Ballard’s Offroad Yamaha Motorex Team again in top form at the 2006 Australian Four-Day Enduro.

The Ballard’s Offroad Yamaha Motorex Team has won three individual Australian
Championships at the 2006 A4DE held in the Batemans Bay-Moruya area on the 6th 7th 8th and
9th of July 2006.

Run in near ideal conditions due to some well timed rain in the days before, the event attracted
several world class riders including Finish star, Juha Salminen, 10 times world enduro and
2005 GNCC champion, and our own former world enduro champ, US based Shane Watts, as
well as all the top enduro riders currently competing in Australia and New Zealand. The
organisation and scope of this years A4DE certainly won the praises of Salminen who
apparently came away most impressed.

Despite very frosty mornings the first three days treated the field to some enjoyable riding
along with six excellent special tests interspersed per day. However the final day had an
extreme test in store for all the riders in the form of the final motocross track which was laid
out in very deep sand that would prove to be unrelenting on both rider and machinery.
There was little surprise that Juha Salminen won the event outright however he was closely
followed home by Yamaha Australia’s Anthony Roberts in second outright with Ballard’s
Offroad Yamaha Motorex Team’s emerging star, Chris Hollis, not far adrift of Juha in sixth
outright and 5th best Australian with only Anthony Roberts, Shane Watts, Brad Williscroft and
Josh Strang bettering his efforts.

Chris easily took out the Australian 250 Four Stroke championship on his dependable
WR250F having only just got back in the saddle after breaking his shoulder just four weeks
beforehand. Chris also managed to better Juha Salminen in several special tests.

Ballard’s Offroad Yamaha Motorex Team’s 450F mounted Jarrod Bewley also enjoyed a very
consistent ride holding down 10th outright until the final moto that would see him slip back one
outright position in the extreme conditions however still finish 5th in the 270-450 Four Stroke
championship class behind Roberts, Williscroft, Blake Hore and Ben Grabham.

Geoff Ballard on his WR250F enjoyed a trouble free run to easily win every day of the Over
45 years Masters title and also finished up a strong 40th outright.

Unstoppable Alison Parker, on her Ballard’s WR250F, again dominated the Woman’s
championship, also winning her class every day and also finishing a very strong 28th in the 250
Four Stroke championship.

I4DE rookie, WR250F mounted Josh Ballard rode commendably, winning his final motocross
heat in fine style and a silver medal but unfortunately a small problem on the trail early in the
event saw him lose too much valuable trail time which put him out of contention for a top
finish.

The bad news for the team over the week was that luck was not with Jason Cater this year in
the Expert Over 35’s championship. Jason and his WR250F had a very big crash in one of the
tests on day one. Regrettably Jason was unable to continue riding due to the injuries he
sustained but is sure to make a full recovery and be back competing soon.

The Ballard’s Yamaha Motorex team will next compete at the next NSW Sprint Series rounds
later this month at Raymond Terrace before attending the Wonthaggi round of the Yamaha
Australian Off Road Series in early August.

GOLD MEDALS FOR HUSKY AT A4DE

Team Husqvarna Racing’s Damian Smith capped off the A4DE with a brilliant 2nd in class taking home a Gold Medal for his hardy performance and claiming a commendable 13th outright.

His lead was short lived with Watts working his way into first. Smith held second for most of the moto until Mark Goggin passed him in the dying stages.

Watts won the final moto, Goggin second, 33 seconds behind and Smith another 3 seconds behind Goggin.

The 200cc 2-stroke class featured prominently in Day 4’s overall standings for the final moto with Watts placing 2nd, Goggin 4th and Smith 5th.

“I tried all the way through the final moto but I ran out of energy as the sandy track was pretty demanding on the body. It was great getting the hole-shot against the bigger bikes in my class but I couldn’t hold on.

I’m really pleased with my efforts over the last four days and only feeling a little sore which is mostly due to muscle fatigue around the back and shoulders.

The WR125 and all the equipment stood up to the test and never faulted me once. Thankyou to Team Husqvarna for all their efforts and my sponsors who have stood by me,” said Smith after the event. Day 4 results Class - 200cc 2 stroke Pos Rider Time (sec) Behind 1 Shane Watts 648.36 0.00 2 Mark Goggin 681.90 33.54 3 Damian Smith Husq Racing (WR125) 684.77 36.41

Yamaha Racing claims 4 day endurance podium

Yamaha Racing’s factory-backed off road riders have put on a typically strong showing to figure amongst the top contenders at the Yamaha Australian 4 Day Endurance event at Mogo, capped off by a stellar second overall by Anthony Roberts.

The champion manufacturer was represented by Roberts and a host of two-wheel talent from the premier Ballards Motorex Yamaha squad, who delivered some solid placings at the conclusion of the gruelling four day showdown between the top riders in the nation as well as overseas entrants.

Perfect weather conditions prior to the event, including two solid days of rain, ensured the tracks were primed for top-level riding, eliminating most of the dust and dry patches.

The riders faced around 5 hours of competitive racing each day throughout a range of terrain types and surfaces, and had very little time to make improvements or repairs in the pit area before the next day of racing.

Anthony Roberts

Yamaha Racing’s factory pilot Anthony Roberts has finished a stellar second overall at the Yamaha Australian 4 Day Endurance event, missing overall honours by a small margin.

Roberts fought an intense battle against the clock and lightning fast times of world endurance campaigner Juha Salminen and was by far the class leader of the national entrants.

At the end of over 20 hours of competitive racing, ‘AJ’ crossed the line a mere minute and a half behind the winner, exhibiting all the skills that have made him the Australian Off Road champion in the past.

Roberts thoroughly enjoyed the event, though will have little time for reflection as he boards a plane very soon for the next round of the World Endurance Championship in Canada.

“Well the bike was just awesome, throughout the entire weekend I couldn’t fault it, it handled every surface perfectly,” said Roberts.

“We came up against a very large range of terrain and conditions, some places were flowing grass tracks while others were tight, technical and hard-packed surfaces, there really was an interesting variety.”

“I’m happy with the second placing, Juha ranks amongst the world’s best so to finish second only to him was good.”

“I also really enjoyed the motocross day at Moruya, it changed things up a little and ultimately helped me to the position I finished in with a bit of success.”

“I’m looking forward to carrying on this momentum now to Canada, where it will be a whole different countryside to contend with again!”

Ballards Yamaha Motorex

Chris Hollis was the lead rider for the Ballard’s outfit throughout the course of the weekend, taking his class victory in 250cc – 4 stroke and finishing a very impressive 6th outright.

Hollis ended the event 42 seconds ahead of the class runner up following a consistent run of performances across the 4 days including a number of test wins.

The final day presented a number of obstacles, with the motocross stage forcing riders to contend with a very rough and loose sand track, which Hollis was not particularly pleased with.

However, he held a comprehensive lead going into the motos and knew a measured and level-headed ride would maintain his lead and deliver the win at day’s end.

“Everything has gone very well over the course of the 4 day, there were no dramas to speak of from my end,” said Hollis.

“For me it was all about laying down consistent performances and keeping the goal of class win in sight, fortunately the bike worked perfectly and helped me ride to a number of steady performances each day.”

“Sunday was definitely a challenge in the final motocross races, the track was almost impossible to ride and by the end of the day it was just so rough and unpredictable. But the main thing is I stayed on the bike and held the lead to the end.”

“6th overall is quite good, considering the depth of talent ahead of me.”

Jarrod Bewley missed out on a place in the overall top 10 by less than 1 second, finishing a very impressive 11th outright for the annual event.

He still managed to finish in the competition’s ‘Gold Medal’ rank for his class (270-450cc 4 stroke), taking 5th overall as the result of a solid riding performance.

“It’s been an enjoyable event, capped off by great weather and a real variety of riding situations, there was heaps of different terrain across the 4 days, said Bewley.

“I think everyone enjoys the challenge of the 4 day, it comes as the result of a lot of hard endurance training and mental strength.”

“I’m fairly pleased with the result for the weekend, things could have gone a little better but in the end it was very close in the run for top ten spots.”

Alison Parker was flawless in her campaign for the Women’s class win, and actually outclassed over half the entire field to finish well amongst and above regular competitors.

Parker has been a dominant force in the Australian Off-Road series in 2006 and displayed her perfect form and technique on her way to the win.

“The 4 day is tough, it’s twice as long as our regular rounds and asks a lot of riders and you need to be able to constantly deliver, so the class win is really good,” said Parker.

“Moreso, I think finishing above halfway in such a competitive outright field is a real achievement, its always good to keep the flag flying for women in the sport.”

“It was a great event, great conditions and weather and just a typically tough 4 day, I enjoyed it immensely.”

Geoff Ballard took the win in the Masters class with another comprehensive performance, the veteran holding off all challenges in his run to the line.

Josh Ballard brought home a top 30 finish for the factory off-road outfit, while Jason Cater was troubled with an added penalty for the event that prevented him from his usual pointy end performance.
 

Bel-Ray TM A4DE

6th to 9th July
Australian Four Day Enduro
Mogo State Forest, NSW

Dirt Bike Promotions along with Detour Trail Tours hosted the 2006 Australian Four Day Enduro, which was held around the township of Mogo near Batemans Bay, NSW. Perfect conditions were seen throughout the four days of competition due to two days of constant drizzle leading up to the event.

The promoters set out six different special tests not including the final moto, which was held on the fourth day. All the special tests were very well set out and made for close competition ranging from full on grass track tests to tight technical enduro tests through the trees.

Well the four day couldn’t have started better I arrived there 5 days prior the start of the event and was able to walk each special tests twice, which gave me a lot of time to sort out line selection and bike set up. I was happy with the way the day was unfolding feeling good in the special tests as the TM 300 was running so good. Coming into the fifth special test of the day I was unaware of the test results so I was pushing 110% when I came into contact with a tree in the special test and trashed my exhaust chamber and steam poured out of my radiator. Babying it to the finish I was gutted by the destruction that I have tolled on my bike. I worked in overload to try to repair my bike and continue on with the trail section but was unable to fix it and lost 13 minutes trail time.

Upon returning to the final control for the days end work period NSW Team Manager along with other Australian Managerial people started to point out that after the first two tests I was leading outright. A little disheartened I finished my work period and had a look at the days times, and they were right!

I tried hard not to let it get me down but it was a sleepless night, that following day I pushed hard and tried to make up for the previous day. I won the O220cc 2T class by some 36 seconds and managed to pull some outright times once again. So my confidence had been restored and I showed that I am able to run with the best even when things haven’t run as planned.

Day three saw the return to day ones trails and tests, which I took a little cautiously as not to damage the bike or myself. The Four day is all about the teams so I had to put the team first and do my best to help the NSW Team finish first. Without my problems day one it would have seen me in first in the O220cc 2T class with the final moto on the next day.

As the trouble I ran into day one it saw me drop to last in the class but with my fast times on day 2 and 3 saw me fly back up to 24th in class. I was set to race in the second moto of the class on this sandy whooped out grass track. Pulling the holeshot I extended my lead to over 40sec while putting in the time to finish 6th outright for the day. It would have seen me finish second in class by only a few seconds over the four days.

It was great to be apart of the NSW senior trophy team and the Oceania team which both won their respected classes.
Straight after the four days I attended the Australian Institute of Sport with the train on squad for the 2006 ISDE for three days of athletics examination and theory aspects of Motorcycling.

Thank you to the following sponsors:
Bel Ray Oils, Cross Country Action, TM Motorcycles, Acerbis clothing, Pro Grip goggles, Pirelli Tyres, Tubby signs, Onya Visuals, Lloyd Electrical, Uni Filter Australia.

Ben Kearney 4day

The 2006 Australian Four Day Enduro was run and won on the weekend, in and around the NSW south coast town of Mogo. 21 year old Ben Kearney from Picton NSW, had an amazing event, "I was so excited leading up to this event, I was going to be on the same minute as the 'flying fin' Juha Salminen".

The competition started of on the wrong foot for Ben as he failed the cold start on day 1 and was penalised 10 seconds before they had even left the Parc Ferme. "It was not a good start to the event, but it sometimes happens like that"

Day 2 saw Ben penalised a further 10 seconds for failing the cold start again. "I could not believe it, 20 seconds worth of penalties. But on the bright side I was still in second place for the class. If the penalties had changed the outcome of the event I would have been pretty upset".

Days 1 and 2 saw Ben post some of the fastest times in his class, putting him in second place behind eventual class winner, Chris Hollis of the Ballard's Yamaha Motorex Off Road Team. Day three provided some close racing which saw Ben pushed back to third and GHR Honda Off Road rider, Shannon Lewry, moving into second. "With Shannon getting passed me by only a small margin, it fired me up for the last day of competition".

Day 4 was a showdown for podium positions, in the lead was Chris Hollis, second was Shannon Lewry third Ben Kearney and hot on their heels was KTM Motorex Off Road Team rider, Jehi Willis. The final moto was action packed, it included crashes, takeouts and mechanical failure, but when the dust had all settled young Benny emerged unscathed with a second place in an Australian Title.

"I was so pleased with my results considering the two time penalties I received. It was such an awesome event, the trails and tests were some of the best I have ridden. I would like to thank everyone who made it happen, the people sitting in the bush all day, the ones who marked it all out, Juha for showing me how to bunny hop a log and Big Dave for all his help and support over the event"

As well as his amazing individual results Ben was a member of the victorious NSW junior trophy team and a member of the winning KTM trade team which included Shane Watts and Juha Salminen. Ben proudly finished in the top 10 outright for the event with a ninth place.

Ben is now attending a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport, in preparation for the International 6 Days Of Enduro, being held in New Zealand later in the year. Ben is hoping to represent his country by making the Australian Junior Trophy Team for the event. Ben's next race will be in Victoria on the 15th and 16th of July. So keep a keen eye out for him when you next attend an off road event because if you blink you will miss him.

"I would like to thank my sponsors for their help"

David Fraser Motorcycles, Wollongong
Race Tech Suspension
Alloy MX
AXO
Bell Ray Oils
NGK
Doctor D Exhausts
DID

Yamaha Racing aiming for success at 4-Day Enduro

Yamaha Racing’s class-leading field of off-road riders are gearing up for the 2006 Yamaha Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE) to be held at Mogo on the New South Wales South Coast from July 6-9.

The gruelling event consists of a number of special tests staged throughout national parks, state forests and private properties, up to 6 per day and a final day of hard-fought motocross action at Moruya Racecourse on Sunday.

The Ballard’s Motorex Yamaha Team and Anthony Roberts will contest the annual competition with Yamaha factory backing and are looking tough to beat in the leadup, despite the event attracting over 230 national and international entries.

Roberts, who holds the national number 1 plate, is enthusiastic to get his campaign underway this weekend, and confident of a strong result aboard the YZ250F.

The 23-year-old has flown the flag for Australia on the international scene on a number of occasions this season in the world ranks, but more than happy to be competing for the spoils on a national level.

“It’s been a pretty successful 2006, with wins in the national off-road series as well has having the chance to contest some world enduro events, and I’m really looking forward to this weekend’s 4 day,” said Roberts.

“It always produces some spectacular tests and there are a large number of entries this year including some top guys from the world enduro scene.”

“I’m looking forward to going head to head with these top riders and hopefully delivering a win on home soil.”

Chris Hollis, Jarrad Bewley, Jason Cater, Alison Parker, Josh Ballard and team owner Geoff Ballard will suit up for the competitive New South Wales-based factory squad Ballard’s Motorex Yamaha, with a positive feeling about the event emanating from the team.

Jarrad Bewley took the opportunity to look over some of the terrain and the general competition course prior to event scrutineering, and was impressed and excited about the upcoming tests.

He will contest ‘Class 4’ of the event along with Anthony Roberts and said he was hoping to put in a good showing.

“I’ve been doing a lot of pre-event preparation for this event, its widely regarded as one of the most professional meets throughout the year and is extremely competitive,” said Bewley.

“After checking out the track I am really pumped to get going, a lot of work has been put in and it just looks perfect.”

“On top of that, the weather has been very kind down this way and there isn’t much dust around which will make for even better riding in the loamy conditions.”

Alison Parker has proven herself as a dominant force in the women’s class of off-road racing in Australia, easily taking victory across the opening rounds of the national series in 2006.

The only female entrant in the Ballard’s Motorex Yamaha team is determined to figure well in the results again, with a goal of challenging the times of riders in the higher classes.

“It has been a while since the last event but I have been putting in the hard yards at training to ensure I’m ready for the 4-day,” said Parker.

“The demands on the competitor are obviously much larger due to the length of the event and its important that you have an even handle on your physical and mental fitness.”

“By all accounts the course looks to be one of the best ever and has been very well prepared, and it will be interesting also to fight it out on the last day racing motocross as well.”

Up to 24 riders will contest each moto on the final day at Moruya Racecourse, with a large local crowd anticipated.

Early indications suggest a few showers may pass over across the duration of the event, but this should prove more help than a hinderance to the riders who prefer not to race on dry, dusty surfaces.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday – 6 special tests per day across course.
Sunday – Moruya Racecourse motocross stage.