The KTM DM31 Racing Team made a strong start to its 2026 Australian Enduro Championship campaign in Roma, where Jye Dickson finished second outright in Pro Enduro and P2 in the E2 Class at the opening round, joined on the Pro Enduro podium by defending E3 champion Korey McMahon.
In addition to claiming third in Pro Enduro, it was a winning weekend for McMahon in class on Saturday, before Round 2 scheduled for Sunday was unfortunately cancelled due to immense rainfall in the region overnight.
Team newcomer Dickson displayed impressive consistency throughout Round 1, recording P2 results both outright and in class across five of the six tests during his first outing equipped with the KTM 450 EXC-F under the guidance of DM31 team owner Daniel Milner.
Jye Dickson: “It was a solid first hit-out with the KTM DM31 Racing Team and on the KTM 450 XC-F! It went pretty well – P2 outright and P2 in class. The bike was unreal out there, so I just kind of have to match the bike in my intensity and pace in order to move forward. We’ll get back to work now after racing was cancelled for Round 2. I’m excited for Dungog, that’s somewhat of a home round for me.”
Lining up once again on the KTM 500 EXC-F this season, McMahon continued his convincing run of form to open the new year. Last year’s E3 Class champion topped the timesheets at Round 1 to take his class victory in commanding fashion, and he also managed to secure third overall in Pro Enduro.
Korey McMahon: “It was a tough weekend, but the results were good on Saturday – Round 1 is out of the way now! We made some bike changes around Test 3 there and slowly got to where we needed to be, so I was looking forward to moving forward on Sunday, but unfortunately, we had a lot of rain and they cancelled the day. Now it’s time to focus on Dungog!”
For teenager Jackson Versteegen, Roma was always going to be a learning experience. Stepping directly into E1 after progressing from the junior ranks, the Western Australian talent endured a challenging start to the day before building momentum later in the afternoon, highlighted by a positive P8 result in Test 5 aboard the KTM 250 SX-F. He finished ninth in class and will carry that momentum into the coming AusEnduro rounds.
Jackson Versteegen: “I had a couple of little mistakes at Round 1, but I was able to regroup and finish the day off strong and ready for Sunday. So not getting to race there was a little disappointing, but that’s how it goes sometimes – I’m excited to keep learning!”
Next Race: April 11-12 – Dungog, New South Wales
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