Team Toyo is returning to off-road racing with a line-up that’s faster, stronger and more thrilling than ever, with drivers’ sights set on lofty goals in the 2014 season. Here’s a run-down of the drivers and what you can expect from them this year.
Peter Kittle Motorsport
For the first time in 15 years one of Australia's most successful off-road racing squads, Peter Kittle Motor Sport, has switched to Toyo Open Country tyres in search of the edge required to win the 'Bathurst 1000 of off-road racing', the Finke Desert Race.
Two PKMS Jimco buggies - driven by siblings Andrew and Matthew Kittle - will race for the first time on the Toyos at the opening round of the ARB championship near Broken Hill next weekend.
"Switching to Toyos is a big change for us after so long on another brand but we are confident the move will pay off," said team manager Rob Richardson.
"Other competitors who have recently switched to the Toyos have been very positive about them.
"These buggies are so powerful that you can spin the wheels in top gear at more than 200 kilometres an hour; when there are trees lining either side of a rutted dirt track, you really want to have absolute faith in your tyres.
"We've just finished testing in the Northern Territory, where our 35-inch Toyos have been really impressive, both independently and in terms of suiting the setup of our buggies."
The team is also looking forward to bolting Toyo tyres onto its rebuilt Jimco trophy truck, which has undergone an engine transplant in preparation for its debut at Finke.
The Toyota-bodied truck now has a Toyota 6.0-litre NASCAR V8, which the team converted from carburettor to fuel injection, mated to a five-speed sequential gearbox.
"There was nothing wrong with the 3.5-litre twin-turbo Toyota V6 we had in the truck but the V8 will make it lighter and we think the lack of turbo lag will make it more driveable," said Richardson.
"The V8 certainly has a heap of low-down torque, which will give the Toyos something extra to cope with.
"We're very excited to reveal the driver of the V8 trophy truck in the coming weeks, but for now it's a trade secret."
Billy Geddes
Off-road stalwart Billy Geddes is planning to make history in the Simpson Desert this year, as the first to run the infamous Finke desert track twice – first in his Geiser Brothers trophy truck and then on a KTM enduro bike.
“After our rollover at Goondiwindi in 2012, I took the time to consider what I wanted to achieve in the sport,” he said.
“That’s when the idea of the Finke dual run came about; doing something that no one had ever accomplished.
“I’ve been doing an insane amount of training over the off-season period to get my fitness and strength up to the levels I’ll need to do 960 kilometres of desert track in two days.
“I now know the absolute limits of what I can do and what I need to be physically capable of the dual run, because it’s going to be one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.”
After last year's comfortable win in AORC class four – and fourth outright in the championship – Geddes has used the off-season to hone his truck.
"We're running a much better all-round setup this year, including moving up to 39-inch Toyo tyres for Finke and possibly a few other races," he said.
“We’ve got new King Shocks this year – they’re bigger and beefier, with the same travel – but everything’s a trade-off; you get nothing for nothing.
“The bigger trucks, once they get going have real stability; my truck is more nimble and reacts more quickly, but it’ll bite if you get something wrong.
“Moving up to 39-inch Toyo tyres for Finke will help to gear the car up for higher top-end speed, plus they’ll be less disturbed on the holes and divots than the 37-inch tyres we ran last year.
"We may even run just one set of tyres down to Finke and back this year, because the Toyos can manage it without a drama."
Brad Gallard
Goondiwindi champion Brad Gallard will also run 39-inch Toyo tyres this season, with the seasoned veteran going for his third straight win at the ‘Gundy’ track.
“You can’t call a 37” tyre a go-kart tyre, but the 39-inch tyres really take it up to another level – you have to push even harder to get the car to slide, which I’m definitely not complaining about,” he said.
“We’ve done a lot of work on the fuelling system, transmission and power steering; our car has always handled beautifully, and it now has the strength, reliability and power to back it up.”
Gallard said that racing trophy trucks requires as much aggression inside the cabin as the car exudes – otherwise, the taut, skittish nature of the off-road weapons will bite back.
“You’ve got to be aggressive with the trophy trucks; you drive and steer them with the rear wheels,” he said.
“I go in with a lot of aggression; when I race, nothing else matters than going as fast as I can – it’s like getting tunnel vision, tunnel hearing and tunnel sensation... just brilliant.
“You never, ever lift off both pedals... if you lift off or treat it gingerly when you’re at race speed, you’ll roll the car before you can blink.”
Like Billy Geddes, Gallard has spent the off-season getting his truck exactly where he wants it.
“We had a nightmare of a year last year; we had blocked injectors thanks to a fuel filter, we had transmission issues and power steering pump issues – we solved each problem with new, stronger and tougher components,” he said.
“We’ve spent a lot of time on the engine as well; I’m very happy with how the whole package has come together.”
Danny Brown
Winner of the 2013 ARB Series Danny Brown has switched from trucks to buggies this year, citing the sheer speed of the rear-engined racers as his biggest motivation.
"On most Australian tracks the buggies are faster - faster through the bends and down the straights," he said.
"The new buggy uses the same 35-inch Toyo tyres and twin-turbo Nissan engine as we ran in the trophy truck - so we're very familiar with both - and I have to say I'm looking forward to getting into an 850-horsepower machine and seeing what it can do.
“The buggy is a completely different driving style – it’s definitely more nimble through the corners and faster on the straights, whereas the trucks are a lot more comfortable if the track’s really rough.”
Brown’s goal for this year is for outright victories, especially at truck-dominated events such as Goondiwindi.
“If you can beat the trucks at Goondiwindi, you’re doing really well,” he said.
“Our buggy has a rear-mounted transaxle gearbox with five-speed sequential gearbox; it’s capable of hitting 240 km/h and stopping on a dime, thanks to 14” rotors and six-pot calipers all around.
"We plan on defending our 2013 Series championship by going to all the rounds searching for outright wins, and I think we have the right team, sponsors and car to achieve that.”
