Strong Performances from Empire Motorsports in Casterton

The Australian Enduro Championships returned to the lush pastures of Victoria’s west for rounds seven and eight of the series at Casterton. With event organisers and local Casterton Motorcycle Club going above and beyond to create a world class event including livestream footage, grand stands, wash bays, food trucks and so much more. The event raised the bar in 2025 and prevailed as the best round of the year to date. Over 400 entrants tackled the gruelling whooped out sand tracks, as Empire Kawasaki Off Road Team riders Will Price and Nate Munro battled for glory.

Stellar conditions for Saturday’s cross country format was a brilliant change of scenery after tackling the dry conditions for the first half of the season. A phenomenal track layout winding its way through the sandy bracken, dropping into multiple rocky quarries and sending it across open flowing grass track was a pure treat for all competitors. Nate Munro executed his start perfectly, his KX250X pulling the J3 class hole shot and not looking back to come home with a dominant win and a respectable third outright in the junior category.

“I went really good, had a few collisions with other riders but other than that it was really smooth and consistent. The key was lots of on and off the bike training, drinking and eating well, just doing all the right things.” - Nate Munro

The premier Pro race was not one to miss as 30 of Australia’s best lined the front row. Will Price aboard his KX250X in the E1 category delivered a solid performance. After a mid field start, Price pushed hard to work his way back into podium contention with a three way battle against Yamaha riders Fraser Higlett and Jett Yarnold. After digging deep for over 3 hours in the most physically demanding race this season, Price cracked the top 10 Outright and placed 4th in E1.

“It was a gnarly cross country. The track was so beat up, so physically demanding but I’m super happy with our day. We got a little bit of arm pump at the start but pushed through to fight my way back through the pack to get my first top ten outright for the year.” - Will Price

Battered, bruised and physically drained from Saturdays cross country, the sprint format of round eight was tough. Intensity was high and the whoops were huge as the Pro Enduro riders tackled their seven minute sprint track. A foggy morning added an extra challenge as competitors lost vision navigating the unforgiving bumps of the Casterton course. It was a testing day for both Nate Munro and Will Price as they fought hard in the rough conditions. Munro would come home in a respectable second in J3 but a costly mistake in test four would see Price drop outside the top 20 in a very competitive field.

Team manager Stelios Liakopoulos reflected: “It was a good weekend, the boys rode unreal yesterday in the cross country but today some of the other guys are a little quicker and the conditions were really really challenging. The main thing is we all walked away healthy and can set our sights on the Hattah Desert Race.”