Image: John Pearson.

Recently claiming victory at the 2019 Penrite Hattah Desert Race, Daniel Milner has explained his decision to switch from the KTM 350 EXC-F to the 450 EXC-F ahead of this weekend’s return of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) at Kyogle in New South Wales.

The KTM Enduro Racing Team ace dominated the opening four rounds in the E2 category and unofficial outright standings aboard the 350, however the transition to the 450, which is still eligible in E2, comes as the remaining rounds will be better suited to the larger capacity machine.

“I just thought I’d try something different, and obviously with KTM, we can swap and change and stay in the same class,” Milner explained to MotoOnline.com.au.

“It’s pretty cool to back on a 450, I raced one in 2017, so I thought I’d jump back onto it. Especially with some of the next few rounds – we have Broken Hill which is pretty wide-open, South Australian which is sand, and they just changed the last round Victoria – I think the 450 will be more suitable for those races.”

This weekend’s fifth and sixth rounds of AORC will see the Sprint format rolled out during both days of racing for the second time this season.