Ballard’s Offroad Yamaha Motorex Team again in top form at the 2006 Australian Four-Day Enduro.

The Ballard’s Offroad Yamaha Motorex Team has won three individual Australian Championships at the 2006 A4DE held in the Batemans Bay-Moruya area on the 6th 7th 8th and 9th of July 2006.

Run in near ideal conditions due to some well timed rain in the days before, the event attractedseveral world class riders including Finish star, Juha Salminen, 10 times world enduro and2005 GNCC champion, and our own former world enduro champ, US based Shane Watts, as well as all the top enduro riders currently competing in Australia and New Zealand. The organisation and scope of this years A4DE certainly won the praises of Salminen who apparently came away most impressed.

Despite very frosty mornings the first three days treated the field to some enjoyable riding along with six excellent special tests interspersed per day. However the final day had an extreme test in store for all the riders in the form of the final motocross track which was laid out in very deep sand that would prove to be unrelenting on both rider and machinery. There was little surprise that Juha Salminen won the event outright however he was closely followed home by Yamaha Australia’s Anthony Roberts in second outright with Ballard’s Offroad Yamaha Motorex Team’s emerging star, Chris Hollis, not far adrift of Juha in sixth outright and 5th best Australian with only Anthony Roberts, Shane Watts, Brad Williscroft and Josh Strang bettering his efforts.

Chris easily took out the Australian 250 Four Stroke championship on his dependable WR250F having only just got back in the saddle after breaking his shoulder just four weeks beforehand. Chris also managed to better Juha Salminen in several special tests. Ballard’s Offroad

Yamaha Motorex Team’s 450F mounted Jarrod Bewley also enjoyed a very consistent ride holding down 10th outright until the final moto that would see him slip back one outright position in the extreme conditions however still finish 5th in the 270-450 Four Stroke championship class behind Roberts, Williscroft, Blake Hore and Ben Grabham.

Geoff Ballard on his WR250F enjoyed a trouble free run to easily win every day of the Over 45 years Masters title and also finished up a strong 40th outright.

Unstoppable Alison Parker, on her Ballard’s WR250F, again dominated the Woman’s championship, also winning her class every day and also finishing a very strong 28th in the 250 Four Stroke championship.

I4DE rookie, WR250F mounted Josh Ballard rode commendably, winning his final motocross heat in fine style and a silver medal but unfortunately a small problem on the trail early in the event saw him lose too much valuable trail time which put him out of contention for a top finish.

The bad news for the team over the week was that luck was not with Jason Cater this year in the Expert Over 35’s championship. Jason and his WR250F had a very big crash in one of the tests on day one. Regrettably Jason was unable to continue riding due to the injuries he sustained but is sure to make a full recovery and be back competing soon.

The Ballard’s Yamaha Motorex team will next compete at the next NSW Sprint Series rounds later this month at Raymond Terrace before attending the Wonthaggi round of the Yamaha Australian Off Road Series in early August.