Newcastle-based rider Jye Dickson had a stellar performance at QMP, securing first place in the E3 class and continuing his winning streak from rounds five and six in Edenhope of the AORC. Fraser Higlett, the 2023 Queensland Off-Road Champion, also performed well, taking third place in the E3 class and helping the team achieve a 1-3 podium finish in the E3 class for round seven.
The Beta Motorcycles Australia Race Team headed to Queensland Moto Park for round seven and eight of the Australian Off-Road Championship over the weekend. As is typical for Queensland, riders were greeted with clear blue skies, warm weather, and plenty of dust.
Saturday’s round featured a timecard format, challenging riders with twelve tests across diverse terrains and track styles, including MX, Enduro Cross, and dusty Enduro tests. The brutal conditions tested both bike and rider throughout the day, but the Beta Motorcycles Australia Race Team secured numerous podium finishes. In the highly competitive E2 class, Wilksch, recently recovered from an injury, performed very well on his RR 350 Racing, earning third place on the podium in class for round seven and fifth place outright. Nielsen fought hard in the EW class, winning a test and alternating between second and third place throughout the day. She narrowly missed the podium by just three seconds, finishing fourth in her class.
Sunday saw riders back out among the dust and challenged with more ruts after Saturday’s action. Round eight comprised nine tests in another timecard format. Following his class win on Saturday, Dickson forged ahead, racing neck-and-neck with the top three E3 riders all day, alternating in the top spot throughout the grueling tests. He finished the day in 2nd place, securing his lead in the E3 class of the Australian Off-Road Championship. Wilksch rode consistently all weekend, once again taking 3rd place in the E2 class and improving his overall placement to finish 4th outright for round eight. Wilksch now sits 4th in the E2 championship standings. Higlett encountered a derailed chain in the second test on Sunday, which unfortunately pushed his results back for the day. He finished round eight in 5th place in the E3 class. Nielsen came out strong for round eight, securing 3rd place in the EW class and earning herself a place on the podium.
Ebony Nielsen heads back to the track next weekend for the final round of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship, while the rest of the team has a month off before rounds nine and ten of the Australian Off-Road Championship in Kingston, South Australia.
“It was a solid weekend for me with the class win for RD7. I had a few tip-overs on Sunday, which cost me some time, so I ended up in 2nd place for RD8. The conditions were treacherous, so I was happy to make it out in one piece and with some solid points towards the championship.”
\- Jye Dickson
“I was super happy to walk away with my first double podium for the year this weekend, and battle towards the front of the outright riders. It was great to get closer to show just how competitive the Beta RR 350 Racing is.”
\- Andy Wilksch
