a local legend up there in Queensland and also a contender.”

Mr Sargent said another major change would be cross-country format (for the Championship Classes this will be 2 hours mass start) being introduced for every Sunday round of the championship. Saturdays will still be run as sprint format.

“Cross-country format is great because it gives riders a lot more bang for their buck and it also gives spectators a real thrill,” Sargent said.

“Right after the racing is finished on Sunday - pros will race in the afternoon and clubman and juniors in the morning - we will pull the top three finishers straight up to the podium to be interviewed for the crowd and by the media during the media conference.

“This will give everyone who’s been watching the race an intimate insight into how it went down and give the dirt bike industry and mainstream media we have invited the opportunity to interview the riders in their gear and on their bikes.”

The AORC are ran over six weekends, with one round on Saturday in sprint format (several laps of the bush/motocross track racing against the clock) and one on Sunday in a cross-country format (class mass start, championship classes race for two hours flat out).

The championships boasts classes for every level of rider, from Juniors older than 9-years to clubman, women, veterans, masters, experts and championship-level racers.

The AORC is fantastic for spectators, with nail-biting action and the chance to get up close and personal with the stars of Australian Enduro racing.

Supplementary regulations are already out and entries are coming in fast. To enter or for more information please visit www.dirtbikepromotions.com.au, contact Dirt Bike Promotions on 02 63624437 or 0438721024 or email treena@dirtbikepromotions.com

It’s something north Queensland bush riders and even some motocross riders have been waiting a while for - an official Pony Express Series on their calendar.

Tthanks mostly to the hard work of north Queensland clubs and support from riders, there will be a three-race series in 2008.

Peter Hawes, from Ravenshoe Motorcycle Club who is running the first two rounds, said the first race had to be postponed on February 17 due to heavy rain and would now be held on April 6 at Walkamin.

“I think it will be really good [having the series], we will get a lot more riders and a lot more interest,” Mr Hawes said.

“People have been looking forward to it for a long time, it was just a matter of getting the people to help and the support.”

Mr Hawes said the three individual races last year were “really popular” and attracted riders from as far as Mount Isa and Mackay.

“People do travel a long way for our races up here and now that we have the series we are expecting a lot more. We already have 105 riders who have pre-nominated and we are expecting another 50 extras, especially now that we have more time to advertise,” he said.

“Enduro riders and pony riders are coming out of the wood work [since they heard there would be a series] and we also get about 30 percent of the field from motocross, so it should be really good.”

Mr Hawes said a rider to “definitely watch” in the series will be 21-year-old Dominic Hoyal, who won two of the three races last year as an ironman (he rode by himself for the four hours of flat-out racing against the teams and still beat them).

North Queensland Pony Express races consist of four hours of racing for seven classes of competitors.

The classes are: Lites A and B, Open A and B, Ironman, Veterans (plus 40), Juniors (12-years, 85cc big-wheel and up) and Rally Class.

The first round will be held at Walkamin, which is located about half way between Atherton and Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands, on April 6. Round 2 of the Series will be held in Tully on 1st June and Round 3 in Koah on 6th July.

Entry for seniors classes costs $45, for juniors $35, and for the rally class $25. Nomination forms will be available on the MQ website www.mqld.org.au soon. For more information on the Series contact Peter Hawes on 0408 770 276.

Recent wet weather (to say the least) in Central and North Queensland has led to the cancellation of a number of upcoming Enduro events, namely: Round 1 of the North Queensland Pony Xpress Series (Innot Hot Springs - 17 February) and Round 1 of the Central Queensland Pony Xpress Series (Gum Valley - 2 March).

Event organiseres from both Series have advised that they will attempt to reschedule these rounds, however competitors from both of these Series should plan for what was originally scheduled as round 2 to now be round 1.

Meaning that round 1 of the Central Queensland Pony Xpress Series to be promoted by the Capricorn Dirt Riders (venue TBC) will take place on Sunday 6 April, and round 1 of the North Queensland Pony Xpress Series will also take place on Sunday 6 April in Malanda.

Supplementary Regulations for both of these events will be available from this link soon.

Applications are now being taken from interested parties to head to Serres, Greece as part of the Australian contingent for the 2008 International Six Day Enduro in September.

Positions are now open and applications are being sought for an Australian Jury Delegate, Australian Team Manager, Australian Team Riders, and Club Team Riders.

Applications close on 29 February for both the Jury Delegate and Team Manager positions, while the rider applications close on 3 March.

The time spent away in Greece will total approximately 16–18 days, departing towards the end of August and returning in the second week of September.

Sian Smith
Motorcycling Australia
PO Box 134, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
sian@ma.org.au