TWO-time Pro Victorian Off-Road champion Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders got his title defence off to a perfect start at the opening round of the 2016 Yamaha Victorian Off-Road Championship at Rawson on Sunday, March 6.
The 21-year-old was quite simply untouchable aboard his KTM Off-Road Team KTM 30O-EXC machine in all six sprints, which proved to be a dry and dusty day.
Sanders, who is gunning for third straight VORC title in the Pro class, scored his fastest lap time on the third run, after he stopped the clock with a 7min39.713sec. His overall time was 46min20.356, 43sec faster than second place rider, Chris Davey.
“It’s a fantastic way to get the season underway, that’s for sure,” said Sanders, who now has thirteen round wins in the VORC.
“While it was nice to get the overall win today, it was also a good chance to try a few new different setup changes on the KTM 300-EXC, which are really working quite well.
“Everything just seemed to be on par today, and it’s a nice feeling when you are able to push at 100%, and things just seem to flow nicely,” Sanders added.
Sanders expressed that the bike felt really good to ride, as he able to stick it anywhere on the track, which has given him a huge confidence boost heading into the curtain raiser 2016 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) round at Kilkivan in Queensland in two weeks’ time.
“Today has given me a good little confidence boost that I needed as we head into the opening round of the AORC. This year’s AORC series, I believe, will be one of the toughest years to win the championship as everyone wants to win the number one plate now that my former teammate Toby Price has departed from the series,” he said.
“Every bit of testing, seat time and little edge I can get over my rivals will be crucial,” he added.
For the time being, Chucky will get back into training in preparation for the upcoming AORC season.
“I’ll be hitting the track and getting as much fitness training in before the AORC opener,” he said.
“I’m quietly confident I have done enough pre-season training over the off-season to where I will be at my peak come race time against the best in the business.”
To keep up date with Sander’s racing throughout 2016 you can follow his official Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Daniel-Sanders.
Story by Russell Colvin