The former AORC champion put all his experience to good use in a tough weekend of racing that saw the conditions extremely wet and difficult for riders as the course was water logged due to rain in the week leading up to the event. But Hollis was undeterred and posted good results on both days to claw his way up the leader board in a good showing for the CDR Yamaha team.
Hollis got off to an average start on Saturday’s Cross-Country style event and finished sixth outright and third in the E2 class on his WR450F but improved on Sunday’s sprint format to take fourth Outright and third in class.
While not a weekend of standout results, it was a weekend of smart racing for Hollis that saw him have a relatively incident free run while some of his competitors struggled in the conditions. He now sits third on the outright points score behind Daniel Sanders and Tye Simmonds and a comfortable second in E2 class standings.
“It wasn’t a weekend of highlights but a weekend of just getting the job done as fast and as safely as possible given the conditions,” confirms Hollis.
“The sky looked perfect all weekend but it wasn’t like that out on the course and there were sections that were very hard to ride and easy to make a big mistake and lose a lot of time. I played it a little safe and just kept plugging away so while I didn’t get any wins, I did move up and that’s something positive to take away from the weekend,” he ends.
It was a tough weekend for team mate Tom McCormack, who like Hollis, had consistent results but wanted to be a little further up the leader board on both days. McCormack claimed seventh and tenth outright on each day and took fourth both days in the E2 class as he is also mounted on a WR450F.
McCormack sits ninth outright and fourth in the E2 class with just two rounds remaining.
“I’m usually strong in the mud as I ride it as much as possible so I’m prepared for racing in conditions like this but this wasn’t wet, slippery mud, it was deep and boggy and a real grind to get around.
“It wasn’t a bad weekend but I need to keep pushing forward and get myself back in the battle for podium positions. I’m working hard and the team is doing a great job so hopefully those results are just around the corner and we can finish the season off strongly,” McCormack explains.
The final weekend of the AORC is set down for September 10-11 in Victoria where the CDR Yamaha team will be looking to impress at the final AORC outing of the year.
