Open Country rubber will be put to the ultimate test as teams tackle some of the toughest terrain Australia has to offer.
For almost 2 decades, off-road racers and 4WD enthusiasts have flocked to Broken Hill for the Outback Challenge, an internationally-recognised event that sees teams battle through hundreds of kilometres of cross-country carnage on properties surrounding one of NSW’s most remote cities.
After wet weather postponed 2016’s event, the OBC team are eager to return bigger and better than ever in 2017, setting 21 gruelling stages for the main event and launching an all-new ‘Mad Max’ final stage that encourages additional entrants to take on the main pack across an 8-hour, 150km course that embodies their slogan; “Will You Survive?”
More than 30 teams must be entirely self-sufficient as they push heavily-modified 4x4s to their absolute limit over a week-long GPS-led dash through stages that cover mud, sand, water, steep climbs, savage scrub and sharp rocks, making vehicle reliability absolutely paramount for teams chasing the top spot.
Tyre attrition has been one of the key factors separating front runners and it is our hope that through introduction of the race-provenOpen Country M/T-R and Open Country M/T, Toyo will offer competitors reliable performance across the wide range of terrains covered.
Off-road racer and Outback Challenge organiser, Steve Tjepkema, recently fitted a set of 315/75R16 Open Country M/Ts to his Nissan Patrol before setting the stages for this year’s event and commented on the tough, thick sidewalls and aggressive tread pattern.
“The Toyos have been great so far and certainly look the goods,” says Steve. “I ran them at 22psi for the Guildford Nav Challenge and they had heaps of grip but still cornered hard without any floating tyre role. Where they impressed me most though was on wet twisty roads; they stuck like glue and you could hear them trying to rip up the bitumen!”
While Outback Challenge competitors will be driving over just about everything other than sealed roads, the grip and stability provided by the Open Country M/T and Open Country M/T-R will prove invaluable as teams try to shave precious seconds off their stage times.
The Outback Challenge is held between September 22-29 and further details are available at www.outbackchallenge.com.au
