After heartbreak in 2025, Luke Chellas stormed back to defeat five-time champion Broc Grabham in a fierce two-day battle from Tottenham to Condobolin and back
After a disappointing 2025 Yellow Mountain, that saw Luke Chellas run out of fuel, it was time for redemption and the young rider did it in style on August 1st & 2nd.
Unlike the previous few years, the track between Tottenham and Condobolin was extremely dusty which made following the leader a major challenge. The number one plate was held by Broc Grabham, who took the win last year, for a record 5th year in a row and Grabham was keen to add another Yellow Mountain to his collection of trophies. Broc posted the fastest time in prologue, with Chellas in second and James Staniforth in third.
The 220km track started in Tottenham and over 200 riders started one at a time in an effort to make it to Condobolin in the fastest time. Broc started well, but it was not long before Chellas took advantage of Broc’s poor tyre choice and grabbed the lead and some clean air. James Staniforth was third bike on the track, with Justin Harrow starting the standard 15 second gap behind him in fourth. In only his second Yellow Mountain, Ben Grabham prologued 7th but quickly picked off the riders in front of him, to arrive at the overnight stop in Condobolin in third place. Younger brother Broc maintained his second place, finishing just over 2 minutes behind Chellas.
On the return leg, back to Tottenham, Chellas once again had clean air as he started first on the road, with Broc right behind him. The starting gap this time was 30 seconds between bikes and Broc knew he had to not only overtake Chellas, but pull at least 2 minutes 30 seconds in order to retain his number one plate. However despite being faster on the straights, the dust just didn’t clear in the tight trees, and Grabham battled the elements just to keep Chellas in check. Some outstanding racing was witnessed as these two riders tore up the track at breakneck speed, just seconds apart. Both riders had knobs missing off the new rear tyres by the end of the 220km run!
However another win was not on the books for Grabham as Chellas rode a superb race to maintain the lead all the way back to Tottenham. Luke grabbed the win with a combined time of 5hrs 50min 12sec. Broc fought hard in the dusty conditions, finishing the day just 10 seconds behind Chellas, claiming second place with a combined time of 5hrs 52min 37sec. In third place was Ben Grabham with a combined time of 6hrs 7min 7sec.
If you are keen to join the best cross country race in NSW, put August in your calendar for 2027.
