Brad Gallard has tamed what is arguably Australia’s toughest off-road track this weekend, taking victory at the Goondiwindi 400 in his Toyo Trophy Truck.
The victory sealed back to back wins at Goondiwindi for the South Australian, with Gallard finishing the 400km race in just four hours, 15 minutes ahead of Glenn Owen’s Jimco Pro Buggy. Dan Bonnor was third outright in his GET ProBuggy, more than three minutes behind Owen.
Gallard kicked his weekend off with force, posting the quickest time in the prologue, despite including an excursion through a fence at the end of the infamous Malapunyah Run. The Malapunyah run best resembles an off-road rollercoaster with massive whoops and ‘melon holes’, better known as gaping big divots in the track. However, the Top Ten Shootout saw Glenn Owen hit back and take pole position, with Gallard locking in second on the grid for the start of the main race.
By the end of Saturday afternoon’s first lap of the 80km course, Brad’s Toyo Tires truck had stamped its authority on the event, monstering the melon holes and opening up a 28-second lead over Owen. On the first of Sunday’s four laps, Gallard took advantage of the dust-free run at the front of the field, opening the taps on his 6.0-litre V8, extending his lead by four minutes.
It was an elated Gallard who emerged from the cab at the finish line.
“We absolutely loved the track; if there was another race here next weekend, we would be back,” he said.
“We just got quicker and quicker, the faster we went the better the truck handled it. We ran all four laps today on those rear tyres and the Toyo’s held up perfectly and gripped right to the end and we couldn’t ask for anything more. There is no doubt I did my best to hurt them, hitting some stumps and yesterday we went through some fence posts, droppers and trees and the tyres didn’t end up with a mark on them.”
“We lost first gear on the first day, but we didn’t need to use it all today as we only used it on the start line. We got away in second and didn’t look back. The engine ran strong and didn’t miss a beat. The reliability is back along with the pace.”
“We’re now looking forward to getting down to Coffs for the AORC round and being part of the WRC event. It will be a great week and weekend.”
