Three of Australia’s fastest off-road racers will be hoping that more experience, faster trucks and the latest Toyo off-road race tyres will give them the edge when they tackle the Finke Desert Race in central Australia next weekend.
Brad Gallard will drive a heavily revised version of the Geiser Brothers Trophy Truck on Toyo’s Open Country M/T-R which he took to outright victory in last year’s race.
It was only the second time in the Finke’s 24-year history that a Trophy Truck had won the race, which was previously dominated by lighter and more nimble buggies.
“The buggies can do the tight, technical hairpins and switchbacks of the qualifying circuit a lot faster than the Trophy Trucks, and that puts them higher on the starting grid,” said Gallard.
“But they can’t keep the pace up, especially over the knee-high undulations, so that’s where we start reeling them in.”
Gallard expects a combination of new, more aerodynamic body panels, mechanical upgrades and his seven years’ experience in the event will give him more speed this year.
“Last year we learned a lot of lessons at race pace, and as a result we have completely modified the truck’s suspension, gearbox, differentials, axles, steering and more. I can guarantee we’ll be faster this year.”
Off-road legend Bruce Garland is defending his 2012 Finke victory in the Extreme 4WD class, despite swearing he’d never tackle the gruelling event again.
“Last year my shocks went to pieces and I did the last 200km using my spine as suspension. I swore I’d never do it again.
“But this sort of racing is like childbirth – it’s all a distant memory now and the itch has come back.”
Garland has been busy rebuilding the engine of his Isuzu D-Max after contaminated fuel signalled an early end to his 2013 Dakar Rally campaign in January.
The rebuilt diesel engine puts out 600Nm at just 2000rpm and harnessing that grunt while withstanding the Finke’s tyre-shredding rocks is vital to success in the race.
“It’ll spin its wheels at 170km/h but the Toyo tyre I’m running this year was specifically designed to take on Dakar and if it rains we’ll have the best traction,” Garland said.
“It’s bloody tough too – you’d have to shoot the sidewall to get a puncture.”
Another Geiser Trophy Truck racer, Billy Geddes, is looking for a clean run at this year’s Finke race, and a haul of points towards the Australian Off Road Championship.
“It’s all about thinking clearly on a track like Finke – you really have to change your mindset for long-distance races,” he said.
“When you look at the field, it’s going to be very intense but I can’t wait to get out there.”
The Finke Desert race began in 1976 when a group of adventurous motorbike riders decided to race from Alice Springs to the small town of Finke and back again.
Nowadays, more than 600 competitors test their machines to breaking point along 460 kilometres of the fastest and most challenging off-road tracks in Australia.
