Transmoto Issue 58 ISSUU

The Orangewash
Yamaha might have won two of the
three major classes last season, but
2016 was the year of the Austrians.
Yep, KTM claimed 11 of the series’
12 Outright round-wins. They won
the E1 class title with Jack Simpson,
the E2 with Tye Simmonds and
the E3 with Daniel Sanders. And
Sanders and Simmonds ran 1-2 in the
Outright standings. What made the
achievement even more notable was
how little experience all three riders
had had in the AORC. It was Simpson’s
debut season, Simmonds’ second
season and Sanders’ third. And the
whole shebang was overseen by former
enduro and desert racing legend,
Ben Grabham, in just his second
season in the Team Manager hot
seat. By fostering a team culture that
prizes both fun and professionalism,
Grabham managed to bring out the
best in Sanders and Simmonds. And
the scary thing for their rivals is that
Grabbo has signed both riders again
for 2017 – subject to Chucky scoring
a factory ride in Europe, that is. When
you combine this dominance with the
KTM team’s 1-2-3 and 1-2 finishes at
the Finke and Hattah desert races,
respectively, there’s not a lot else the
boys in orange could have achieved
this year. Then again, the Australian
4-Day Enduro is coming up...
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