By Jodie Symonds
DREAMS have come true for two Yarra Valley Enduro riders at the end of their championship season.
Three Bridges man Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders won the outright Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship in Penshurst, Victoria and won the E3 class.
The 18-year-old young gun from Gladysdale, Lyndon Snodgrass started off slow but finished strongly in third place in the E3 and 12th place for the season.
Difficult conditions and torrential weather made the race difficult, but proved no match for Sanders and Snodgrass.
Sanders said he was confident heading into this year’s season.
“I knew at the end of last year that I was in good form for a red-hot shot this year but the pressure wasn’t there at all and I just pushed through to be that number one rider,” Sanders said.
“I won every race but two this year due to torn ligaments in my ankle but it’s been great to push through, work hard and win.
“The goal was to win it.”
It was a fight for first place between Snodgrass and Sanders, but a small stop on one of the hills allowed Sanders to take the lead, finishing just seconds apart.
“Lyndon was behind me in second for two of the races only four seconds apart, and then the other riders were at least a minute after us,” Sanders said.
“Lyndo placing third in the E3 class is a massive achievement.”
For Snodgrass, competing at an E3 level is a great achievement.
“It’s pretty awesome,” he said.
“Being only 18 I’m pretty happy with how I’ve been doing and I definitely hope to make a career out of it and I’ll keep training hard to hopefully do so.”
He said there’s only one major event for him to compete in this year at the Australian four-day Enduro in Mansfield in November.
Sanders will compete at the FIM International Six Days of Enduro in Spain between 11 and 16 October.
