Korey McMahon and Wil Ruprecht shared the Pro Enduro victories as the 2026 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MXstore (AusEnduro) hit Kempsey for a crucial double-header on August 8-9.
Ruprecht was back to his dominant best on Saturday, winning all five special tests in Round 9 aboard his Shop Yamaha WR450F to claim his seventh Pro Enduro victory of the season.
But the KTM DM31 Racing rider turned the tables on Sunday, with McMahon soaking up relentless pressure from Ruprecht to claim his second Pro Enduro victory of the championship and keep his title hopes alive heading into the final weekend.
Ruprecht still holds the upper hand in the championship, with 215 points to McMahon’s 196, while Jye Dickson sits third on 163 points with two rounds remaining.
Round 9 – Ruprecht back on top
Ruprecht enjoyed a near-perfect Saturday, winning every special test in the dry and dusty conditions.
Dickson kept him honest throughout the day, with the gap between the pair sitting at just seven seconds after three tests. Ruprecht then extended his advantage to 27 seconds in the fourth test before managing his lead through the final sprint to win by 31 seconds.
McMahon finished just four seconds further back in third, followed by Kogan Lock and Jeremy Carpentier.
“It was a round where you just had to limit mistakes and not override the tracks,” Ruprecht said.
“I had a lot of heat from Jye (Dickson) and Korey (McMahon) who wouldn’t let me run away with it and kept me honest all day.”
Ruprecht also claimed the E2 victory, while McMahon continued his unbeaten E3 campaign and Jess Gardiner took her fifth EW win of the season.
Jeremy Carpentier produced one of the rides of the day in E1, overturning a two-second deficit to Cooper Sheidow in the final special test to snatch victory by just two seconds.
Kai Austin was equally impressive in EJ, leading from start to finish for his third class victory of the season and moving to within two points of championship leader Bjorn Cardenas.
In EW, Gardiner capitalised on late misfortune for Danielle McDonald. McDonald had led by 40 seconds before a small crash in the final sprint caused her front brake to seize, handing Gardiner the win ahead of Madi Simpson and Madison Healey.
Round 10 – McMahon fights back
Sunday’s Round 10 produced a different result at the sharp end, with McMahon leading from start to finish in another demanding sprint-format battle.
Ruprecht and Dickson made their move on the third of six sprints, but McMahon responded immediately and found another gear to regain control.
At one stage Ruprecht had trimmed the gap to just 0.31 seconds, but McMahon held his nerve to take the chequered flag 10 seconds ahead of Ruprecht, with Dickson a further seven seconds back.
“Keeping the championship alive was the main goal today, so I couldn’t be happier,” McMahon said.
“We’ll just keep fighting until the end. The bike was awesome all weekend and we are very happy with where we are at.”
McMahon’s victory keeps the championship alive heading into the final weekend, while Ruprecht remains firmly in the box seat.
Ruprecht also strengthened his grip on E2, claiming both class victories across the Kempsey weekend and moving to a 48-point championship lead over Kogan Lock.
McMahon continued his remarkable E3 season, extending his perfect winning record with another dominant performance. The KTM rider finished almost two minutes clear of Broc Grabham, with Max Midwinter third.
Despite McMahon’s unbeaten run, Midwinter remains firmly in the championship hunt, trailing by 30 points with two rounds remaining.
EW finally delivered the result Danielle McDonald had been chasing. After bike issues had hampered her recent outings, the Yamaha Australia rider produced a flawless Round 10 performance, winning all six special tests.
McDonald finished ahead of Madi Simpson and Jess Gardiner, with just one second separating Simpson and Gardiner.
Gardiner still holds a commanding lead in the EW championship on 211 points, with Simpson second on 193, while Madison Healey and Emelie Granquist remain locked in their own battle for third.
With just two rounds remaining, the 2026 AusEnduro championship now heads south for its finale.
Rounds 11 and 12 will be held at Coonalpyn, South Australia, on September 5-6, where Ruprecht will look to close out another Pro Enduro championship while McMahon will be hoping to keep the title fight alive until the very last test.
Images: JB Photography/Motorcycling Australia
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