Podium Performances from Shop Yamaha Off Road Racing

The Australian off Road Championship (AORC) got under way in dusty conditions with the recent dry spell in Eastern Victoria forcing organisers to tweak the weekend format, swapping from a Cross-Country to a Super Sprint on the Saturday, while Sunday retained the regular sprint round.

Through it all , the Green and Styke duo featured on the podium on both days and are now well placed in their respective classes after the opening weekend of racing.

Josh Green led the Shop Yamaha charge with a pair of second place finishes in the E2 (450cc division). Green looked in good form over the weekend and was inside the top three Outright on Saturday and fourth on Sunday in a very positive start to his campaign.

Saturday saw him take the challenge up to Todd Waters in the E2 category with each rider winning a lap in the Super Sprints. He was right there again on the Sunday, only a fall during the day cost him any chance of a class outright.

“It was a tough way to step back into racing with dry, dusty and extremely rough conditions on a course that was sandy based,” Green said. “We have not raced at this level for over 12 months now and nothing prepares you for racing, like racing, so I think most guys were feeling it and the speed at the front was fast.

“But, we got through it pretty well and I’m happy with where we are placed. The bike was working well, and I feel my speed is there to challenge Todd in the coming rounds. We will keep working at it and look to take the next step.

“Thanks to the Shop Yamaha team for a massive weekend and it’s so good to be back racing again. You don’t realise how much you miss it until it’s taken away. It’s exciting to go racing,” Green beams.

Teammate Luke Styke also proved consistent on the weekend although not up to the lofty standards set by the three-time E1 champ. Styke powered his 250cc Yamaha to third on both days and showed flashes of brilliance but couldn’t string it together long enough to take the class win either day.

But it’s a long series with plenty of racing to come and Styke is a veteran who knows how to win championships.

“It wasn’t a great weekend for me but despite not riding well, I was able to still grind out a couple of podium positions and put myself in contention. I would love to have won on the weekend and started the season in perfect fashion but I wasn’t able to do that and that gives me plenty to work on before the next round.

“Some of my times were good, others off a bit but its early in the season and I will fine tine my riding and training between the rounds so I get back up on top soon.

“Ten more rounds to go and I’m looking forward to it,” Styke warns.

The next round of the AORC is slated down for July 17-18 at Kyogle in Northern New South Wales, but the Shop Yamaha Off Road Racing Team will contest the high profile Hattah Desert race prior to the next AORC round to keep the competitive juices flowing between the rounds.