Defending champion Andy Wilksch placed second at rounds two and three of the South Australian Off-Road Championship in Wanbi over the weekend. Wilksch displayed some very fast riding aboard his Motul Pirelli Sherco 500 SEF Factory edition but wasn’t quite able to make it to the top step on the podium.
Saturday’s round-two racing format was a traditional time-card enduro with riders completing five laps of a 29KM course that included a total of nine special tests.
“It was a great weekend of racing,” said Wilksch. “The tracks and trails were all sand with a variety of fast and twisty technical terrain. It was close racing all day with test wins back and forth, but I came up four-seconds short behind Riley Graham.”
The racing format for Sunday’s round-three was enduro-sprint with seven furious special tests deciding the winner. Wilksch claimed the opening test win but was unable to maintain the form, eventually placing second for the day, 22-seconds in arrears of Graham.
“Although I didn’t get the win on Sunday, I got a lot out of it and really enjoyed the racing,” stated Wilksch. “Little mistakes like not nailing corners here and there cost me because that time is so hard to make back up. It was great riding though and excellent preparation for the Hattah Desert Race that’s coming up next month. I felt strong and the bike is definitely fast. I can’t wait for that race.”
Mallee Motorcycles racer Austin Ryan was another Sherco rider to grace the podium at Wanbi. Ryan won the C3 Class (Clubman Open) on Saturday and placed second on Sunday aboard a Mallee Motorcycles Sherco 500 SEF Factory edition.
Photography: Thomas Ware