Three tracks had been designed with the start through the same section on all three tracks, followed by an extension to the first section for the second track and finally another extension to the second section for the third track; Needless to say the water section degenerated into a muddy morass by the time the vehicles had winched themselves through the bonnet deep mud for the third time.
The little Suzuki had the crowd on edge as it defied gravity in the water section, most expected it to tip on its drivers side and the officials were ready to dive in to rescue the driver but amazingly it failed to flop and they winched to safety.
A couple of his supporters had secretly attached a strap to the side of the vehicle and were ready to support it just in case; The officials had noticed but turned a blind eye and didn’t say anything although they were keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn’t help the vehicle get through, smart decision as it could have been a major drama if it tipped over and dunked the driver under a metre of muddy water.
A couple of the vehicles succumbed to the muddy mire and missed out on their three runs which I’m sure the cold and wet Navi’s didn’t mind.
Power played an important part on the third stage with Wil Neilsons supercharged V8 powered Nissan not even needing a run up to launch itself up the steep bank at the top of the course in a plume of flying dirt.
Wil Neilsen took out a well deserved first place followed by Chrisian Trusz and Rodney Boyle
.Saturday morning saw the running of the All 4X4 Parts Gymkhana on a newly extended track allowing the competitors to really stretch their legs on the run right up to the far end of the gully and back along the edge of the camping area.
The usual track zig zagging its way up the slope in front of the crowd was still in place and produced plenty of thrills and dust as the competitors fought to keep their vehicles on four wheels as the ruts started to deepen in the soft dirt.
As the vehicles neared the end of the track they dropped down into the gully in front of the crowd and hit a patch of mud at the bottom which threw them off line and slowing their ascent to the finish line so the usual big jumps were missing this time.
Kevin McCord gave the officials a scare as he almost lost it and drove up the bank off the course and almost through the timing tent in his usual flamboyant style.
Christian Trusz took out the Diesel class, Clayton Chapman took out the Petrol class, Amy Perrett took out the Ladies class with Rob Chapman taking out the Modified Petrol class and the Outright Fastest Trophies.
.The heats of the Superior Alignments All Terrain Challenge got underway with a couple of regular competitors making some large changes to their vehicles for the new season.
Ken Bain had retired the old MQ body last season in favour of a “cut down GQ wagon into a ute” body and this year had pretty much got rid of the chassis and driveline in favour of a GQ chassis and driveline to slide underneath it, he found the change to coils spring to be a lot different to his old leaf suspension and complained about the lack of articulation but by the end of the weekend seemed to be liking the way it worked and his results spoke for themselves.
Jack Chapple had end for ended his V8 powered MQ late last year and destroyed the body so this year he had dumped a GQ ute body on top of the old MQ so he still had the shorter wheelbase to assist in the tight turns.
Brad Bernard had decided that the old Scout had seen its last days and was now running a full bodied GQ wagon.
Justin Kerr was now piloting the ex Stewart Parkes orange buggy in Outlaw class and was busy finding its limits.
One of the tracks allowed a bit of high speed which was enjoyed by the competitors although Jack had a tangle with the fence which was probably a good thing as it’s a long way to the bottom of the gully.
.The ARB 4X4 Accessories Super Rally X heats had plenty of air happening over the big jump right in front of the enthralled spectators as the competitors jockeyed for position in the finals.
Luckily there were plenty of positions on offer so they could save the best efforts for the next day although the red mist clouded the judgement of more than a few competitors keeping the afternoons excitement going to the end of the day.
The constant traffic through the corners was starting to dig some deep ruts which was destined to play a big part in the action during the finals the next day.
. As darkness descended over the park the Marque Lubricants Show and Shine got under way with the lights reflecting off the chrome.
With everything from competition vehicles and touring vehicles through to show vehicles there was something for everyone to admire.
After spending a fair bit of time going over the vehicles The Judges Choice Trophy went to Greg Batchelor.
. Sunday morning started with a roar of high revving engines and flying gravel as the Cooper Tires Hill Drags got under way.
Competitors raced side by side up the gravel with spectators lined up against the fence for the full length of the track.
Shawn Swaffield took out the diesel class, Roger Vickery took out the petrol class, Leila Chapmen took out the ladies class and Bill Geddes took home the petrol modified and outright trophies.
. The ARB Maroochydore Barrel Race had competitors trying everything from 2WD and 4WD to minimal wheel spin and just plain “flat out and turn” to try and get the fastest times with some spectacular near rolls and scaring of trees.
Kevin McCord had a very near miss when he put it up on two wheels rounding the second barrel but not to be outdone he did it again rounding the third barrel.
ARB’s Roger Vickery was the only one to actually hit one of the ARB barrels but it was Daniel Curran who grabbed the outright trophy for the fastest time.
. The Finals for the Superior Alignments All Terrain Challenge got underway with Justin laying the Buggy on its side, The boys tried hard but couldn’t lift the buggy back on its wheels and had to DNF that track.
One of the tracks had the competitors rubbing their roof panels against a tree so Brad tried to avoid damage to the body of his new wagon by driving up the bank and reversing through the rocks in the gully but ended up jammed in solidly between a rock and … well … more rocks, all the while copping a huge good natured ribbing from his fellow competitors who eagerly towed him out when he DNF’d the track.
Shane Ryall and Daniel Jewel were not about to let a dented roof slow them down and showed some pretty severe damage on their wagons at the end of the day as they slammed into the trees.
One of the highlights of the track was when Jack got stuck on the rocks for quite a while, after he finally managed to reverse off he reversed back for a run up... and back … and back and then used the V8’s power combined with centrifugal force to drive up the side of the bank and around the rocks altogether to a huge cheer from the crowd.
Josh Chapple came out on top for the modified class, Brad Bernard grabbed first in the Super Modified class and Justin Kerr won the first place trophy in the Outlaw Class.
. The Finals of the ARB 4X4 Accessories Super Rally X saw the competitors unleash the full potential of their vehicles with the added problem of the ever deepening ruts making for some exciting driving as competitors often had wheels lifting on the corners.
The Jump once again kept the spectators enthralled especially when two competitors entered the jump straight side by side and didn’t back off as they raced each other to the finish line just over the other side of the jump, some huge air and dodgy landings drew a fantastic response from the crowd gathered on the hill.
Kevin McCord wowed the spectators when he went a bit too hard into the ruts on the esses and rolled his Nissan ute on to the other track; Marshalls quickly had the situation safe and the vehicle back on all four wheel but Kevy soon had the poor old ute fired up and on his next lap had the vehicle on two wheels all the way around the very same corner!
That boy has just never learned how to back off !!
As the Rally X finished we saw Shawn Swaffield grabbing the trophy for Diesel Class, Clayton Chapman winning the Petrol Class, Amy Perrett receiving the trophy for the ladies and Myles Newbon taking out Petrol Modified Class and The outright Victory.
As darkness descended over the park at the end of another excitement filled weekend of four wheel fun the trophies were handed out for the weekends efforts with Leila Chapman taking the well deserved trophy for the Champion Lady Driver and Myles Newbon beating all comers for the Champion Driver trophy.
. Shane Gerrish
