Western Australian Beau Robinson and navigator Shane Hutt #1113 launched their 2024 season in style on the weekend, claiming a maiden ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship round victory at the STEEL-IT ARB Big Desert 480.
Starting from second on Sunday, Robinson took control of proceedings early on lap one in his 7litre Mason Trophy Truck after the withdrawal of Danny Brown #42 due to mechanical dramas. Despite mid race challenges from both eventual podium sitters, Robinson was never headed, holding on to record a powerful Rainbow triumph.
2023 ARB Goondiwindi 500 champions Clayton Chapman and Adam McGuire #15 continued on their dream run, the smiling Queenslanders launched their Toyota powered Aussie built Razorback to second outright and Ultimate Class glory; just 49 seconds adrift of Robinson.
Offroad road legend Andy Brown and navigator Danny Hardman #1142 who made a pass on Robinson during Sundays second lap steered their new AWD Class 11 Alumi Craft to third outright, making it consecutive STEEL-IT ARB Big Desert 480 podiums.
Multiple time Australian champion Mark Burrows and son Tom #21 recorded their best finish to date in the teams new Aussie build Monkfab machine crossing in fourth, ahead of Jimco chargers Dale Martin and Adrian Rowe #5 who finished a further four minutes adrift to round out the Ultimate podium.
South Australian’s Simon and Kyle Tucker #110 held on for the Class 1 silverware albeit engine dramas on Sunday, outlasting Matthew Burrows and Jay Mitchell #3 in sixth and seventh outright respectively. Craig and Megan Barnett #68 continued on their impressive ARB championship streak with an eighth place finish, with Class 10 victors Dean Mcginley and Dean DeMarco #1087, and Class 6 champions Jackson Evans and Samuel Raper #635 who roared to life in their new Polaris Pro R rounding out the STEEL-IT ARB Big Desert 480 top ten.
Peter Sibson and Jason Munro #412 kickstarted their 2024 ARB campaign with the Class 4 spoils, overcoming fellow Victorians Darren and Bailey Mott #435, plus John Smith and Grant Manion #445 in second and third.
Brendan Forssman and Leigh Whitehand #202 drove consistently all weekend to claim Class 2 honours, whilst Darren and Amelia van der Woude #554, Heath and Michelle Weedon #701, Ross Newman and Chris Leonard #6681 reigned in their respective classes.
In other class results, Darren Frankling and Rob Hackney #1110 launched their Class 11 title defence with a third, likewise David Loughnan and Jake Stevenson #104 in their Class 1 Erceg Engineering Honey Badger. Justin Rider and Steven Teese #627 survived a close encounter with young gun Lachlan Campbell and father Greg #607 for second in Class 6, whilst Sam Bentley and Eli Moss #1018 locked down second in Class 10 over Steven and Ella Graham #1065.
After watching a number of notables fall away on Saturday including two time defending ARB champion Brent Martin #1, Aaron James #93, Jake Williams #1137, Glenn Collis #147 and Hannah Bentley #418,
Sunday was no exception, with Danny Brown #42, Stuart Chapman #17, Steven Graham #1065, Robert Plant #128, Trevor Chandler #1121, Simon Gubbins #1054, Brett Plant #929, Heath Weedon #701, James Tyrell #1036, and Jourdain Patterson #44 all bowing out.
The 2024 ARB Australian Off Road Championship will now turn its attention to the ARB The Gap 440 at Hillston; held over the 5th-7th of July.
By TC Media
Photography by Show ‘n’ Go Photography & Ratchet Off Road Racing Photography
