KTM DM31 Racing’s Daniel Milner has etched his name in the history books after clinching the 2024 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) title in Nowra this weekend. At the same time, teammate Tom Buxton and KTM-backed Riley McGillivray completed their seasons with podiums in the E1 and E3 classes, respectively.
After sustaining a shoulder injury in the previous rounds at Kingston SE, Milner still held a 26-point lead in the series, but had had minimal bike-time heading into the final two rounds of the 2024 season.
As such, the KTM DM31 Racing team owner/rider entered Nowra’s progressively dusty, rough Sprints cautiously, content to circulate for P4 on Saturday and to keep mistakes to a minimum. Sunday’s final round saw him build up his pace as he found more confidence in the demands his shoulder could take, and he ended the day in P3 aboard his KTM 450 EXC-F – more than enough to capture this year’s E2 Class and Outright championships.
Milner’s 2024 victory sees him equal Toby Price’s Australian record of five AORC titles outright, in addition to 10 class and Australian Four-Day Enduro Championships, sealing his position as one of the country’s all-time great off-road competitors.
Daniel Milner: "To have matched the record of five AORC championships and 10 titles, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, as it’s something I’ve had my eye on for quite some time. I hadn’t really ridden since Kingston SE, because I wanted to give my shoulder as much time as possible to recover. As a result, yeah, I was pretty nervous entering Saturday’s racing. Yesterday’s tests included parts of the motocross track and some big bumps, and I didn’t feel very confident out there, but today’s tests were more flowy and I was able to push a bit more without worrying about my shoulder. Once I got myself into a good position early in the day, I was able to then slow up, manage it to the end, and do what I needed to do to win the title."
Buxton, meanwhile, wrapped up his inaugural year of racing AORC with an impressive third overall in the championship standings. Buxton and his KTM 250 EXC-F stayed composed and in control across both rounds to finish his weekend without incident and with another two third-place round results to his name.
Tom Buxton: "It was a challenging weekend here in Nowra. It was dry, dusty and got progressively sketchy as the weekend went on. Everyone seemed to crash out around me, but I just focused on trying to be smooth, and stayed on two wheels both days. I was happy to keep consistent times all weekend, and finishing third in the E1 championship is a good way to finish my first season. It’s one of those years where you wish you were further up the points, but I know what I need to work on for next year. I learnt a lot, being part of Dan’s team and it’ll be good to go into 2025 with more knowledge and experience under my belt."
In the E3 class, KTM-mounted McGillivray – the champion from one year ago – consolidated his runner-up position in the standings with a pair of third-place results at Nowra. Aboard the KTM 500 EXC-F, the 20-year-old remained consistent through the roots, dust and water crossings to seal a satisfying P2 finish in the 2024 series.
Riley McGillivray: "After I hurt myself in the middle of the year at Edenhope, I’ve struggled to get back to the pace I need to fight for wins, but to take P2 in the championship is still pretty satisfying. While two thirds aren’t a bad way to end my second year in E3, I was looking for a bit more, to be honest – I want to get back to winning as that’s what we put the work in for. I’m looking forward to having a good off-season, then start building again for next year, so we can get ourselves back to the front and winning again."
The first of the two-day rounds in the 2024 Australian ProMX Championship proved a winning formula for KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford at Maitland, as he grabbed his second MX1 moto win of the season and finished the weekend a strong third overall. In the MX2 class, Kayden Minear put in three consistent results to earn himself sixth overall.
KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford has made a convincing return to the Australian ProMX Championship podium after claiming a third-place result at the demanding Echo Valley circuit on Toowoomba, Queensland, on Sunday. In the MX2 class, Kayden Minear completed his day sixth overall with consistent results.
Equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F and wearing a special one-off retro livery, Crawford was second quickest in regular qualifying and then finished the Top 10 Shootout in fourth position. He regrouped from a crash early in the opening MX1 moto to make a charge up the order and finish P3, setting some of the fastest laps of the race in the process.
Determined to finish the day strongly, the Queenslander scored the holeshot in the final moto and led the opening laps, before settling for third. Crawford’s pair of P3 results saw him finish third overall, and solidified his third-place position in the championship standings with two rounds remaining.
Nathan Crawford: "I’m happy with my riding in practice, but in Superpole I was just rushing it a little bit. I rode really well in moto one and there were times I was consistently the fastest on track and matching those top guys – I’m kicking myself as I had a little crash in that moto and had to fight my way back to third. I wanted a good start to the second moto and I ripped the holeshot. I led a couple of laps, but found myself settling into a pace that was a bit off those guys and ended up third. The track was tricky, because it was one of those days where it felt like there was high risk out there, especially with the sun position in that final race. I’m stoked to be back on the podium and look to finish out the next two rounds on the podium as well. I’d like to tick off an overall, that's the aim, so we’ll see how we go!"
In MX2, Minear posted the fourth-quickest qualifying time early in the day on his KTM 250 SX-F, before in the opening moto he fought his way forward from just inside the top 10 to finish P6, making a committed last-turn pass to secure more valuable points.
The Western Australian teenager ran as high as third early in the second moto, but struggled to find a flow in the technical track conditions, eventually reaching the chequered flag in sixth. His consistency has seen him make ground in the point standings, now just a few points outside of the top-three.
Kayden Minear: “Today the track was probably the gnarliest I’ve ever ridden at Toowoomba, but the bike felt good all day. I’m not satisfied with my riding, though. I just struggled in the last moto and I didn’t find a flow. It took a while and my fastest laps were at the end, but the track was just really tough and easy to make mistakes on. We’ve got to fix the problems I had today and make sure we’re better at MX Farm.”