Husqvarna Racing Australia is celebrating its first Australian title for their debut WR300 Enduro model.
Having taken an early lead in class 5 of the event, Jehi Willis went into day four’s final Moto with a 6-second lead over KTM’s Brad Williscroft. Needing only to have a clean run to wrap up the title, Willis rode a smart race all the way to the finish line.
“Yeah, I was a bit nervous going into the final Moto. I didn’t sleep a wink the night before, just going through the race over and over in my head. It was all worth it in the end though cause it pretty much went to plan. I shot out of the gate then held the lead as long as I needed to. Brad was trying pretty hard to get round me so I played it safe and just hung onto his back wheel after he made the pass. I can’t tell you how relieved I was to cross that finish line knowing he hadn’t pulled any time on me”
After 10 years of attempts to claim an A4DE title, Willis is ecstatic to finally take class victory in this prestigious event.
“It’s a great feeling to give the win to Husqvarna Australia. I’ve been chasing an A4DE title for a long time now. Husqvarna’s support over the last few years has been exceptional and they’ve really helped me progress among such a competitive field of professional riders. I can’t thank Paul Feeney’s team enough for giving me the opportunity to race at pro level on a bike that is so competitive and well-prepped on race day”
Unfortunately for Outright contender Chris Hollis, a few crashes in lead up to the final Moto left him nearly a minute behind Overall leader Jarrod Bewley. While any chance of an outright win as now out of reach for Hollis, he pushed hard to the finish line in attempt to steal 3rd place from Honda’s AJ Roberts.
Despite a heavy crash, which left Hollis momentarily unconscious, he remounted and maintained race pace on autopilot to bring home the third place outright of A4DE for Husqvarna Australia.
Class E5 Overall
1st Jehi Willis Husqvarna
2nd Brad Williscroft KTM
3rd Geoff Braico KTM
Outright A4DE 2009
1st Jarrod Bewley Yamaha
2nd Toby Price Kawasaki
3rd Chris Hollis Husqvarna
4th Peter Boyle Honda
5th A J Roberts Honda
6th Kirk Hutton Yamaha
7th Josh Green Kawasaki
8th Ben Grabham KTM
9th Blake Hore Husaberg
10th Jehi Willis Husqvarna