Motul Pirelli Sherco Team rider Jonte Reynders made history for the French marque during the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) last weekend, by dominating the field with a blistering total time of 51:49.839. which saw him clinch his and Sherco Australia’s first-ever AORC outright victory.
Queensland’s QMP presented blue skies and prime conditions, albeit dusty, which saw the schedule adjusted accordingly for Sunday’s fourth round offering the racers the perfect opportunity to ace the Enduro racing format.
“Saturday was a frustrating day, starting out with a bad seed position from the previous rounds, which saw me catching riders in front of me and having to slow up due to the extremely dusty conditions,” said Reynders.
“The last test, I had a decent crash in the dust and lost some time, dropping to P4 in E2 and P5 outright”.
“Sunday was looking to be a repeat as the time between riders remained at 20-second intervals, which meant only the first rider had a clear track. Fortunately, the event organisers recognised that this presented an unfair and potentially dangerous situation and amended the intervals to starting 45 seconds apart. From there, I was finally able to race the test to my potential, which saw us win every test thereafter and coming home with P1 in E2 and winning my first-ever AORC outright, which was also the first for Sherco Australia.
“I’m thrilled with Sunday’s results, and finally ticking the goal of an outright win is incredible! I couldn’t do this without the help and support of all my sponsors and team manager Derek Grundy. In just three weeks’ time, we head over to Western Australia for the Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE); I’m hoping to carry this weekend’s momentum into the event,” concluded Reynders.
Rounds five and six of the 2023 AORC will be held in Edenhope, Victoria, on 22-23 July.
For more information on the championship, visit www.aorc.org.au.