offroading online magazine issue 7

Issue 7 June 2012

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Alan Carmichael Photographyhttp://www.alancarmichael.com

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Alan Carmichael Photographyhttp://www.alancarmichael.com

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A word from the editor

A big thank you to Quick-Fix KTM of Mildura Victoria

I was standing on the side of the track taking photos as everyone neared Finke on Day 1 when the lad rode past on his brand new KTM. Shock, horror he had more bits hanging off himself and the bike than my Landrover Discovery.

After checking him out at camp we then stood around the bike having a great discussion about the missing bits of the exhaust. A motor mechanic offered the bottom line of advice “ drive it back to Alice and you will blow the lot up”.

The lad decided that he would track down a KTM mechanic that they had met in the caravan park only to find after a long search that he was busted up in the Alice Springs hospital. Hope you are OK mate.

The big decision was made to pack the KTM up and truck it back to Alice. “Golly gosh” and “I’m very disap-pointed” or words to that effect were heard around the camp fire until the helmet was kicked and we all crawled into our swags.

As the sun rose over our camp we again stood around the bike and came up with ideas such as screwing a tin dinner plate over the exhaust, my dinner pate of course. Anyway to cut a long story short the lad had noticed a

camp of bikes that turned out to be the Quick-Fix KTM team from Mildura.

Off they rode to return 30 minutes later with a new exhaust fitted. The lad quickly began looking for all his gear until the motor mechanic was heard to say “Oh dear, what is all that oil leaking from the side of the engine” (this is a family magazine).

They took off again to return with a filter cover secured correctly after the guys at Quick-Fix Motorcycles tapped out the screws and replaced the cover.

After much haste the lads took off in a cloud of dust leaving the Team Manager ( that’s me and means that I get to pay for everything as well as cook tea).

I sent off a thank you email to Quick-Fix as soon as I got home and received this amazing reply:

“Mate we know what its like to be at the shitty end and when we can help another competitor to enjoy there motorcycling a bit longer it is always a challenge and a pleasure”.

The people Quick-Fix associates itself with are champion people not necessarily the ultimate athletes, therefore the friendships that are forged over the years last for the right reasons !.....

Thanks a million Gavin

www.harvestthesun.com.au Denis O’Dea: 0404839137

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In this issueA Word from the Editor

Tatterssalls Finke Desert Race

Autism Angels

Diesel Tips with Berrima Diesel

Beach Driving with P7 Offroad Driver Training

Mud Dust and Music 2012

Flinders 400 Baroota 2012

National 4x4 Outdoors Show & Boating & Fishing Expo

Trophy Karts Australia

Kilcowera Station

Port Rickaby Caravan Park

Flight 4 Life

and a lot more......

OFFROADiNg ONLiNE

EditorDanny Hanrahan

ContributorsGeordie WrightSue CallowDarren BerrymanJasmine Brown The Cast Iron Boys P7 Offroad & P7 Comms DPChip Voyager 4x4 Adventures

Website editorDanny HanrahanGeordie Wright

Facebook editorGeordie Wright Tony Whateley

Offroading OnlineNo part of this magazine may be copied, broadcast or reproduced in any man-ner on any medium without the written consent of the copyright owner.

Offroading Online

[email protected]

NSW opens parks to shooters

The State Government has opened 79 of the 799 national park properties for recreational shooting.

The stated purpose of this move is to increase con-trol of feral animals in the park system.

It has been done to gain the votes of the Shooters and Fishers Party in the Legislative Council in order to pass the Government's proposed sale of the State's power stations.

The move to allow shooting has outraged green groups and protests have begun.

The state's park rangers are organising a rally and industrial action against the move.

Club trip leaders doing risk assessments prior to their trips should factor in checks on shooting activi-ties with local parks managers.

A list of the 79 state properties should be obtained by trip committees planing on visiting any of these parks.

Wood fires on the outerThe Witjira Co-management Board have approved

that fire wood collection will not be permitted on Witjira in 2012, but wood fires will still be allowed. In 2013, both wood fire collection and wood fires will not be permitted.

This does not apply to the Simpson Desert reserves in South Australia.

Toyota announces all electric 4WD

Toyota unveils what it calls its first all-electric 4WD. Initially it will be for sale only in California, but will cost more than twice its petrol version.

The car will be sold initially only in California with a base price of $US49,800 ($A49,187.61), and the Japanese car company hopes to sell a relatively modest 2,600 units over the next three years.

Toyota Motor Sales USA executive Bob Carter said the company believes the car will ‘attract sophisticated early technology adopters, much like the first-gener-ation Prius,’ Toyota’s pioneering hybrid car launched 15 years ago.

‘It’s all about blending the best of two worlds... The all-new RAV4 EV marries the efficiency of an EV with the versatility of a small SUV -- in fact, it is the only all-electric SUV on the market,’ he added.

The car, which costs more than twice as much as the petrol version of the RAV4 and would have dif-ficulties with out-of-town driving for any distance, may struggle to find a mass appeal.

‘It’s designed for consumers who prioritise the envi-ronment and appreciate performance,’ said Carter, adding that the new car will go on sale later this sum-mer in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.

‘We look forward to seeing how the market responds,’ he added, unveiling the car at the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. - AAP

Around the Traps

Chippy is the most travelled 4x4 adventurer the world has ever seen.

When you get bogged at the Loveday 4x4 Park you buy me and zip tie me to your car.

Then up load your photos to my FaceBook page

Let the world know where I have been.


wiki CAMPS Australia releases new app

A dynamic user generated camping app for Australia is now available from iTunes and Google Play.

Add, edit and share your favorite camp sites, cara-

van parks, farms and hostels.

Easily find places close to you or plan the long trip away.

With over 4000 listings already, join the largest and fastest growing camping app in Australia.

Each site has loads of information to help you plan your get away from activities, pet rules, swimming areas, Wi-Fi hotspots, pricing, and more.

Add and view photos from other happy campers all around Australia. So you can see what the camp site is like before you go there.

Get directions using the easy to operate touch screen user interface.

Rate sites as you go and add them to your own personal favorites list.

Around the Traps

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TATTS FINKE DESERT RACE

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TATTS FINKE DESERT RACE

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Jack Rhodes and navigator Craig Mattingly from West Beach in South Australia have blitzed the field to take fastest time in the prologue for the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert race.

Rhodes, an ex-Alice Springs resident, has had a remark-ably short rise to the top of the tree in qualifying fastest in Australia’s greatest off-road event.

The 22 year old has only been in the sport proper for just over twelve months and had a ‘character building’ Finke event last year when he rolled his Prolite machine on the way down to Finke and again on the way back to Alice Springs!

His interest in off-road competition was whetted by a ride with Dave Fellows a couple of years ago.

Rhodes set the fastest time of 4 minutes 52 seconds around the 8 kilometre prologue track in his #91 Jimco buggy to edge out the Western Australian brothers, Beau and Travis Robinson.

Beau Robinson in the #413 Geiser Brothers Trophy Truck was second fastest with a time of 4 minutes 55 seconds with brother Travis in the #13 Jimco Nissan buggy only fractions of a second slower to be awarded third place.

As predicted, changes to the prologue circuit layout have slowed vehicles down with Rhodes time being 11 seconds slower than that set by top qualifier Dave Fellows last year (2011).

Five time Finke winner Dave Fellows, driving the brand new #1 Jimco Toyota Hilux Trophy Truck was 23rd fastest in prologue with a time of 5 minutes 18 sec-onds, while last year’s Tatt’s Finke Desert Race winner Greg Gartner in the #3 Extreme 2 wheel Drive Ford F150 was 15th fastest recording a time of 5 minutes and 9 seconds

Making yet more news for the famous Finke event in its 37 year history was the first ever Chinese entry of driver Fa Guo Xiao and navigator Jin Lin Xien in the #523 Performance Two Wheel Drive 6 litre Chev pow-ered Ford Courier qualifying in 69th position with a time of 7minutes 17 seconds.

The Chinese crew have had minimal time to familiarise themselves with the vehicle, and have a singular aim of finishing the gruelling 452 kilometre classic event

New Star Shines BrightCars Prologue

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New Star Shines BrightCars Prologue

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Former Tatts Finke Desert race winner Toby Price set the fastest prologue time among the 493 strong bike field that took to the track to race for starting positions ahead of this year’s desert classic.

Price from Singleton in New South Wales (#X98 KTM 450) set a time of 4 minutes 52 seconds for the 8 kilometre course. He won the Finke event in 2010.

After the disappointment of last year when he had to retire with a mechanical failure after wresting the lead for a period from fellow KTM rider and eventual winner Ben Grabham, Price was looking forward to a clean run on the race down to Finke.

‘I want to make a good start, build up a bit of a gap, and then cruise’, he said.

The rider was quite complimentary of the changes to the prologue course saying it was ‘definitely tighter and more challenging’.

Second fastest was local Alice Springs rider David

Walsh (#11 Honda CRF 450R) who completed the lap with a time of 4 minutes 57 seconds, and together with Price was the only other rider to crack the 5 minute barrier on the revised course.

Last year’s prologue winning time also set by Price was 4 minutes 42 seconds.

Third fastest was Queensland competitor Simon Thompson (#16 Honda CRF 450R) who stopped the clock at 5 minutes 1 second.

Jack Dooley-McDonnell from Alice Springs (#19 Yamaha YZ450F) took the fourth spot with a time of 5 minutes 2 seconds, while NSW rider Todd Smith (#4 Honda CRF450R) who placed second outright in the 2010 event prologued in fifth with a 5 minute 3 second run.

Evergreen Finke competitor Brad Williscroft (#6 KTM 450) was eighth fastest with a time of 5 min-utes 10 seconds, while former winner Ryan Branford (#3 KTM 500 EXC) from Alice Springs was perhaps somewhat down the list with a time of 5 minutes 26 for 20th spot.

TOBY TOPS THE TIME SHEETS FOR KTM

BIKES PROLOGUE

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TOBY TOPS THE TIME SHEETS FOR KTM

BIKES PROLOGUE

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MONSTER TRUCK MAKES IT FIRST INTO FINKE

South Australian Brad Gallard in the Monster Energy Chev Geiser Brother Trophy Truck #454 has gone one better this year by leading the field into Finke for the overnight stop on Day 1 of the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert Race.

The Brad Gallard/Scott Modistach combination made the 226 kilometre journey from the Alice Springs start in a time of 1 hour 56minutes and 39 seconds.

This compares with the much faster time set last year (2011) for Day 1 of 1 hour 46 minutes and 37 seconds achieved by Travis Robinson.

Second into Finke was the Victorian son and father team of Shannon and Ian Rentsch. The duo that won the 2006 event made the trip in a time of 1 hour 59 minutes and 59 seconds in their #33 Jimco Nissan Pro Buggy.

Third at the halfway stop was the West Australian crew of Beau Robinson/Ken Skinner in their #413 Extreme Two Wheel Drive Geiser Brothers Trophy Truck who completed the dis-tance in 2 hours and 2 seconds.

The pace setters in prologue yesterday, Jack Rhodes and navi-gator Craig Mattingly in their #91 Jimco Buggy led the field through the first check point at Deep Well (68 kilometres) and were again first through the second point Rodinga (98 kilome-tres from the start) but were reported to have rolled and were seen returning from fuel stop 2 which is approx. 18 kilometres south of the check point.

The #13 Pro Buggy of Travis Robinson/Paul Currie was an early DNF with a power steering issue just before the Deep Well first check point.

Another favoured crew, Daniel Auricht/Grant Connelly from Alice Springs in the #2 Jimco Pro Buggy suffered engine prob-lems and did not make Deep Well.

Five time Finke winner Dave Fellows who prologued 23rd fastest in his the brand new #1 Jimco Toyota Hilux Trophy Truck came into the Finke stop today in ninth position with a time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 52 seconds.

Tomorrow’s ( June 11) return leg to the Alice Springs finish line commences at 7.30 am CST with the first cars expected to finish at approx. 9.15am CST.

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TOBY PRICE AND KTM SET THE PACE ON DAY 1

NSW rider Toby Price (#X98 KTM 450) appears to have partially followed the race plan he made after setting Saturday’s fastest time in prologue - namely to “build up a gap and then cruise” - when he arrived first into the overnight stop on Day 1 of the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert Race.

Price, who won the event in 2010, made the 226 kilometre journey from Alice Springs to Finke in a time of 1 hour 57 minutes and 55 seconds.

He was followed by Alice Springs competitor David Walsh (#11 Honda CRF450R) who set a time of 2 hours 2 minutes and 42 seconds.

Price led Walsh by 57 seconds at Deep Well (67 kms), then by 1 minute 48 seconds at Rodinga (98 kms). At Bundooma (140 kms) the gap was 2 minutes and 37 seconds, then it was out to 3 minutes and 27 seconds at Mt. Squires (172 kms) and by Finke it was 4 minutes and 47 seconds.

The pace of Price’s run however indicate he was in “high cruise” mode given that his time was 20 seconds faster than the Day 1 time set last year Ben Grabham.

Price will be looking for a good run home on Monday to make up for last year’s disappointment when he suffered a mechanical DNF on Day 1.

Third into Finke was Todd Smith from NSW (#4 Honda CRF450R) in a time of 2 hours 7 minutes and 28 seconds.

The bike field leaves Finke for the run back to Alice Springs tomorrow at 11.30am CST with the leading competitors expected at approx. 1.30pm.

As the sun rose on Monday morning the cars roared into life with Gallard leading the pack out of Finke. With no wind the dust quickly made it near

impossible to see and open the throttle fully.

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MONSTER WIN FOR GALLARD

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On his seventh attempt, South Australian Brad Gallard in the Monster Energy Chev Geiser Brothers Trophy Truck #454 has taken victory in the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert Race.

The Brad Gallard/Scott Modistach combina-tion made the 226 kilometre journey from the Alice Springs start in a time of 1 hour 56 minutes and 39 seconds yesterday and returned today in a time of 1 hour 54 minutes and 53 seconds for a total time of 3 hours 51 minutes and 33 seconds.

Gallard whose best previous Finke result was sec-ond in 2010 said Sundays run was ‘his toughest day ever’ but that Monday coming back to Alice Springs ‘was a dream given that it’s amazing what you can do when you can see’ referring to the extremely dusty conditions.

Second home in Australia’s greatest desert race was #55 Pro Buggy of Victorian Matthew Coleman with South Australian navigator Shawn Teagle.

Coleman/Teagle prologued in 10th position, and started from the Finke overnight stop in fourth but gained their second spot on the podium after pass-ing the #33 Pro Buggy of Victorian son and father combination of Shannon and Ian Rentsch who suc-cumbed to fuel pump problems before the first check point at Mount Squires and at the time a stationary Beau Robinson machine.

Coleman/Teale made the trip back to Alice Springs in 1 hour 57 minutes and 28 seconds for a total event time of 3 hours 59 minutes and 34 seconds.

In an epic effort , third place for West Australian Beau Robinson in the #413 Geiser Brothers Trophy Truck was a great drive given he had endured an ‘end for end’ roll on the way down to Finke yesterday and a puncture on the way home today.

Crossing the line, the Robinson machine was devoid of its front body work that had been dam-aged in yesterday’s roll-over and had also required the crew to stop to remove it today

Beau Robinson was showing signs of extreme sore-ness at today’s finish line and was accompanied home by substitute navigator Stephen Hall who had replace Ken Skinner who was not deemed fit enough for the journey home after the roll-over.

Robinson’s Day 2 time was 2 hours 10 minutes and 11 seconds for a total event time of 4 hours 10 minutes and 14 seconds.

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“THE PRICE IS RIGHT” FOR KTM The price was indeed right for Toby Price as he

raced to the finish line for first place and a $10,000 cheque as the winner of the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert Race.

From Singleton in NSW, Price on his #X98 KTM 450 took his second victory in the Finke Desert classic in only three attempts, having won in his first year at the event in 2010. Last year the KTM team rider did not finish as a result of mechanical failure.

Very modest in victory, Price said the win meant everything to him, but also stated that his injured teammate “Grabs (Ben Grabham) is still the best”. He also thanked Grabham for his assistance with today’s win.

Price said that his body felt good and he had gen-erally had a good ride both on day 1 and day 2.

He said he had made a couple of “little mistakes” on the way down to Finke but had held a little in reserve and had felt good this morning after ice bath recovery sessions overnight.

Price did day 1 of the event in a time of 1 hour 57 minutes and 55 seconds and came home today in a time of 1 hour 59 minutes and 7 seconds for a total time of 3 hours 57 minutes and 3 seconds.

The KTM rider said that he was already thinking about next year’s event and racing four time Finke Champion Ben Grabham for victory in 2013.

Second overall was local Alice Springs rider David Walsh aboard his #11 Honda CRF450R.

His total time for the event was 4 hours 5 minutes and 52 seconds.

In third place was NSW rider Todd Smith on the # 4 Honda CRF450R who placed second in the 2010 event.

Smith’s total time was 4 hours 11 minutes and 25 seconds.

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“THE PRICE IS RIGHT” FOR KTM

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The significance of the Tatts Finke Desert Race reached another

new international level when the Chinese Wolfpack team officially registered for this year’s event.

With a large Chinese media contingent present, the driver “Lord Wolf ” and navigator “Fat Wolf ” handed in their paperwork to Finke officials at the start finish line.

Fifty two year old driver Fa Guo Xiao with the club name “Lord Wolf ” has been an off road champion in China and team members say he is particularly skilled in sandy conditions.

In addition to his off road racing commitments and being a successful business man, he has a hobby that will be unfamiliar to most Australians – namely racing Tibetan Mastiff dogs!

The Chinese ace has been ‘training’ by watching videos of previ-ous Finke events.

His navigator Jin Lin Xien (club name “Fat Wolf ”), aged 39 is also a race winner in China as both a driver and navigator and the two have teamed together previously.

For the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert Race, the team have been supplied with the Ross Bohlin owned #523 6 litre Chev powered Ford Courier.

The fifteen year Thorne built machine was originally driven by last year’s Finke winner Greg Gartner, and Bohlin drove it into second place in the Performance 2WD class and 24th place out-right in last year’s event.

Chinese Wolfpack Team take on Tatts Finke Desert Race

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Lee Ebdon from Healesville about to taste the red dirt during the Prologue. Lee bounced up to finish 206 overall in a time of 6.39.07

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Words by Adam FeatherstonWords by Adam Fearherston

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Adam Featherston of Mildura, Victoria on his Yamaha YZ-450F bit the dust hard dur-ing the Prologue.

Adam made it down to Finke and back and now has that valuable spike in his possession.

Get Finked 2012My preparation and lead up to

Finke was much like my two previous attempts although I felt more prepared, had a better set up bike and felt to be much fitter. My first two attempts were dream runs in hind sight. In 2008 hav-ing only pre ran about 40 km’s of the track I managed 55th outright. I went back in 2010 and had a really clean run. I was in about 30th position with 60 k/ms to go when my steering damper failed on me and I lost about 6 or 8 places on the final leg home finishing 38th. Third time lucky??

I’d conned a good mate of mine to enter this year for his first attempt. So the two of us and two other mates headed off on the Tuesday morning for the 1600 odd kilometre trek to the red centre. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and made ourselves at home in our cabin. Thursday morning we did some pre-running. About 120 k/ms in total and everything was feeling good.

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Adam Featherston of Mildura, Victoria on his Yamaha YZ-450F bit the dust hard dur-ing the Prologue.

Adam made it down to Finke and back and now has that valuable spike in his possession.

Get Finked 2012Friday night was scrutineering night.

It was, as always is, a massive buzz. Seeing so many bikes in one shed and also checking out all the amazing bug-gies and trucks. Those guys have too much money! The bikes passed with flying colours and we got back to our cabin for an early night as soon as we could.

Saturday was prologue day, I was itching to get out on the track and see what sort of time I could do. I did a sight lap of the track which was basi-cally pointless because I couldn’t see a thing from the dust.

I got my start time and joined the queue when my time got close. We were let off in groups of three at 1 minute intervals and it was crucial to get the hole shot in order to get a dust free run. I looked to my left and was fairly confident I has his measure but the guy on my right I was not so sure about. I had the sequence of lights worked out for the start. 4 orange flashes then the green. We dropped into the ruts, selected second, the orange light started flashing then GO.

Words by Adam Featherston

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la grandeI got a great jump and was leading down the first straight, around the right hander and down the next straight. By this time I was sure the guy behind me would have dropped back in my dust. I rolled off a little early for the next sharper right hander only to see this bloody Honda go screaming around the out-side of me. I tried to stick with him but then the dust got me and I had to back it right off.

A few corners later, and desperate to do some sort of reasonable time the dust began to clear and so I got up it, in a big way. I sailed into a whooped out left hand corner a little too fast and the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground extremely winded. A few minutes later I gathered up myself and my bike and cruised around to the finish line. Very disappointed in myself.

That night I changed my bent bars, straight-ened out my forks and checked over the bike.

Sunday, Race day 1. I got my start time. 4th last out of over 500 bikes. And I thought yesterdays dust was going to be bad. The bikes began lining up in the start chute for an 11.30 start. My start time was 12.32 over an hour after the first bikes had left.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity I lined up with the 9 last standing, waited for the green light and then took off. I got a good start and lead my group off the line. Before I got off the prologue track I had begun to pass some of the next group. There was a nice cross wind blowing so I was able to pick my way through the field without too much hesitations. I got into Finke without too many dramas and later discovered my placing of 111th.

Monday, Race day 2. I took off from Finke feeling a lot better about my position and con-tinued to make some passes. I had about 17 by the first checkpoint and was really enjoy-ing it. Then the whoop section started and seemed to go on forever. I was no longer hav-ing fun! The final run home the dust began to get really bad because we were now heading into a head wind and passing became very difficult. I made a few moves but then had some good scares and decided to back it off and just bring it home in one piece.

I finished 93rd outright and my mate fol-lowed me over the line in 95th . We partied the night away and washed the dust down with a few ales. All in all we had a great trip and I might just have to come back again next year.

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Joshua Knights of Irymple, Victoria bit the dirt hard when he came off his KTM SX-F 250 during

the prologue.Unfortunately Josh hurt his knee preventing him

from starting.Best of luck next time mate.

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Craig Carmichael from Townsville Queensland had the crowd enthralled when he

leapt over the tabletop on his KTM 450SXCraig made it down to Finke in 02:09:23 but posted a DNF on the way back to Alice on

Monday.

Robbie Ganner Calls it quits afterTen Consecutive Finke Races and Ten Consecutive Finishes

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“It ’s been a lot of fun with the highlights being meeting a great mob of people, fantastic atmosphere and of course the challenge of it all” Robbie said

Robbie’s best result was in 2007 when he Prologued 34th and went on to finished 87th after having bike problems.

“These last 3 years have been hard, but I had a goal to do ten consecutive Finkes,”

“I dislocated my shoulder, tore a couple of ten-dons and broke cartilage away from shoulder in 2010, about 80 km out of Alice on Day 1”

“I managed to get it back in and ride there and back” he added

Robbie’s run of bad luck continued into 2011, when he had a full shoulder reconstruction in January.

“I came off in May 2011, two weeks before the race and broke my arm and wrist amongst a few other injuries” he said. “I managed to finish the 2011 Finke and am ecstatic to have achieved my ambition of ten consecutive Finkes”.

Robbie has now called it quits while he has a 100% success rate and will have further surgery in August to have another crack at fixing my shoulder.

Robbie said “There are quite a few who have done more than 10 Finkes, and even finished 10 or more but I can only find one other person who has done 10 consecutive”. “Was it worth it - all the pain and hurt for a little peg... time will tell when I get old” he added.

Robbie Ganner Calls it quits afterTen Consecutive Finke Races and Ten Consecutive Finishes

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My prologue was good, (by my standards) I rode conservatively, but still wrung my 505’s neck as best I could. The dust made it difficult and I had to back off a few times as I wasn’t prepared to power blindly into the obis (this year....). My official time was 6:58. To put that into perspective, Toby Price did the fastest time - somewhere around 4:52. I never do very well in Prologue - I’m better in the whoops than the corners.

Liam McDonald “race with your head”

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Race Day 1 - Alice to Finke.I rode conservatively for the whole 226

k’s, trying to go as fast as I could, but with a decent safety margin. Not the way to win races, but I’m never going to win anything anyway, so probably the smarter way to do it.

I was fortunate enough to holeshot my group and have a dust free run for about 10 k’s. Once I started catching people, the dust was a bit of a drag.

My plan was to ride conservatively in the hard pack dusty sections, then go harder in my preferred sandy whoop sections. I passed a few blokes in the hard pack, then used my fitness to pass about 60 bikes in the whoops. The dust isn’t a problem in the whoops, and I can ride them quickly, (by my standards) with a large safety margin, so every time I caught someone in the dust, I just patiently waited for the next whoop section.

Time for a few home truths - my GPS doesn’t lie. Finke is not as fast as everyone believes. Sure, Toby Price and the rest of the top 20 are moving along at a fast rate, but the rest of us mere mortals are not doing 200 kp/h.

My average speed from Alice to Finke was 66.5 kph, max 109. I rode very conservatively due to not wanting a repeat of my last two visits to Finke, (which ended in the Alice Springs Hospital) but I was still mid field, so I’m certainly not the slowest guy out there.

My average heart rate on day 1 was 153 and maxed at 187. That’s not far off my triath-lon heart rate where I’d average 175 and max around 200. Riding the Finke track for 3.5 hours is hard work for a fit bloke. I can’t imag-ine how much harder it is for those who may be carrying a few extra kilo’s.

My average speed is a little under what it should be, as I pressed the start button on my Garmin while cruising along the start grids and didn’t press finish until I arrived at our Finke Campsite, but it gives a fairly realistic idea of what’s going on.

Sunday night at Finke is a massive party, (for those who aren’t riding, or don’t care). The main campsite is closer to the start line, but we camp a few k’s out near the Finke River to avoid the fireworks and shennanigans.

Liam McDonald “race with your head”

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“Note the heart rate - I reckon I had a few adrenaline dumps when I hit blind obstacles in the dust”.Garmin Data from Prologue

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“Note the heart rate - I reckon I had a few adrenaline dumps when I hit blind obstacles in the dust”.Garmin Data from Prologue

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la grandeThe fireworks would put a lot of new year’s eve celebrations to shame - it went on for hours. I heard that the flying doctor pilot got his nick-ers in a twist as he had to fly in after dark to pick up an injured rider and had Afghanistan flash backs when some fireworks went off close to the plane as he made his approach...

Race Day 2 Finke to AliceI lined up Monday for the return run to Alice

in 220th position feeling strong.

Another holeshot gave me a dust free run for the first 10 k’s into the first decent whoop section where I got to work passing guys who were doing it tough on day 2.

I enjoyed the ride home and dropped 7 min-utes off my time from day 1. I kept having to force myself to slow down and ride within my limits.

My average and max speeds were a little higher on the return run as I felt a bit more comfortable and relaxed. I still had to focus the whole time on not riding outside my comfort zone and just making it home in one piece, (this time).

There’s nothing difficult about this track, but it’s always waiting to bite you if you don’t treat it with respect. Some of the sections are just heaven - fifth gear powerslides on a 505 are the best fun in the world.

But then you unexpectedly find yourself in metre deep whoops that go for 10 k’s, or blind bull dust with hard pack cross ruts or rocks. Plenty of traps for young players.

When I was only about 10 k’s from the fin-ish, (not long after I’d passed the corner that bit me in 2008 - which I hissed at as I roosted my way around it) a bloke passed me in the whoops. I thought to myself - “Jeez, you’re keen” as, (not wanting to sound big headed) I didn’t get passed by many people in the whoops - this was probably the third time for the whole race.

5 seconds later, he was cartwheeling through the air. I stopped to make sure he was okay, and he stood up holding his (probably broken) wrist. Once I knew he was not requiring urgent assistance, I kept going. At first I thought “you goose”, then I remembered that it was me four years ago and I backed off a little bit more.

I crossed the line happy and unhurt. I felt exhausted, but not suffering like most of the guys around me. Riding Finke at 80% certainly made it more enjoyable.

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la grande DayDream Importswww.daydreamimports.com.au

Importer of solar panel fittings designed to fit solar panels to caravans, camper trailers, motor homes, house boats and boats

No More Holes in Your RoofDesigned to be glued to the roof with SikaFlex-252

Check out www.daydreamimports.com.au for details and prices

Combo sets available for small, medium and large panels in both black and white.

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la grandeDayDream Importswww.daydreamimports.com.au





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Second home in Australia’s greatest desert race was #55 Pro Buggy of Victorian Matthew Coleman with South Australian navigator Shawn Teagle.

Coleman/Teagle prologued in 10th posi-tion, and started from the Finke overnight stop in fourth but gained their second spot on the podium after passing the #33 Pro Buggy of Victorian son and father combination of Shannon and Ian Rentsch who succumbed to fuel pump problems before the first check point at Mount Squires and at the time a stationary Beau Robinson machine.

Coleman/Teale made the trip back to Alice Springs in 1 hour 57 minutes and 28 seconds for a total event time of 3 hours 59 minutes and 34 seconds.

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In an epic effort , third place for West Australian Beau Robinson in the #413 Geiser Brothers Trophy Truck was a great drive given he had endured an ‘end for end’ roll on the way down to Finke yesterday and a puncture on the way home today.

Crossing the line, the Robinson machine was devoid of its front body work that had been damaged in yesterday’s roll-over and had also required the crew to stop to remove it today

Beau Robinson was showing signs of extreme soreness at today’s finish line and was accompanied home by substitute navi-gator Stephen Hall who had replace Ken Skinner who was not deemed fit enough for the journey home after the roll-over.

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Tenth outright was Buddy and Kerry Crowe of Runamuk Racing with an overall time of 04:25:15

As Buddy approached the Finke tabletop he didn’t back off and kept the peddle to the metal. The huge crowd of local resi-

dents cheered their approval as the Jimco soared higher and higher making the biggest jump of the weekend.

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Autism Angels

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Words by Sharlene Bevington who is a mother of a 9 year old son with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a type of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Photography by Sue Callow who is also a mother of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. Both are involved with the 4x4 world.

Sharlene is Tony Whateley’s partner, owner and manager of loveday4x4adventures in the Riverland, SA

Sue is a regular visitor to the park and photographer with her own business Limitless Imagery

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INTERVIEW WITH BROOKE CLARK- FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE ANGELS

Brooke first noticed at approximately 12 months of age that her son wasn’t talking. She completed a Google search and found ‘Autism’.

People in her life told her “no way, he looks at you and smiles.” She persevered as she had that moth-erly instinct that told her something wasn’t quite right. Her son now aged 5 years was diagnosed with Autism before his 3rd birthday. Brooke and her hus-band knew very little about Autism at the time.

Brooke felt people in the community looked down upon her when her son was having a meltdown.

She began to ask questions. Why isn’t Autism in the media? There are awareness groups out there but why not any publicity in April 2011 for World Autism Awareness Day?

Brooke decided to change this for 2012. In which she has been very successful. The Angels completed a Flashmob dance at Marion shopping centre in Adelaide. They gained a great amount of publicity from this event.

The Army of Autism Awareness Angels are lead by model, Brooke Clark. She has over 100 volunteer models. Many of the models are mothers, some also have a child with an ASD or another family member affected.

Others have learnt about ASD’s by volunteering their time as an Autism Angel model.

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la grandeThe group was founded in July 2011 and has gained a huge following in that time.

The Angels are based in Adelaide but Brooke and Director Karen Cumming are promoting the Angels in other states and recently internationally with an itunes song released for the Angels.

The song is available for purchase and is called Army of Autism Angels Anthem.

They are innovative in the work they do to raise awareness. They are in magazines, newspapers, on TV, YouTube and they attend events in the community.

Brooke wants parents to listen closely to the message of “when in doubt- check it out.”

The statistics for people with ASD’s are approxi-mately 1 in 110 so it may happen to your child.

More boys are affected than girls. Also, it is impor-tant for people to be aware that ASD is a spectrum so there is a great range of mild, moderate to severe symptom people can have.

Please be aware the Army of Autism Awareness Angels are not a charity. They recommend any dona-tions being made to the following charities:

RainbowlandCamp AutismScarlett FoundationAutism SAThey can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Also check out YouTube for great examples of aware-ness they are raising.

Any businesses can contact by e-mail: [email protected]

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autismawarenessangels@hotmailcom

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autismawarenessangels@hotmailcom

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Although Fuel quality appears to be get-ting better, horror stories still abound of damaged injectors or pumps and huge repair bills all relating to dirty fuel… or is it just misguided maintenance?

Sure a good old Landcruiser 60 series can run on bio fuel and irregular maintenance but anyone with a late model Diesel run-ning Electronic injection (and that means most Diesels from year 2000 on) need be much more aware of basic rules. Just to kick you into life, repair bills above $10,000 are not uncommon from repairs on common rail Diesels.

Rule number 1: Buy known Major brands of Diesel.

Reason: Because they are representing a ‘brand’ there are rules and guidelines that are followed in relation to fuel handling and cleanliness.

Rule number 2: “Nicht Bio Diesel”! as the Fuel cap on the $500,000 worth of 2010 model MAN Truck says.

Reason: I stick with the vehicle manufac-turers on this. No Bio Fuel in anything with electronic control.

Rule number 3: Keep at least a dozen of your fuel receipts handy in the vehicle.

Reason: If you get a bad load of fuel you have an available history. Meaning if you bought Brand “X” fuel regularly and got bad fuel you have a clear history of fuel from that company. Generally the one that has his documents in order wins the battle.

Diesel Fuel, Filters and Maintenance

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Diesel Fuel, Filters and MaintenanceWords by Andrew Leimroth

Rule number 4: Have your vehicles Fuel Filter changed regularly. I usually recom-mend every 10,000km.

Reason: “Prevention is better than the Cure”. The longer a fuel filter is exposed to contamination the more chance you have of a problem.

Dirt as such may not get through a blocked filter for sure but water, if it builds up too much in the filter bowl, can. Heavily restricted filters put strain on the injection system.

We regularly see newer common rail Diesels coming in with performance issues only to find a blocked filter. You see most manufacturers recommend NOT to change the fuel filter or to ‘inspect it’. By not chang-ing it the manufacturer’s logic behind that is this- If you change the fuel filter it increases the chance of contamination getting to the clean side of the fuel line....so leave it to the dealer when a warning light comes on and they will change it safely? Could be a good argument BUT I have seen many more problems from blocked filters than from incorrectly changed filters. Again I would rely on about 10,000km change intervals.

Rule number 5: Be careful ‘how much’ fuel conditioner you use.

Reason: Good quality Diesel has all the right additives already in it- Anti-foam agents for easy filling and Anti-algae agents to kill algae and disperse water. This doesn’t mean Good Diesel is always perfect and some of us choose to use additives. Just be careful because most Diesel fuel additives are corrosive and not good at lubricating so overdosing may lead to other issues.

Safe 4Wheeling! Andrew Leimroth

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Beach driving can, and should be a fantastic and unique experience. Some basic preparation will help you to enjoy your time on the sand.

Before you leave home:

Give your 4wd a thorough once over (some campers only engage 4wd for 1 week a year). Make sure that all your regular maintenance is up to date.

Get your recovery gear out and have a good look at it. An old, worn strap, or shackles that have been abused, are a disaster waiting to happen. Snatch straps are cheap, if in doubt (remember that

a snatch strap is only good for 10 recoveries before losing its efficiency, meaning you need to work the strap harder, leading to strap failure) replace it with a new one and get rid of the old one - seriously, cut

the ends off or throw it away.

If your kit does not include MAXTRAX, it should. MAXTRAX allows you to recover yourself, with no chance of broken recovery gear and not having to wait for help.

Check out your recovery points. Some vehicles do not have adequate recovery points, and many aftermarket fitters remove them (for some reason). Your rated recovery point will be stamped, and it will be secured directly to the chassis with rated, high tensile bolts. If there is any indication of

wear, or corrosion, the $30 and half hour of your time to replace them should be considered

NEVER put a strap or chain over your towball; they are not made for recovery loads, they can and have come adrift with devasting results. Use a billet hitch - these care for your straps, are easy

to use and are an altogether better option.

Beach Driving

Before you hit the beach

Adjust your tyre pressures - there is no right or wrong pressure, every car, load, trailer and tyre construction is different. However two things are known:

1. Lowering your tyre pressure WILL increase the length (not the width) of your footprint or 'contact patch', and this WILL make it easier for you to traverse sand.

2. Lowering your tyre pressure WILL adversely affect your 4wd's handling - sharp cornering and braking can see your tyre's bead 'break' and your tyre and rim

part company.

Your 4WD WILL travel better, without wheelspin, with the appropriate tyre pres-sure. Your tyre manufacturer might be able to offer you some specific guidelines. Of

course, you need a compressor if you are going to play with tyre pressure.

On the Beach.Know the tides. Only travel within 2 hours of low tide, and try to travel near

the water’s edge. Leave the top of the beach for parked cars, families and rest-ing shorebirds.

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If you are towing:

Contrary to popular belief, speed is not your friend in soft sand. Correct gear choice is more important than speed. Be in an appropriate rev-range to maximise your torque, this will allow you to

drive 'through' soft patches without travelling so fast as to make your vehicle unstable.

When you get to a beach cutting.

Get out of the car and have a look. Watch a few others go through and see where it is soft. As dra-matic as the famous three car hookups and big runups look and sound, they are not neccesarily any

more successful than a well-prepared and planned crossing with one, appropriate car.Don't launch your vehicle at the crossing. If there is a lip of sand (like there usually is) launching

at this will only see you get airborne; this will induce wheelspin and see you bogging yourself when you come back to ground. Again, approach with torque available, not speed.

For more – www.p7offroad.com.au/coastcare

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Mud Dust & Music 2012Loveday 4x4 Adventure Park

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Mud Dust & Music 2012Loveday 4x4 Adventure Park

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Entries were down for the 2012 Mud Dust and Music event at the Loveday 4x4 Adventure Park.

Owner and organiser Tony Whateley said “Sure entries were down but the 18 trucks sure put on a fantastic show.”

The lads and girls sure put on a show, with what seemed to be a challenge amongst drivers to get the biggest air down the main straight. Truck after truck reached new limits thrilling the crowd but unfortunately the numbers of broken vehicles quickly grew.

Young Toby Whateley created havoc when he put the big Loveday Landcriuser end over end. Toby said “ I knew straight away when I hit the tabletop I was in trouble, I lost steering and all we could do was hang on” “Dad said the he noticed the wheel was wob-bley just before I hit the jump but there wasn’t time to warn me”

Not satisfied with bending the old mans truck Toby then jumped into his orange ute, put the peddle to the metal and crashed on landing over the step-up.

Time to start saving your pocket money young fella.

Entries were down for the 2012 Mud Dust and Music event at the Loveday 4x4 Adventure Park.

Owner and organiser Tony Whateley said “Sure entries were down but the 18 trucks sure put on a fantastic show.”

The lads and girls sure put on a show, with what seemed to be a challenge amongst drivers to get the biggest air down the main straight. Truck after truck reached new limits thrilling the crowd but unfortunately the numbers of broken vehicles quickly grew.

Young Toby Whateley created havoc when he put the big Loveday Landcriuser end over end. Toby said “ I knew straight away when I hit the tabletop I was in trouble, I lost steering and all we could do was hang on” “Dad said the he noticed the wheel was wob-bley just before I hit the jump but there wasn’t time to warn me”

Not satisfied with bending the old mans truck Toby then jumped into his orange ute, put the peddle to the metal and crashed on landing over the step-up.

Time to start saving your pocket money young fella.

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The boys from Just Wrecking Toyotas fly over the Step-Up in a gravity

defying jump.They eventually landed

heavily in a cloud of dust only to bust up the front suspension and retire for

the day.

A woman goes to her boyfriend’s parents’ house for Christmas dinner.

This is to be her first time meeting the family and she is very nervous.

They all sit down and begin eating a fine meal. The woman is beginning to feel a little discomfort,

thanks to her nervousness and the broccoli casserole. The gas

pains are almost making her eyes water. Left with no other choice, she decides to relieve herself a bit and lets out a dainty fart.

It wasn’t loud, but everyone at the table heard the poof.

Before she even had a chance to be embarrassed, her boyfriend’s father looked over at the dog that had been snoozing under the woman’s chair, and said in a rather stern voice, ‘Skippy!’.

The woman thought, ‘This is great!’ and a big smile came across her face.

A couple of minutes later, she was beginning to feel the pain again.

This time, she didn’t even hesitate. She let a much louder and longerrrrrrip. The father again looked at the dog and yelled, ‘Skippy!’

Once again the woman smiled and thought ‘Yes!’ A Few minutes later the woman had to let another rip. This time she didn’t even think about it.

She let a fart rip that rivaled a train whis-tle blowing.

Once again, the father looked at the dog with disgust and yelled, ‘Skippy, get away from her, before she shits on you!’

An elderly man lay dying in his bed.While suffering the agonies of impending death,he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favourite

scones wafting up the stairs.He gathered his remaining strength,and lifted himself from the bed.Leaning on the wall,he slowly made his way out of the bedroom,and with even greater effort,gripping the railing with both hands,he crawled downstairs.With laboured breath,he leaned against the door-frame,gazing into the kitchen.Were it not for death’s agony,he would have thought himself already in heaven,for there, spread out upon the kitchen tablewere literally hundreds of his favourite scones.Was it heaven?Or was it one final act of lovefrom his devoted wife of sixty years,seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?Mustering one great final effort,he threw himself towards the table,landing on his knees in rumpled posture.

His aged and withered handtrembled towards a scone at the edge of the table,when it was suddenly smacked by his wifewith a wooden spoon .....* * ‘Bugger off ’. she said, ‘they’re for the funeral.’

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We pulled into Baroota on Friday night to be welcomed by a huge bonfire, delicious steak sandwiches and friendly bar staff, all the ingredients for a great weekend.

Baroota was the second of the three round South Australian Off Road Championship. Numbers were down a bit with twenty customers fronting for scrutineering. The course had been shortened to enable double the amount of laps, wisely giving the spectators perched on the mound double the action.

It was obvious after the first corner that this was going to be a dirty weekend. Passing was impossible in the dust as many a driver discovered as they tried in vain to gain a position.

Just after the red sandhill section the track twists and turns allowing cars to shorten the gap in front and think about a passing manoeuvre. Carl Haby attempted to pass the Forsyth brothers a couple of times here only to have both vehicles disap-pear for a few anxious moments.

. Haby said in a post-race interview “once we got on Forsyth’s

tail, we couldn’t do anything about it. The dust was just too thick. I had Aaron coaching me from his buggy telling me settle down and take it easy and to get it home”.

Outright winners were the #10 of Aaron James and Rob Plant, with the #56 of Carl Haby and Brenton Gallash taking second place. Although Carl finished third on the road at the end of the day behind the #47 of Brenton and Terry Forsyth (third place) he had just enough reserve from Saturday up his sleeve to take out second place by a mere 16 seconds.

With only 33 seconds separating the top 3 after 12 laps and 420kms of racing the crowd was rewarded with some great rac-ing even if the numbers were down.

The organisers again put on a great show. Spectators, campers and competitors alike were impressed with the regularly cleaned toilet blocks and showers. They would have to be amongst the best amenities in Australia.

Food was great and available all day and most of the night. Bar prices were cheap enough to keep a large mob around the roaring bonfire late into the night. Right alongside the coffee girls did a brisk trade throughout the weekend.

Camping for the whole weekend was a total of $10.00, attracting families in campers and tents who wisely had enough foresight to drag the kids away from the TV and experience some real live action.

Looking forward to next year….

1st Place Aaron James & Rob Plant 4:48:28

2nd Place Carl Haby & Brenton Gallash 4:48:44

3rd Place Brenton & Terry Forsyth 4:49:01

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOT T: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to REALLY under-stand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you rec-ommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with win-dows! OK, let’s just say I’m sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my com-puter? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on 'START'.............

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Over 50,000 square metres of exhibits and interactive features are sure to satisfy even the most selective outdoors enthusiast.

Over 150 exhibitors have confirmed their bookings, and the event is over 90% sold out months prior to its opening.

Event Manager Paul Morgan said more and more families were choosing to explore the beaten tracks and their own backyards, making camping, off-roading, fishing and boating more popular.

“We’ve been exceptionally pleased with response of our exhibitors who all recognise this event as a great way to reach today’s outdoors enthusiast,” said Morgan.

“These are hobbies anyone can enjoy at any time, and we’re working with the big-gest brands and companies in Australia to deliver a show that represents value and variety.

“Our aim is to keep the show both family-friendly and affordable, and we’re pleased to have also secured an extra 8,000 car park spaces for the convenience of our visitors.”

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Tickets to the event are just $17 for adults, with kids under 15 years of age admitted for free.

Paul Worstelling, Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt, Roothy with Red and Simon Christie are just some of the familiar faces that will lead presentations and workshops on the Waeco Outback Stage, Great Australian Doortstep Stage and Fishing Stage.

The 4000-seat Action Arena, con-structed from 400 tonnes of dirt, 2 dump trucks of boulders, car bodies and loader tyres will play host to a range of competitions and shows, includ-ing the TJM Austruck Extreme 4x4 Competition, DPChip Extreme Show, Devil’s Taxi Monster Truck, Stuart American Light Tank Mega Trax, Polaris Razor 800 demo, Trophy Karts, ATV and side-by-side demos, 4WD test rides and Monster Truck rides.

Other show features will include the Wot Hobbies RC Course, Young Guns Fishing Clinic, Boat and Jetski licence testing, Yamaha Fishing Supertank and the Fishing Simulator.

Amongst other prizes, all visitors will have the chance to win $5,000 worth of ARB gear.

Facebook fans can win a $250 ARB 4x4 Accessories pack by uploading a photo of their 4x4 in the Online Show and Shine (http://on.fb.me/4x4ShowandShine)

Entrants can recruit fellow Facebook friends to vote for their photo for a greater chance of winning.

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“Paul Worstelling, Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt, Roothy with Red and Simon Christie are

just some of the familiar faces that will lead presentations and workshops on the Waeco Outback Stage, Great Australian Doortstep

Stage and Fishing Stage”.

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“Paul Worstelling, Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt, Roothy with Red and Simon Christie are

just some of the familiar faces that will lead presentations and workshops on the Waeco Outback Stage, Great Australian Doortstep

Stage and Fishing Stage”.

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packed show”

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The 4000-seat Action Arena, constructed from 400 tonnes of dirt, 2 dump trucks of boulders, car bodies and loader tyres will play host to a range of competi-

tions and shows, including the TJM Austruck Extreme 4x4 Competition, DPChip Extreme Show, Devil’s Taxi

Monster Truck, Stuart American Light Tank Mega Trax, Polaris Razor 800 demo, Trophy Karts, ATV and side-by-

side demos, 4WD test rides and Monster Truck rides.Photos from the Brisbane Show.

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The 4000-seat Action Arena, constructed from 400 tonnes of dirt, 2 dump trucks of boulders, car bodies and loader tyres will play host to a range of competi-

tions and shows, including the TJM Austruck Extreme 4x4 Competition, DPChip Extreme Show, Devil’s Taxi

Monster Truck, Stuart American Light Tank Mega Trax, Polaris Razor 800 demo, Trophy Karts, ATV and side-by-

side demos, 4WD test rides and Monster Truck rides.Photos from the Brisbane Show.

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Action Packed ShowsThrills for the whole Family

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Action Packed ShowsThrills for the whole Family

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Bargains Bargains Bargains

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Bargains Bargains Bargains

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Celebrities everywhere

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Celebrities everywhere

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Photos by Jasmine Brown

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Trophy Karts Australia to be Launched in South Australia

Trophy Karts Australia to be Launched in South Australia

Trophy Karts originated in California six years ago with the

introduction of the JR1 which was a small off road race car designed for

the 8 to 12 year old age group. It is a single seat car with 14inches of sus-pension travel, a ten hp engine with a centrifugal clutch and a single rear disc brake. It has a full roll cage and five point harness seat belt system.

It did not take long before the big-ger kids also wanted to get in on the action which saw the introduction of the elite and the mod kart. Naturally this meant a much larger engine, 5

speed gearbox and of course, a brake upgrade. At the present it is one of the fastest growing motor sport categories

in North America, probably due to its affordability and excellent safety

record.

Nestor Bernadi, the founder of Trophy Kart has watched the fast progression of the karts and with his vast experience, vastly redesigned the vehicle to come up with the brand new RS model.

The RS model is being released in two configurations, the RS450 and the RS200 throughout North America, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Kuwait the RS450. The RS450 configuration comes with:

• a high performance 450cc liquid cooled four stroke engine,

• 5 speed sequential transmission with reverse gear• four wheeled Wilwood disc brakes• Walker Evans coil over gas shocks on all four

corners ( 15 inches of suspension travel front, 16inches travel on rear)

• full floating extra heavy duty rear end• adjustable rack and pinion steering• adjustable high back racing seat• seven piece fibreglass truck like body kit• chrome moly chassis longer and wider than the

original chassis with improved stability and handling and side access door ( engineered here in Australia to cams specifications )

• fuel cell• 5 point racing harness.

The RS200 has most of the RS450 features but comes with an air cooled 200cc four stroke engine equipped with a 5 speed transmission.

Both these models have only been released world-wide earlier on this year and the first shipment to Australia arrived in May. The first shipment has already sold out and we are awaiting the arrival of the next due sometime in August with keen racers already putting down a deposit on that shipment.

Trophy Karts main objective is to run a series in every state in Australia, leading up to a National series and possibly an International event, given that all the cars will have to comply with the International Trophy Kart regulations.

Trophy Kart Australia is proud to announce that they

have a newly formed club; Trophy Kart Australia S.A. Inc. Membership forms will be available to download on the Trophy Kart website early in July. Updated info is posted on the Trophy Kart Australia Facebook page.

So far we have several tracks in South Australia already constructed and our first race is scheduled for the 22nd of September at Loveday 4x4 Adventure Park, just outside Barmera in South Australia.

Negotiations are also underway with a monster truck promoter in regards to adding Trophy Karts to their event calendar, which would see a summer race series run under lights in all major capital cities.

Rick Bramley has just returned from a demo at the MBL MALLEE SEA LAKE OFF ROAD RACE.

The demonstration race went extremely well with huge interest from the big crowd. Trophy Kart Australia took a total of 8 cars to the race, consisting of five RS450s and three RS200s. The five laps of the Top Ten Shoot Out Track wowed the crowd with the main com-ment from the audience being that they did not realise how fast they go !

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Kilcowera Station on the Dowling Track, South West Queensland

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Kilcowera Station on the Dowling Track, South West Queensland

Imagine sitting by your campfire as a vivid, red sun sets over the timeless Outback landscape and the purple dusk creeps across the cloudless sky. The only sounds you’ll hear will be the parrots and budgerigars chattering in the nearby Coolabah trees.

This is Kilcowera Station - a stunning contrast of mulga rangelands and ephemeral wetlands brimming with birdlife in South West Queensland.

Halfway along the Dowling Track between Thargomindah and Hungerford, Kilcowera is adjacent to the RAMSAR listed Currawinya National Park and offers exceptional views and access to Lake Wyara.

Greg and Toni Sherwin have lived, owned and cared for Kilcowera for 32 years. In recent years they have opened the gates to visitors and enjoy showing them around their working cattle station.

Visitors can be taken on a guided tour with Greg or Toni in a station vehicle or they may choose to explore the 120,000 acres on a self guided tour. Guests are given a comprehensive information pack on arrival which shows the self drive tracks on a large map of Kilcowera, it also contains a bird list, historical information and prices for the various guided tours.

The main 60 kilometer track meanders through the different land forms and takes in Murderers Bore, Rustlers Roost, Cardenyabba Lagoon and Lake Wyara.

While this is truly a bird-watchers’ para-dise, with over 170 species found on the property, other animals to be seen include red kangaroos and eastern greys, the west-ern grey kangaroo, wallaroos, emus, lizards, snakes, echidnas, yabbies, small carnivo-rous marsupials and an astonishing number of frogs.

Accommodation is provided in clean, comfortable and modern shearer’s quarters which can sleep 17 people, linen is supplied and beds are made up for visitors.

The hosts can supply all meals or visitors can bring their own supplies and cater for themselves in the fully equipped kitchen, (microwaves, stove with oven, electric fry pans, fridges, fans, TV etc). If requiring meals, guests need to book this option in advance.

Campers and caravanners are in for a treat as the main campground is set amongst the lush green lawns and trees surrounding the quarters. There is an old fashioned bush camp kitchen, picnic tables, BBQ’s, fire-places and wood is supplied. Bathrooms, toilets and laundry facilities are nearby, power is available and you can even bring your pet!

For those wanting an even more bush experience there are 2 designated bush camping sites both with water available and long drop toilets. Cardenyabba Lagoon has a series of secluded bush camping sites with direct water frontage and offers superb pho-tographic opportunities, bird watching and walks. Each camping spot at the Lagoon has a fireplace with wood supplied.

The second campground is very isolated and nearer to Lake Wyara. Whichever option is chosen the stars are breathtaking on a clear night and visitors are sure to enjoy their secluded campsite.

Kilcowera Station is ideally situ-ated for day trips to the nearby village of Hungerford, Currawinya National Park and Thargomindah, the headquarters of the Bulloo Shire. Other nearby attractions include Bindegolly NP, opal mines at Yowah


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“So you’ve come here to Port Rickaby, and you’ve marvelled at the viewAt the sandy beach, the swimming, p’raps you’ve caught a squid or twoYou’ve sauntered along the walking trail and wandered at the reefSeen the best of nature’s sunsets, in awe and disbelief......”

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www.harvestthesun.com.au Denis O’Dea: 0404839137OOM140 la grande

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Flight 4 LifeWords and Photographs by Mark Jennings-Bates

www.theFlight4Life.com

Eventually the rains of Queensland and New South Wales faded in our memories and we were in a little corner of the world that become very confusing for visi-tors to Australia...

We needed to make a fast run to the Nullarbor and catch what appeared to be a good opportunity to get blown across Western Australia where the winds were very favourable for our journey.

We had spent a few nights in the friendly community of Edenhope where a series of cold fronts raced through and created some amazing storms that we could only enjoy from our camper or tents since they were a para-motor pilots worst enemy.

As we head north towards Burra, everything was going well until our last starter motor gave up the ghost. We had no more spares and starter motors appeared to be critical for forward progress. I emailed the factory and advised that the expedition may be over, without a world record. Instantly I received an email saying don’t move, we’ll get a new motor to you in four days. They were an amazing bunch over at Parajet and showed an incredible determination to help us succeed.

Just after receiving the very encouraging email I had a thought... what about hand propping. I had seen it in movies? I emailed the factory and received an affirmative response. We were on our way again... now the confusion.

We entered a little corner of Australia where they hate flies... fruit flies to be specific.

We passed a sign that said “dump your fruit and veggies” and we complied thinking we could replace it the next day. We replaced it and within 100km passed another similar sign. This time we ignored it... then within another 100km we passed another sign! Was it a cruel joke for foreigners or just a corner of the country with a lot of state boundaries? Either way it was tough to comply with and a good economic development program for the local communities...

From Edenhope we made slow progress north towards Port Augusta. In fact we became trapped in a valley near Burra with very strong winds and identified by large white propellors on the hillside. Why did we land in the middle of a wind farm? The truth was it was dusk and we had no choice, but for 4 days the winds blew so hard that we could fly no further than 20km each day at dusk making it really slow progress. The good news was that the hand propping was working and we were still able to at least move forward.

Eventually we dropped over the Flinders Range into Port Augusta and positioned our selves at the gateway to the Nullarbor.

Flight 4 LifeWords and Photographs by Mark Jennings-Bates

www.theFlight4Life.com

Other than the expensive supplies and bad coffee and food in the road houses, the Nullarbor was almost unevent-ful... all except for the fruit border! It was however beautiful. Arriving at the South Coast was so encouraging, to smell the ozone and ocean and see the cliffs gave us a real feeling of progress.

Here we were again, $100 of fresh fruit and veggie picked up in Ceduna all gone. Both the camper and the truck were physically inspected and everything thrown out. Four guys flying at sometimes 20-50km per day and with no prospect of buying fruit until Norseman made us more than a little anxious. On reflection, we would have been better to find someone coming in the opposite direction and sent one of our guys over the border and just do a trade for their fruit and veg! For five days we had nothing but rice and meat and there were no supplies at the road houses. Curious thing was that WA was confiscating fruit heading west and at the same time that South Australia was grabbing fruit heading east? Was it legit or just a fruit war?

The winds were fickle in the Nullarbor, but we made it through.

As we arrived in WA, the weather did it’s usual 180 degree shuffle. For the whole of March the winds through the centre of the state blew east to west, meaning we could make a bee line for Perth. We also had looked at the option of heading to Esperance where the winds were blowing to the north and west. Perfect. Until we arrived.

As soon as we arrived, the weather forecasts showed the winds switching from easterlies to westerlies, meaning that we could never make it to Perth. We would be lucky to make it any further. To make matters worse, northerlies were blowing in and with them a series of cold fronts... strong winds!

True to form, we had to fight with every last drop of energy we had to get any further. Every day we would be able to get an hour or so of flying until the winds started to blow at 40 to 50kph... far to hard for normal paramotoring but we were so close, we had no choice!

Finally, outside Grace Lake, we could go no further. The winds were against us, we were struggling with mechanical issues and Glenn, our pilot was seriously short of energy after such a long battle.

The good news was that we had clocked 8,250kms, 242 kms further than the existing world record.

Now the anxious time of sorting out our paper work for Guinness is ahead of us and their 6 week review period to confirm if we have a new world record! With luck, we will have done it and with good fortune, the charities will continue to benefit from the exposure for years to come.

Kind regards

Mark Jennings-Bateswww.theFlight4Life.com

Photos by Sue Callow

www.eldeestation.com2011 Bronze Award Winners for Hosted Accommodation NSW Tourism Awards

2011 Winners for Hosted Accommodation Inland Tourism Awards2010 Finalist for Hosted Accommodation Inland NSW Tourism Awards

2010 Winner for Station Stays Broken Hill Tourism Awards2007 Finalist for Hosted Accommodation Inland NSW Tourism Awards2005 Winner of Hosted Accommodation Inland NSW Tourism Awards

Eldee Station is the quintessential outback experience and is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the wide open spaces and where your whole family can enjoy the freedom of being

outdoors.

We offer a great family atmosphere where everyone can relax, rest and revive. You will really feel like you have had a holiday. You can choose to participate in the activities that are offered while you stay with us or you can withdraw the comfort of your room furnished with all of the

modern conveniences you would expect of a city motel. Naomi SchmidtEldee Station

2886 Wilangee RoadSILVERTON NSW 2880

Ph 0880912578

Outback Farm Stay - 4WD Tag Along Tours – Caravan Park

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