The factory Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team will feature three top-level riders for the 2018 season, as Daniel Sanders and Fraser Higlett have been signed to join team mainstay Lachlan Stanford in an expanded line-up.

Stanford fell just short of the Enduro3 (E3) championship last year and will remain aboard the Husqvarna FE 501 for the new year, determined to capture the elusive crown that he has finished runner-up in during his past two attempts. The Byron Bay-based talent was also third in the outright standings last season.

For Sanders, the 23-year-old returns to the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) following a season in Europe that saw him claim eighth in the Enduro2 World Championship. He was crowned AORC champion in 2016 and will be aiming to regain the number one plate riding a Husqvarna FE 450 in the Enduro2 (E2) ranks. The Victorian also finished runner-up in a one-off appearance at home last year at the prestigious Hattah Desert Race.

Last season was a strong one for Higlett, finishing second in the Enduro Junior (EJ) category of the AORC with a string of victories to his credit and also claiming second in the Under 19s division at the Hattah Desert Race aboard a privateer Husqvarna. His promotion to the factory team will see him ride a Husqvarna FE 250 in Enduro1 (E1), holding high hopes of advancing his career within the official operation.

“We’re very excited to enter the 2018 season, expanding to a three-rider team for this year,” commented Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team manager Christian Horwood. “We have Fraser Higlett, who has been a Husqvarna-supported rider for four years now and he had some outstanding results last year, so has been rewarded with a factory ride in E1 on-board a Husqvarna FE 250.

“We have also signed Daniel Sanders, who is fresh from a year in EnduroGP, is the 2016 AORC outright champion and it’s fantastic to have a rider of his calibre on the Husqvarna FE 450 in the E2 class. In E3 we will again have Lachlan Stanford riding the Husqvarna FE 501 in his fifth year with the team, which we are also really happy about. Together, we’ve got a great group of people, a good mixture of experience across the board and we cover all three classes with an exceptional group of talent.”

The 2018 AORC series will commence at Gympie, Queensland, on 10-11 March, marking the opening double- header weekend of the 11-round series. Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team will also contest the Australian Four-Day Enduro (A4DE) in Cessnock, New South Wales, on 3-7 April, the Hattah Desert Race in Victoria between 7-8 July, plus an assortment of additional high-profile events.