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Roberts now raring to take on the world
Anthony Roberts (Yamaha) will head into the second round of the world enduro title on May 6-7 in career-best form after yet another dominating performance in the 2006 Yamaha Australian Off Road Series in Wodonga (Vic) last weekend.
The Queenslander (YZ450F) simply added more sparkle to his already healthy game, claiming the E2 (250cc 2T vs 450cc 4T) and outright double for the second successive time.
“I felt like I started a little slow, but I really started to ride well at the end,” said Roberts. “I pushed 100 per cent the whole time, and I set my fastest lap at the end when the track was really rutted, so I’m pleased with that.
“The track at Wodonga was pretty short and a lot of it was single track, but it made for some really interesting racing.
“(Chris) Hollis and (Josh) Strang pushed me hard all weekend, which was just the dress rehearsal I was looking for before flying out for the world enduro round.”
Roberts won eight of the 11 E2 heats at the Lincoln Causeway facility in Wodonga: three each on Saturday and Sunday. The other three wins were shared by young chargers Josh Strang (Kawasaki Australia KX250) and Victorian Blake Hore (Christensens Motorcycles WR450F), while Brad Williscroft (Motorex Shift KTM Off-Road Racing 450EXC) and Ben Grabham (GHR Racing Honda CRX450X) also made sporadic appearances in the top three.
Overall, Strang emerged in second place, while 20-year-old Hore, from Officer in Victoria, became just the sixth rider to finish on an E2 podium since the off road series got underway in 2005.
"I was pretty surprised with the result as I rode a bit tight in beginning and didn’t think my times would be as good as they ended up being, “ said Hore, who represented Australia’s Junior Trophy team in last year’s International Six Days’ Enduro. “The track was a bit shorter and a fair bit tighter, and I felt really confident once I got into it.
“After struggling a bit in the opening round in NSW, I am pretty happy to have done so well considering it was a bit unexpected."
Roberts is now on a maximum 50pts in E2 after two of five rounds, followed by Strang (44), Williscroft (38), Hore (33), Jarrod Bewley (Ballards Motorex Off-Road Racing WR450F, 32) and Grabham (31). Hore made the biggest charge in Wodonga – up four spots from eighth.
Roberts and Strang are also transferring their strong form over into the outright arena, where they are currently being followed by three riders from the E1 garrison: KTM 250SXF riders Ben Kearney (Dave Fraser Motorcycles) and Jehi Willis (Motorex Shift KTM Off-Road Racing) and Chris Hollis (Ballards Motorex Off-Road Racing WR250F).
Hollis, now in his second year of full-time enduro combat, won two of the opening three heats on Saturday, with a couple of seconds to spare over Roberts.
The 21-year-old then pinched another victory on Sunday to complete the outright fixture in third overall behind Roberts and Strang.
“The track was awesome and had a real motocross feel to it which suited me perfectly,” said Hollis. “The testing a week before really paid off and the conditions were just right for racing; it had rained the day before which made the track perfect.”
“There was some really good close competition at the top and it was an enjoyable battle between myself, AJ (Roberts) and Josh Strang – a couple of falls let me down and I was just beaten to second on the (outright) podium by Josh.”
“It’s been a great start and I can’t wait to have another go at the top next round.”
Obviously, Hollis’ heroics in the outright class also translated into big E1 points, as he won seven of the 11 heats, with Willis and Kearney sharing the ‘leftovers’.
Heading into round three at Moogerah (Qld) on May 20-21, just 2pts separates the troika, with Kearney on 45 from Willis (44) and Hollis (43). Shannon Lewry (GHR Honda CRF250X, 38pts) was fourth in Wodonga – the same position he holds in the title.
In a depleted E3 (251cc and over 2T vs 451cc and over 4T) field, which was missing defending champion Stuart Bennett, who was on supermoto duty, it was yet another Adam Lees demolition job on the Husaberg Australia FE550. Lees won all the heats, although his pace was only good enough for 12th overall.
