Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2026 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MXstore delivered two punishing days of racing in Dungog, NSW, with riders tackling fast, dusty terrain that quickly deteriorated into deep ruts, bull dust and hidden hazards beneath the surface.
As the demanding Time Card format took its toll, it was Wil Ruprecht who rose above the chaos, claiming a clean sweep of the Pro Enduro and E2 victories across both days.
Pro Enduro
Ruprecht wasted no time stamping authority on Round 3, opening with a nine-second advantage in the first WR test over Korey McMahon before steadily extending his lead throughout the day. Despite pressure from McMahon and the chasing pack, the Shop Yamaha Off-Road Racing Team rider remained untouchable to secure Pro Enduro and E2 honours.
McMahon backed up with second outright and the E3 win, while Jye Dickson recovered from an early crash to complete the outright podium and finish second in E2.
Round 4 followed a similar pattern, with Ruprecht again taking control from the outset. McMahon came closest in WR Test 2, finishing just half a second behind, but Ruprecht’s consistency proved unmatched as he secured a third straight Pro Enduro victory.
McMahon and Dickson again rounded out the outright podium.
E1
The E1 class delivered some of the weekend’s tightest racing.
On Saturday, Ryan Hayward and Cooper Sheidow traded blows all day, with less than a second separating them heading into the final test. A mistake from Sheidow in the deciding MXstore Test 4 opened the door for Hayward to capitalise and secure his maiden E1 win of the season.
Jeremy Carpentier completed the podium in third for his first E1 podium of 2026.
Carpentier went one better in Round 4, leading early and holding on through a fierce late charge from Hayward to claim his maiden Australian Enduro Championship round win. Hayward finished second after a strong final test, with Sheidow again third.
E2
Ruprecht’s dominance extended throughout E2, where he controlled every phase of both days.
Dickson claimed second in class on both Saturday and Sunday, while Kogan Lock completed the podium each day after another pair of solid rides in the demanding conditions.
Oliver Paterno continued his steady progression with fourth in Round 4.
E3
McMahon again proved the benchmark in E3, pairing his outright pace with back-to-back class wins.
On Saturday, Max Midwinter finished second while Brock Grabham impressed aboard the Stark Varg to claim third after running inside the top 10 outright.
Grabham improved to second in class on Sunday, continuing to showcase the Stark Varg’s capability in the Time Card format, while Midwinter rebounded from an early setback to finish third.
EW
Jessica Gardiner returned to dominant form in the EW category, taking victory across both rounds.
Round 3 saw Madi Simpson recover from an early tip-over to finish second, with Emelie Granquist third.
Gardiner again controlled proceedings on Sunday, steadily extending her advantage through the day. Simpson repeated in second, while Courtney Rubie claimed her first EW podium in third.
EJ
The EJ category produced some of the closest racing of the weekend.
Round 3 featured a fierce battle between Beau Tripcony, Marcus Nowland and Kai Austin, with margins frequently measured in tenths of a second. Tripcony delivered in the final stage to secure victory by just half a second over Nowland, while Austin rounded out the podium.
Sunday’s shortened Round 4 saw only two tests completed, but the intensity remained high. Austin capitalised to take the win, with Nowland second and Archie Salopayevs third. Tripcony narrowly missed the podium after a costly opening test.
The Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MXstore now heads to Queensland Moto Park on May 16–17 for Rounds 5 and 6.
Photos by Troy Pears
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