After a seven-year hiatus from the national arena, the ARB Waikerie Hotel Riverland Enduro is back this weekend for Round 2 of the 2025 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship.
Held at New Well Station, the popular event will also play host to Round 1 of the AORRA South Australian Championship, Round 5 of the Southern States Club Challenge and Round 3 of the SAORRA Multi Club Series, attracting a strong field of 61 competitors.
Due to a lack of rainfall this year, and dusty conditions predicted the Waikerie Off-roaders Club have adjusted the starting order to one at a time over the weekend, adding to the importance of Saturday’s 14km prologue dash.
ARB Australian championship leader Clayton Chapman #15 will look to continue his strong run at Waikerie; the Queenslander deservedly carries the favourites tag into the weekend after a stellar performance at Rainbow.
Former Waikerie Enduro victor Aaron Haby #57 leads a large contingent of challengers including South Australian young gun Kyle Tucker #14, multiple time Australian champion Brent Martin #120, 2024 Pines Enduro podium sitter Todd Lehmann #85, and 2018 Waikerie winner Greg Gartner #410.
Third Gen racer Tom Owen #30, Loveday’s Toby Whateley #6121, Rainbow runner-up and Class 10 flyer Steven Graham #1065, Class 1 spearheads Simon Tucker #2, Jay Mitchell #121 and Matt Curtis #136 are others expected to fight for the title.
Craig Barnett #68 leads the rest of the Ultimate crews, alongside Brenton Forsyth #48, Glenn Pike #75, Tony Carabott #81 and Seeton Battle #28 who is set to debut his new Element Prodigy.
Darren Marks #174, Evan Lampard #184, and Darryl Nissen #164 are other notable Class 1 contenders, with Brendan Forssman #201, Brian Bradford #264, and Troy Purcell #222 headlining the Class 2 battle.
Arguably the tightest fight for class honours at the Waikerie Enduro will be the 2.5 litre contingent, with Travis Conrad #1006, Russell Hartnett #1012, Stuart Chapman #1014, and Paul Tinga #1010 all vying for SA success.
Recent Rainbow victor Lachlan Campbell #651 will join Whateley in Class 6, likewise Darren Frankling #678, Aidan Campagnolo #666, Cameron Grayson #697, and Polaris competitor Matthew Hummer #633.
Darren Mott #435, and Jason Forssman #474 are others to watch in Class 4, with Michael Shipton #585, Darren van der Woude #554, Heath Weedon #779, and Michael Hackney #888 chasing their own Waikerie glory.
The action kicks off from 9.45am local time Saturday morning with the 14km prologue dash, before two short course laps are completed from midday. Sunday will see Australian competitors complete six laps of the 60km layout, with the first car scheduled to leave the line at 9am.
The 2025 ARB Waikerie Hotel Riverland Enduro would not be possible without the support of partners ARB 4X4 Accessories, Mickey Thompson Tyres, Raceline Wheels Australia, AORRA and Dynamic Wheel Co, naming right sponsor Waikerie Hotel and Motel; along with platinum sponsors Sutton Ford Waikerie, Sprint Freight and Logistics, District Council of Loxton Waikerie and Ramco Earthworx.
The ARB Waikerie Hotel Riverland Enduro, Round 2 of the 2025 ARB Australian Off RoadRacing Championship takes place this weekend, over the 11th-13th of July.
By TC Media
Pics courtesy of Lehmann Motorsport Photography & Show n Go Photography
