Queenslanders Clayton Chapman and Adam McGuire #15 have emerged victorious by a spectacular 18 minutes on a dramatic final day of the ARB Big Desert 480 in Rainbow, Round 1 of the 2025 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship.
Chapman took control of proceedings during Sundays second lap after the unfortunate mechanical setback to overnight leader Kyle Tucker #14 and was never headed, storming to his first Rainbow title.
Securing a fourth national triumph in the past two years, Chapman and McGuire enjoyed an issue free weekend in the team’s Razorback, backing up their runner up finish from twelve months prior.
“It’s an amazing result for the team, it was an awesome weekend, the car did nothing wrong, and we just kept peddling. The track got rougher and rougher, but we pushed through,” said Chapman.
“That feeling of coming across the finish line with a car without a fault is something else. A massive shoutout to all the crew, prepping it all weekend, and to everybody back home, can’t thank you all enough.
In one of the drives of the weekend, Griffith’s Steven ‘Bowie’ Graham and Jason Richards #1065 drove their Class 10 winning Alumi Craft into second outright, moving up four places on Sunday from sixth.
Eight-time Australian Off Road champion Mark Burrows and son Tom #21 were second heading into the final 160kms, however a delaminated tyre on the penultimate lap dropped the Ultimate runners up to third, just 1.48 mins adrift of Graham.
With the early retirements of Aaron Haby #57, and Tom Owen #30, and a mechanical issue for Tucker #14 on Sunday, the door was open for Burrows to secure a second ARB Australian podium in his past three starts, an opportunity he grabbed with both hands.
With all four laps remarkably completed within 18 seconds of each other on Sunday, the Harnetts farewelled Victoria with their best outright finish since crossing third at the Goondiwindi in 2020.
Lachlan and Greg Campbell #651 continue to impress in their Class 6 winning Can Am Maverick R, improving on their Saturday result by three positions to round out the 2025 Big Desert 480 top five.
Class 1 victors Matthew Burrows and Jay Mitchell overcame a last lap puncture themselves to finish in sixth, only 19 seconds behind the Campbells, whilst overnight leaders Kyle Tucker and Ian Redding #14 stormed home late to round out the Ultimate Class podium in seventh.
Rainbow newcomers Richard and Lauren Andrews #137 survived the rugged terrain eighth fastest, and second in Class 1, the same time Stuart Chapman recorded his first ARB national round finish in the team’s Class 10 Chenowth, third in class, and ninth outright his reward.
South Australian’s Michael Shipton and Paul Chorlton #585 were over the moon with their Rainbow debut, taking home the Class 5 silverware in 11th outright, whilst defending ARB Australian Class 2 champions Brendan Forssman and Leigh Whitehand #201 saluted the chequered flag with another class triumph.
In other results, Ross Newman and Cameron Crowe #6681 claimed consecutive ARB Big Desert 480 Class 66 crowns, with Michael Hackney and Shane Ryan #888, Heath and Michelle Weedon #779 winning their respective classes.
Last year’s ARB Australian Championship runners up Simon Tucker and Rylee Skinner #2 overcame a tough weekend to cross third in Class 1, whilst North Queenslanders Brian Bradford and Robert Venz #264 locked down second in Class 2.
Class 6 regulars Jeremy Horne and Adam Rijken #609 held off ARB Australian championship debutants Nathan and James Sartori #6116 by just two minutes, with the crews rounding out the Class 6 podium.
After watching several notables fall away on Saturday including Brent Martin #90, Tom Dixon #83, Jake Williams #437 and Dave Colman #70, Sunday saw Haby #57, Owen #30, Craig Barnett #68, Rod Visser #1057, and Bodie Tickner #1093 all bow out during the four-lap section.
The 2025 ARB Big Desert 480 was made possible by the support of championship partners ARB 4X4 Accessories, Mickey Thompson Tyres, Raceline Wheels Australia, AORRA and Dynamic Wheel Co, along with naming right sponsor STEEL-IT; and class sponsors GRC Motorsport, Penhall Fabrications, Millie’s Media, Warragul Machining & Mechanical Repairs, Quality Metal Solutions, SBH Engineering and Polaris Ballarat.
The 2025 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship will now turn its attention to Round 2, the Waikerie Riverland Enduro; held over the 11th-13th of July.
