Photo Credit: Lehmann Motorsport Photography
After almost three years away from off road racing, 21-year-old Josh Wiedman will make his long-awaited return to the sport at this weekend’s ARB Gundy 500, in a town he now calls home.
While it has been nearly three years since his last off-road start at Mt Larcom, you have to go back to 2020 for his most recent appearance at Goondiwindi, when he competed as a 15-year-old rising star.
This weekend, Wiedman will be joined by local navigator Levi Turner, who is also just 15, making them the youngest driver and navigator pairing in the field.
Now living and working in Goondiwindi as an apprentice boilermaker with BSF Bullbars, Wiedman said returning to off road racing at Gundy was an easy decision.
“I live and work in Gundy now, so I really wanted to get back to doing what I enjoy and become part of the local community. I love rallying, but off-road racing is where my heart is. We made a lot of great friends when we raced before, so I’m really looking forward to catching up with everyone again.”
Despite time away from the sport while pursuing his interest in the Australian rally scene, Wiedman’s expectations for this weekend are simple.
Photo Credit: Mel Creations
“We’ve got zero expectations other than to have fun. The new Maverick Rs are in a different postcode when it comes to performance, but secretly if we can knock off a couple of them in our older Can-Am X3, that would be a nice bonus.”
Wiedman has previously enjoyed success at the Gundy event, finishing second in the Junior class in 2020, and is excited to be back behind the wheel, taking on a star-studded field of 27 Class 6 crews.
Away from off road racing, Wiedman is enjoying a strong season in rallying, currently leading the Queensland Rally Championship outright, highlighted by a victory at the Jimna Rallysprint in June.
“The plan after Gundy is to race at the Dam Buster at St George later this year, and in rally we’re leading the Queensland Rally Championship, so the goal is to try and win that. Once the season is over, we’ll sit down and work out what 2027 looks like, but off-road racing will definitely be a big part of those plans.”
A highly decorated competitor, Wiedman is a former Australian Junior Rally Champion, two-time Queensland Junior Off Road Racing Champion, Queensland Junior Rally Champion, and Queensland 2WD Rally Champion.
His achievements also include two Queensland rally outright victories, one New South Wales rally win, three Australian Rally Championship 2WD Cup round wins, and victory in the SXS class at Loveday in 2022, highlighting his versatility and success across both disciplines.
Wiedman who finished third outright at the Moranbah Short Course in 2021 also paid tribute to the people who have helped make his return to off road racing possible.
“A huge thank you to Glen Brinkman for helping us purchase his old X3. He really looked after us and that was a massive part of us being able to come back racing.
Thanks also to Shoreline Can-Am for looking after us with parts, Mike’s Shock Shop for supplying an awesome suspension package, and especially to everyone at BSF Bullbars in Goondiwindi. James, Michael and the whole team have been incredibly supportive of my racing.”
Josh admits there has also been plenty of friendly rivalry at the workshop leading into the weekend with his boss James Zacka also entered in a Can Am.
“There’s been lots of healthy banter and plenty of jokes at work about who’s going to be faster out of James and me this weekend. It’s all been great fun and I’m looking forward to getting out there against a stacked line up.”
The ARB Gundy 500, Round 3 of the 2026 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship takes place in Goondiwindi this weekend.
By TC Media
