MXstore Ballards Yamaha 2018 Off-Road Team

There will be a new team racing this year at the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), and we couldn't be more stoked to announce that it's an MXstore/Ballards team! Together with the support from Yamaha, we'll be known as the 2018 MXstore Ballard's Yamaha Off-Road Team. We're lucky enough to have two stand-out racers onboard for the 2018 season - Jessica Gardiner and Jeremy Carpentier - who will both be riding with us, and we couldn't be happier to have these guys as part of the team. 

Gardiner is somewhat of a legend around here, having won 27 AORC races in the Women's Championship out of a total of 69 that she's taken part in - already racking up a whopping 1,543 points in her AORC career thus far. Having just returned from Europe where she became the first Australian ever to get on the top step of the podium in the Women's Championnat de France d'enduro and the FIM European Enduro Championship, Gardiner is moving mountains and absolutely shredding the competition. 

After recently taking 6 months off to focus on her riding - something she's never been able to do before - Gardiner is feeling super confident coming into the 2018 AORC that takes place on the second weekend of March in Queensland. "I'm really happy to be back home racing in Australia again. I've come back to Australia feeling a lot stronger and have a lot more riding skills. Racing overseas was a good experience, but at the end of the day you always feel better on your home ground."

Gardiner is feeling confident and is setting her sights on victory, proudly flying the MXstore Ballard's Yamaha Off-Road Team flag along the way. All going well, this will make it Gardiner's fourth Australian Off-Road Women's Championship, which to date we've never seen done before. No pressure or anything Jess, but we think you're going to do great!

Fellow Yamaha MXstore Ballards team mate Jeremy Carpentier brings with him an impressive resume of experience, and despite never having raced in the AORC before, he's feeling confident and ready to tackle it head-on. An enduro purist at heart, Carpentier has seen the top step of the box in the 2011 French Youth Championship and the 2014 and 2015 Junior Championnat de France d'enduro, as well as claiming third place in the E1 French enduro series. No stranger to victory, Carpenier is feeling good about the race and ready to take the all-new Yamaha WR250FJ to new heights and claim his first Australian Championship.

"I've heard a lot about the AORC series and by the looks of things, it will be a very competitive championship, which is what racing is all about. I've been training hard in the offseason, so I don't see why I can't put the Yamaha MXstore Ballard's Off-Road Team on the podium consistently throughout the season."

Both Gardiner and Carpentier are super excited to ride the new WR250FJ, both agreeing it's an epic ride that will no doubt be a race-winning motorcycle in the AORC series. Between these two super talented riders and their impressive machines, we have no doubt we'll be seeing some big things out of the MXstore Ballard's Yamaha Off-Road Team throughout the 2018 season and the years to come.

The opening round of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship will get underway at Gympie in Queensland on 10-11 March.

2018 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship:

• Round 1 & 2:  Gympie, QLD 10-11 March
• Round 3 & 4:  Hedley, VIC 5-6 May
• Round 5 & 6:  Dungog, NSW 28-29 July
• Round 7:  Broken Hill, NSW 1-2 September
• Round 8 & 9:  Stonefield, SA 22-23 September
• Round 10 & 11:  Omeo, VIC 6-7 October

Give Jessica Gardiner and Jeremy Carpentier a like on Facebook (or check out Jess's website www.jessgardiner.com.au) to follow their journey and stay up to date.