Daniel Milner will lead the field into the business end of the 2012 Yamaha WR450F Australian 4 Day Enduro (A4DE), after consolidating his stronghold on the Championship on day two in Warragul.
The Ballard’s Yamaha Off-Road young gun collected five of the seven special test wins in gusty conditions to extend his Outright Championship lead over Toby Price (Motorex KTM Off-Road) out to 28 seconds. Former World Enduro Champion Stefan Merriman (Ballard’s Yamaha Off-Road) rode consistently across the day’s special tests to pocket the third quickest time of the day and maintain his third place position in the Outright classification.
Milner is looking forward to the final two days of the event, which will be wet and slippery due to rain that hit the region this evening… “Being from around here, I don’t mind the wet,” the 21-year old rider said. “It will make it harder for the guys on the bigger bikes, and easier for us guys on the smaller bikes.”
Milner also marked his stamp on the E1 Class, and will head into the third day of competition with almost a 90-second advantage over Italian rider Alex Salvini (Husqvarna) and Victorian charger Peter Boyle (Honda).
Husqvarna’s Glenn Kearney retained his grasp on the E2 Class, and will be hotly tailed into tomorrow’s action by serious title contenders Matt Phillips (Ballard’s Yamaha Off-Road) and Josh Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube).
I stayed upright all day and a small gearing change seemed to work really well for me today,” said E2 class leader Kearney. “It was really competitive out there today and Matt pushed me all the way, given how we are going so far, I think we are a good chance for a win this year."
Defending Outright Champion Toby Price (Motorex KTM) maintained a clear lead on the E3 Class, streaking ahead to a put nearly fifty seconds between himself and Stefan Merriman and more than 2 minutes over Daniel Sanders (Bolton’s KTM) ahead of Day 3. Yamaha’s Jessica Gardiner once again turned out a stellar performance to dominate the Women’s Class, widening her buffer over Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha) and Tanya Hearn (Pro Rider KTM).
WR450F Yamaha A4DE
Day 2 (Progressive) Results
E1
1. Daniel Milner (Yamaha); 2. Alex Salvini (Husqvarna); 3. Peter Boyle (Husqvarna)…
E2
1. Glenn Kearney (Husqvarna); 2. Matt Phillips Yamaha; 3. Josh Green (Yamaha)…
E3
1. Toby Price (KTM); 2. Stefan Merriman Yamaha; 3. Daniel Sanders (KTM)…
Women's
1. Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha); 2. Emilie Karlsson (Yamaha); 3.Tanya Hearn (KTM)…
Outright Classification (after day 2)
1. Daniel Milner (Yamaha)
2. Toby Price (KTM)
3. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha)
4. Glenn Kearney (Husqvarna)
5. Matt Phillips (Yamaha)
6. Alex Salvini (Husqvarna)
7. Josh Green (Yamaha)
8. Peter Boyle (Husqvarna)
9. Daniel Sanders (KTM)
10. Lachlan Stanford (Suzuki)
