By TC Media
Pics courtesy of Ivica Glavas – 1Shot Media, Harrison Mielke, and Andy Stott.
Millicent, on South Australia’s Limestone Coast will once again come alive this Saturday, with 66 crews set to hit the track for the 2023 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400.
Headlined by current ARB Australian champions Brent Martin and Andre de Simone #1, three time Pines victor Matt Hanson #7, defending champ Danny Brown #42, and 2013 winner Carl Haby #56, this weekend’s fourth and final round of the 2023 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship is set to be another epic encounter.
Other crews primed for an assault through the famed Tantanoola Pine Forest include Dale Martin #1125 fresh off a third place finish at the Gundy 500 in his Martin Motorsports Alpha, multiple time Australian champion Mark Burrows #21, Andy Murdock #1166 who finished fourth outright at Hillston, ARB Big Desert 480 podium getter Andy Brown #1142, Alice Springs hard charger Andrew Mowles #135 and Class 10 spearhead Steven Graham #1065; all looking to finish their seasons on a high.
With the top seven crews in the ARB Australian outright standings entered for the Pines, including front runners Brent Martin #1, David Middlemiss #117, and Matt Burrows #123, the battle for championship honours across all classes will to be hotly contested.
Defending ARB Australian Ultimate champion Craig Barnett #68 holds the class lead heading into the season decider, with Queenslander Craig Krog #23, and South Australians Adam Bierl #35 and Dean Carter #18 also expected to be in the mix for Pines silverware on Sunday.
Brock Pendlebury #231, Peter Stevenson #248 and Brendan Forssman #274 are set to duel it out for Class 2 supremacy, likewise championship leader Owen Ward #832, Stuart Zlotkowski #811, Benny Thompson #833 and Graeme Hicks #812 in Class 8.
Brent Martin #1 will line up at the Pines with a slender lead in Class 1, with young gun Matt Burrows #123 and David Middlemiss #117 hot on his heels; with just four points separating the three crews. Class 11 leader Darren Frankling #1110 will spearhead his rivals in the teams Can-Am Maverick X3, with Peter Makeham #1122, Jake Williams #1137, along with locals Gary Turnbull #1179 and Todd Lehmann #1185 poised for Millicent success.
The Class 4 title chase will come down to two contenders, current pole sitter Jamie Knight #439 will take a four point buffer into Millicent over Dean Miller #408 for season honours, whilst Peter Sibson #412, Mark Foster #411, Darren Mott #435 and Jason Forssman #474 are others to keep watch on.
Unassailable Class 66 championship leader Matthew Lavis #6684 will take on Queenslander Ross Newman #6681, and Eden Evans #6637 at the Pines, with last year’s ARB championship runner up Glen Pike #2, Matthew Hummer #633, and the Evans duo of Simon #636 and Jackson #635 all chasing a Class 6 victory.
Heath Weedon #779 will look to wrap up a Class 7 Australian championship on home soil, with 2022 Pines victor Darren Gill #760, Connor Cooper #729 and Joel Kershaw #701 other names to watch. Steve Bowie Graham #1065 has all but sealed consecutive Australian Class 10 crowns, though is set to face stiff competition from Sean Ratcliffe #1007, the experienced Peter Tamblyn #1042, Rodney Visser #1057, and James Tyrell #1036, in a battle to watch all weekend.
Spectators are invited to the Teagle’s Quarry on the outskirts of Millicent this Friday for scrutiny and display from 6pm, prior to the action getting underway at 10am Saturday morning with the prologue. Sunday’s six long course laps commences at 8.30am, as the competitors head into the Tantanoola Pine forest for the first time.
The 2023 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 would not be possible without the support of championship partners ARB 4X4 Accessories, Mickey Thompson Tyres, AORRA and Raceline Wheels, major event sponsors Teagle Excavations, ARB 4X4 Accessories and Hards Transport Services, along with all the other incredible sponsors either small, large or inkind who have assisted in so many ways.
There are so many storyline’s that are to be written at Millicent this weekend, with ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championships on the line, as well as Pines Enduro silverware for the taking, the final chapter of 2023 season poses to be one of the best yet!
The 2023 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 takes place in Millicent this weekend, the 22-24th of September.
