Against the toughest of conditions National Tyres general manager Rob Williams smashed the field to claim victory in the side by side class at the Australasian Safari.
The side by side (or SxS) class is specifically aimed at keeping the costs of off-road racing to a minimum and the adventure and fun to a maximum. It has exploded in popularity as the vehicles have become faster and more rugged.
In Western Australia’s final Australasian Safari, a field mostly made up of Polaris UTVs in varying capacities and spec took to the outback to vie for desert supremacy.
Steering the Team Titan #202 Polaris RZR XP 1000 with navigator Michael Hawkins, Rob Williams kept competitors well at bay from Geraldton to Kalbarri over 3500 bumpy kilometres.
The RZR’s punchy 999cc motor features dual overhead cams and four valves a cylinder breathing through dual throttle bodies, amounting to a ripping 107 horsepower.
The only performance modification to the Polaris is a change of tyres. Williams places great stock on the Toyo Open Country A/TII’s, believing that in its current Toyo-shod guise the car is ready for Dakar.
With the OPA/TII’s, a rigid chassis and 18 inches of suspension travel, the stock RZR XP 1000 set a pace to embarrass the top end of the Safari field.
“They really dominate where it’s twisty and windy. On one stage I started off 10th and overtook four or five cars,” Williams said.
“We had a few bad stages at the beginning with a broken axle and a bent trailing arm,” he said.
Williams and Hawkins went head to head with the brutal outback conditions, logging 33 hours, 21 minutes and 59 seconds of racing.
“This year was definitely one of the toughest courses. We would finish a 450km competitive stage than have a 160km road stage at the end of it.”
The pair tore through the last stage into Kalbarri, claiming a class victory and pulling a more than three-hour lead on the next competitor.
“Once we got over the little problems, we got ahead and stayed there. We remained consistent and kept it upright and away we went.”
Using the Safari as a preparation and proving ground for the Dakar, the performance of the XP 1000 has inspired Williams to expand his racing calendar from the humble Condo 750 to include the Moroccan Rallye De Maroc and The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Williams speaks very highly of his choice of Toyo rubber.
“The flat tread and square shoulder go through the stony sections perfectly. They sit nice and flat around the corners. We have run lots of different sizes and styles and the A/TII would have to be the best tyre we have ever run on,” he said.
“I’m a tyre guy; I really take note of them. The Toyos performed perfectly in the sand stages. They had better traction and a good sidewall that gives you a solid footprint in the sand. At speed in the gravel they slide nicely and they are very predictable, with no understeer or oversteer.
“For Dakar and whatever other races we enter over the coming years, I am absolutely sticking with Toyo,” Williams said.
Another special SxS story from this year’s Safari, starring Williams Team Titan comrade Jim Cairns, will follow shortly.
