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Dale Martin and Mark Degruchy #5 have closed out their 2026 season in spectacular fashion by taking outright honours at the weekend’s Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro in Millicent, South Australia.

Starting Sunday from the back row of the grid alongside Jason Richards #91, Martin quickly surged to the top of the time sheets after lap one in his Ford EcoBoost-powered Jimco following Richards’ early mechanical retirement.

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Martin crossed the finish line third on road but ultimately secured outright honours, finishing 20.4 seconds clear of three-time Pines Enduro champions Danny Brown and George Apted #4, who produced an impressive drive from fifth on the grid in their Nissan Twin Turbo-powered Alumicraft.

Despite Brown #4 closing the margin over the final two laps, Martin remained in control through the demanding six-lap long course section to secure back-to-back outright and Ultimate Class Pines Enduro victories. 

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Queenslanders Clayton Chapman and Adam McGuire #15 rounded out the outright podium in third, finishing just 31 seconds behind Brown after overcoming power steering issues during Saturday’s short course racing.

While the Pines victory belonged to Martin, it was Chapman and McGuire #15 who celebrated the biggest result of the weekend, securing the 2026 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship.

Chapman arrived in Millicent with a significant points lead after wins at The Gap 440 and Gundy 500, his third place finish at the Pines enough to secure his maiden Australian Championship in the team’s Toyota powered Razorback, sparking celebrations throughout the offroad community.

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Lachlan Campbell #3 and Bodie Tickner #1093 sealed their positions on the 2026 Outright ARB Australian Championship podium after both recorded strong results at the Pines, with Campbell finishing seventh and Tickner eighth in a dramatic final round.

Last year’s podium finishers Andy Brown and Daniel Hardman #45 brought their V8 Alumicraft home in fourth, while 2025 ARB Australian champions Aaron Haby, Chelsea Haby and Declan Fritchley #1 rounded out the Pines Enduro top five, with both crews battling issues of their own late on Sunday.

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Brett Comiskey and Corey Cooper #434 who were competing at Millicent for the first time produced an impressive sixth outright, first in class performance in their V8 TSCO, closing out a successful Class 4 championship winning year. 

Lachlan Campbell and Baillie Farley #3 capped off their Class 6 ARB Australian title defence with a third straight round victory, while Class 10 winner Bodie Tickner #1093 also finished his season on a high, taking honours at the Pines.

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Class 4 runners-up Damien Nicol and Cameron Percy #430 crossed the line in ninth, while Hillston’s Jay and John Mitchell #121 completed the top 10 outright and secured Class 1 honours at the Pines.

Sandy Bowman, Vann Bowman and Ben Thompson #819 reigned supreme in their return to Class 8 at national level, with David Richardson and Katherine Syrch #310 collecting the Class 3 win. 

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Hamish Lochert, Billy Cain and Jamie Andrews #170 drove their Class 1 Jimco to second place on the podium, with Matthew Burrows and Tom O’Beirne #123 taking home third in their first appearance since round one. 

CTS Offroad Racing’s Tom and Toby Stephens #606 crossed for their finest result in an ARB Australian championship round, the Class 6 runners up finished ahead of Victorians Darren Frankling and Rob Hackney #678 in third. 

Queenslander Jason Keane #1013 secured second in Class 10 aboard his single-seater Jimco, while Griffith’s Drew McLauchlan and Tess Power #1011 claimed third after completing every lap on their Pines debut.

In other results from the Pines Enduro, Alice Springs local Brett Taylor and navigator Peter Treis #431 took home third place in Class 4, while Michael Hackney and Shane Ryan #888, Paul Beames and Troy Sibson #808 snared the remaining Class 8 silverware. 

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The Pines once again proved unforgiving, with several contenders failing to reach the chequered flag including overnight leader Jason Richards #91, Glenn Pike #75, Simon Tucker #2, Mark Burrows #21, Jakob Douglass #141, Kurt Stephan #133, Mark Booth #435 and Jamie Harrison #639. 

The 2026 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 was made possible by the continued support of championship partners ARB 4X4 Accessories, Mickey Thompson Tyres, Raceline Wheels Australia and AORRA, alongside major event sponsors Teagle Excavations, ARB 4X4 Accessories and Hards Transport Services.

The Millicent Sand Buggy Club would again like to thank their elite sponsor Screenshot Big Screens, Platinum sponsors Bendigo Bank Mt Gambier and District, Forestry SA, OneFortyOne Plantations, and the Wattle Range Council for providing the roads to race on, along with the many other sponsors whose support made the event possible.

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The focus now shifts to the 2027 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship, which will get underway at Hillston with The Gap 440 from March 19-21.

By TC Media

Pics by Show ‘n’ Go Media