KDR 2018 – The Form Guide
The final round of the 2018 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC will see a thrilling race through the desert as the red dust flies at the Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race. We take a look at who the hot tips are to take out the King of the West title
#44 – Shane and Curt Elphinstone will be one of the favorites to take out the event outright. Their form in the back half of the 2018 season has been outstanding that Turbo powered Jimco has pedigree in the red dirt. If they can stitch together a strong prologue they will be hard
#54 – The Morgan Racing Team have made the trek from New Zealand and wont be here to just make up the numbers. Fresh from a run in their home land last week John and Dave will wind up the LS powered Jimco and are expected to be amongst the top runners
#89 – Raana Horan has had a busy schedule in 2018. Plenty of wheel time between NZ and Australia, Off Road Racing and Rally sees him tuned up and ready to have a big crack. If Horan can get a quick time in on prologue he will be a big chance to go all the way
#98 – Richard Crabb is back for another attack on the KDR. Last year Crabb had mechanical issues which slowed his progress, but if he can have a clean run, the knowledge gained last year will surely see him running right up at the pointy end of the field
#110 – Jake Clucas lives for the big desert races! His Chenowth was specifically imported with races such as the KDR in mind Having worked closely with the OBR team this year, time will tell if that pays off and the Prolite driver can get himself onto the podium
#117 – Bernie Hold in the Goose Racing Prolite is the only motorcycle powered buggy in the field. This will be an advantage through the tight and twisty sections where Holt will hope to make as much time as possible knowing that the bigger buggies will be trying to mow him down out in the open desert
#119 – Jared Percival will have his eyes firmly set on taking out the outright championship for the 2018 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC. But don’t let that fool you into thinking he won’t be gunning for the King of the West title. A 2nd place in last years event is a testament as to just how quick this package is
#181 -Stephen Kettereidge Hall and Dylan James will be looking to unleash their N/A powered rocket on the Kalgoorlie goldfields. The #181 machine is a notoriously quick on prologue and with the red dust potentially a major factor in the race, could this crew take some of the bigger trucks and buggies by surprise?
#195 – George Metaxas and Brett Mortimer are primed and ready for a crack at the Kalgoorlie Desert Race. Metaxas have been gaining a wealth of experience racing all over Australia over the past few years and will be looking to bring that home with a strong result
#220 – Jeremy Lia is one of the locals who will be hoping to defend their home turf in 2018. The Liability Motorsport team is one of the quickest Super 1650 crews in Australia and whilst they haven’t had much seat time lately, home town knowledge could see this crew vault their way up the leaderboard
#406 – Colin Doney is the other competitor who is primed for the title fight. Having led the championship for most of the season, Doney will be hoping to bring home the popular blue beetle with a championship win
#413 – Beau Robinson is the defending race winner and one of the favorites to take out the event. The big black Geiser truck is perfectly suited to the dust and desert and Robinson is primed and ready to take on all comers in his efforts to go back to back
#426 – Adam Flanagan is another Kalgoorlie local who will have aspirations of a top 3 finish. Flanagan’s truck is very quick and has the potential to run up front with the best of them. Could home town knowledge be a decisive factor in his run?
#583 – Daniel Fahey and Sean Beck will be piloting the WA Off Road Junior Development Kingswood at this years KDR. This vehicle has completed every KM of the 2018 season so far and will be hoping to keep that streak going in one of the toughest and most gruelling events on the calendar
#609 – Simon Clifford brings his Polaris RZR Turbo to the Kalgoorlie desert for the first time. Clifford has shown strong pace so far in the 2018 season and will be hoping to replicate that form in the red dirt of the goldfields
#611 – Mark Harris will be having his debut run in a CanAm X3 RC at this years event. Whilst Harris may be one of the new competitors, don’t expect that to mean he wont be fighting for a class win. This is a very quick package and could event surprise some of the other classes in the race
#649 – Drew Millar is a local competitor who has been consistently one of the quickest Polaris RZR’s in the 2018 field. An unfortunate DNF at the last round in Three Springs, Millar will be out to make amends has he puts his foot down on his home turf
#660 – If you are looking through the form guide for the competitor most likely to spring a surprise on the field, look no further than the #660 of Dean Terry. The CanAm driver was very strong at the 2017 KDR and was running in the top 5 at Three Springs. Keep an eye on this beautifully presented buggy as he looks for a strong run in his home town
#662 – Ben Hodge is another debutant, bringing to the track one of the first Polaris RZR Turbo S buggies in Australia. This buggy features a whole swag of new tricks in the battle for SXS supremacy and our spies tell us that the BT Racing team know how to put the hammer down.
#670 – Jason Johnson will be another Polaris competitor who will be pushing it the limit in his quest to take out this years KDR. Johnson has had some strong outings in 2018 and will be looking to transfer that form with a strong run in his backyard
#683 – Gavin Rodgers has been hard at work since the Three Springs event to ensure that the X3 is ready for a clean run at the KDR. In his debut season, Rodgers have been getting quicker and quicker as the season has gone on and will be hoping that the red dirt of the Kalgoorlie desert will see a strong finish to the year
#691 – Brad Close is another Kalgoorlie local who will hoping to reign supreme in their home town. Close will be pushing the blue and yellow X3 hard in his pursuit of a strong home result and that local knowledge could prove pivotal to his result
#699 – Ash Sudholz is one of the most consistent competitors in the SXS field and the reigning class champion. The LA Car Carriers Polaris will be a strong contender come race end as he looks to have a strong finish to the 2018 season
#704 – Grant Butters in the Mitsubishi Pajero EVO has had some good form during previous KDR events. Butters will be looking for a reliable and consistent run through the red dirt of the goldfields in his fantastic looking vehicle
#848 – The father and son duo of Mitchell and Owen Davies may be the only Extreme 4wd in their field, but they certainly wont be cruising the finish line. Mitchell revels in the red dirt and desert events and will be trying to hunt down the buggies and trucks
#1010 – Deon Visagie is locked in combat with Peter Barrett for the class title and this will surely spur him on in his first crack at the Kalgoorlie Desert Race. Visagie’s debut year has seen some strong results and he will be a strong contender come Sunday afternoon
#1023 – Joe Hawkins will be piloting his Bandit Off Road Racing Sportslite at the KDR for the first time. Hawkins has had limited seat time in 2018 but will still be a strong contender as the buggy has been quick every time it hits the track
#1032 – Peter Barrett will be hunting gold at this years KDR. The class championship is on the line, but for the Carnarvon Motel Racing crew, there is also a very real chance at a top 10 outright come Sunday afternoon. Barrett showed very strong pace at Three Springs and will be hoping to transfer that to this years season ending race
#1063 – Wayne Holt in his Sollitco Sportslite buggy has had limited running in 2018, but is always a strong competitor. The second of the Holt competitors, Wayne will have one eye on his class battle and another on Bernie Holt in his Prolite buggy. There are bragging rights on the line her
#1071 – The #1071 machine will be having its first run after a ground up rebuild by the SS Racetech crew. Scott Schiller showed in 2017 that he is one of the quickest drivers in the field, but how will he fare stepping out of his high horsepower Pro Buggy and back into the SR20 powered Sportslite?
#6627 – Mark Wainwright is the only SXS Sport competitor in the field, but he only has one thing on his mind. Sticking it to the Turbo powered Polaris and CanAm competitors. Wainwright has strong form in the long desert race events, a 2nd outright on day one of the Gas Dash this year proof that he is no slouch when it comes to the desert races
Western Australian Off Road Racing Championship 