Chris Hollis wins Australian 4 Day Enduro
Ballard’s Yamaha Off Road frontrunner Chris Hollis has stormed to an incredible outright win at the Australian 4 Day Enduro (A4DE) in rural Victoria.
Ballard’s Yamaha Off Road frontrunner Chris Hollis has stormed to an incredible outright win at the Australian 4 Day Enduro (A4DE) in rural Victoria, capping off a dominant performance for the manufacturer across a number of classes.
Hollis, who currently leads the Australian Off Road Series, was rated a strong chance to fight with international stars for victory, and he did just that, topping the timesheets after each day and battling through a tough motocross final to take the trophy with a 32-second lead over the next placing.
The 23-year-old from Port Macquarie is the first Australian rider to win the A4DE since former Ballard’s rider Glenn Kearney took the crown in 2004.
”I am really stoked, winning the four day is a huge honor and I am also proud to have won it for Australia – the last two years it has been won by overseas riders,” Hollis said. I just kept giving it everything and knew that a good buffer back to second and third would really help me come today’s motocross event."
”I am a little bit disappointed with today’s final motocross, I got stuffed up on the start when Ben (Grabham) took out the gate and it nearly hit me, AJ got the hole shot and I finished a few back, I would have liked to have won it," he said. But a win’s a win. I have pretty much dominated this season, I won the first two rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships and now the four day so I am pretty happy with how things are going.’
"The WR250F worked incredibly well, I have never had an issue with my Yamaha and this event was no exception, aside from changing the tyres and oil I had very little to do to it between days. As a whole the course was very dusty, even 30 seconds after the rider ahead of you the dust would still be flying. It was good though, a few tough, technical parts."
The outright runner-up in 2007, Hollis’ pre-season training and dedication to fitness and nutrition paid dividends from the outset, able to bounce back strongly after an average of over 7 hours on the bike per day.
"We were using a plunge pool for recovery, it was probably around 12 degrees and definitely not something I looked forward to at the end of the day, but it helped. Getting in and out helped to remove lactic acid which can almost stop you in your tracks if if builds up when riding."
Hollis’ outright win saw him claim honours in the Motorex Championship Class 4 (270 – 450cc 4T) as well.
Christensen’s Yamaha rider Blake Hore put in a stellar performance to finish third in the same class, and fourth overall, just behind defending national champion AJ Roberts. Hore had the measure of the top 3 for many of the tests and finished just seconds shy of an outright test win on a number of occasions. He enjoyed a strong battle with fellow Yamaha rider and Ballard’s factory regular Jarrod Bewley, who is currently placed second in the national series.
Bewley was another to hold off the charge of the international imports, who were shown up after much pre-event hype surrounding their intention to dominate. He finished the event in a credible eighth outright.
Yamaha stalwart Kirk Hutton put in another rock-solid effort, and was again the convincing winner in the Camelbak Championship Class 2 (Over 220cc 2T) at the conclusion of four gruelling days of racing. Hutton’s performance also saw him secure an excellent seventh overall aboard the YZ250.
The manufacturer’s success was replicated in a number of classes, with Mark Goggin winning the Acerbis Championship Class 1 (Under 200cc 2T) and Stuart Bennett sealing the deal in the Christensens Motorcycles Championship Masters.
Ballard’s Yamaha Off Road Team Principal was the unflappable favourite for Veterans honours heading into the event, and showed he still has what it takes, easily winning the class.Ballard has raced over 20 A4DE’s in his stellar career and holds the event in high regard.
The Women’s class was once again dominated by defending Aussie champion Alison Parker, campaigning her WR250F throughout over 1000km of the state’s toughest territory to retain her title.
Aussie Jake Stapleton, Yamaha Motor Canada rider, found the going tough and despite a strong effort and some impressive test times, was unable to overcome the deficit to the top riders. Some small mistakes put him out of the running, and he finished shy of the top 10 outright.
