The Champ goes back to back at Perenjori

Posted on March 8, 2023 Updated on March 8, 2023

The 2023 McPhee Freight, Gturbo Perenjori 360 will go down in the record books as a hotly contested race with many twists and turns right through to the final lap. A record field of 60 entrants turned into only 55 starters after a few withdrawals and competitors with issues during the leadup to the race. Amongst the field we had former state champions and former race winners such as Trewhella, Percival and Uren whilst a whole heap more contenders such as Ketteridge-Hall, Higgins, Sobcyzk and the Wells Racing Team looked set to make this a battle to the finish

Prologue was sponsored by JohnDec Plastics & Lemonis/Tantirpasut Lawyers with $300 to the winner, whilst 2nd and 3rd would take home $200 and $100 respectively. It was Troy Higgins in the beautifully presented GET Buggy which would clock in quickest, a time 6 seconds better than current state champion, Adam Trewhella. Harleigh Uren running a Pro Truck would move himself into 3rd with Stephen Ketteridge-Hall flying the flag for the Prolites in 4th. Jayden Grewar showed his pace, putting the RAW Racing SXS Pro into 5th outright whilst other class leaders were Graeme Bentink in PRoduction 4wd, Pieter De Wit in Performance 2wd, Scott Bryce in Extreme 4wd Buggy, Daniel Jones in Extreme 4wd, Simon Jones in Performance 2wd and Aaron Gates being the fastest Sportslite

Saturday afternoon would see a single 80km lap to be the task ahead of the teams. Whilst Higgins lead from start to finish, he wouldn’t clock in the quickest time, that honor going to Adam Trewhella, showing he had pace on the long run. Stephen Ketteridge-Hall signalled his intentions early, firing his was into 2nd, whilst Higgins would have to settle for 3rd. One of the early pacesetter Uren dropped out with mechanical issues as Brad Krepp moved the Terra Racing Extreme 2wd to 4th as he took over the class lead. Alex Davies set a blistering time, 5th outright and now the new SXS Pro class leader over Grewar who was 40 seconds back. Scott Bryce was another big mover, up 26 positions to 10th in his Extreme 4wd Buggy. Graeme Bentink continued to be impressive in the Gturbo Production 4wd, moving up to 18th outright whilst Aaron Gates, Pieter De Wit and Simon Jones continued to lead their classes. Warren Claasen took over the Extreme 4wd class lead as the field was narrowed down to just 44 competitors. Kodi Clayden rolled his SXS Pro and despite a valiant effort to try fix the buggy, would be unable to restart the following day

As the sun rose on Sunday morning, conditions were almost perfect. The cooler morning air and slight breeze would be in play for 2 laps of the 80km course. Trewhella took this as an opportunity to stamp his authority on the event, flying around the track over a minute quicker on each lap to extend his lead at the front. Higgins also pushed, making up time and overtaking Ketteridge-Hall to move into 2nd outright after setting the 2nd quickest time. Ketteridge-Hall would drop to 3rd, whilst behind him Paul Delacey had a dream run in his SXS Pro to set the 4th quickest time. Karl Richardson was one of the tales of woe, breaking an axle on the start line, which was then repaired and allowed him to complete a lap before running out of late running time. Meanwhile, Percival and Sobczyck were locked in a tight battle, trading lap times and moving their way up the field. Bryce’s solid run came to an end allowing Peer Horn to take over the Extreme 4wd Buggy Class lead. Graeme Bentink once again clocked very impressive lap times putting his Production 4wd 200 Series into the top 10 on times. Simon Jones, maintained his lead in Performance 2wd, as did Warren Claasen in Extreme 4wd. Aaron Gates also continued to lead the Sportslite class, however a slow second lap hampering his progress through the field.

In the final section, again 2 laps it would all change at the front. Whilst Trewhella was untouchable, Higgins left the line and developed an engine misfire, only making it 1km before having to pull out of the race. Ketteridge-Hall moved up into 2nd, but not for long as he also suffered engine dramas. Warren Claasen did not finish in his Extreme 4wd Navara and Simon Jones was another to drop out of the race after leading Performance 2wd all weekend. This meant it was all change throughout the field as just 24 teams finished the full race distance. Trewhella took a well deserved outright and Pro Buggy win, whilst Rob Soczyk finished in 2nd outright and 1st in Prolite. Mr Consistency, Jared Percival rounded out the outright podium. Paul Delacey came in 4th outright in his SXS Pro and in doing so claimed a $1000 payday with the SXS class being sponsored by InterEarth due to its lower emissions nature. Graeme Bentink pulled off a miracle run, getting his Production 4wd home in 7th outright. Peer Horn claimed the Extreme 4wd Buggy class win, whilst Matthew Beck finished in the Top 20 and also won the Extreme 4wd class. Matching his brothers efforts, Sean Beck also sealed a class win in the Performance 2wd Kingswood, making it 2 class wins out of 2 for the WA Off Road Junior Development Program. Whilst not completing all laps, the other class winners were Aaron Gates in Sportslite, Pieter DeWit in Super 1650 and Karl Richardson in Extreme 2wd

Full results can be found here
The WAORC now looks forward to the Gascoyne Dash for Round 2 of the series and if Round 1 was anything to go by, it is set to be a cracking race!

Race Track GPS file available

Posted on March 1, 2023

In a first for off road racing in Western Australia, a GPS file of the race track is being made publicly available to race teams ahead of the event. With the event organizers recording a lap of the track using the LeadNav app, we can now release the GPX file so that competitors may choose to use this on reconnaissance. Alternatively, they may also choose to map the track themselves, but this is an option which we would like to receive feedback on to see if it is of use in future events and years

Please note that this GPS recording was taken on an Ipad not using the external GPS Aerial and as such, competitors should verify its accuracy prior to using it at race pace. We also note that no cautions or other markers were added, so this is purely just a location map

Download of the GPX file can be found here

Trewhella Joins Fuel Burna Motorsport for WA Title Defence

Posted on February 28, 2023

Defending Western Australian Offroad Champion Adam Trewhella has announced he will be joining forces with Mark Cramer at Fuel Burna Motorsport in 2023, sponsored by the Cramer’s owned business Make Tracks WA. Perth based Trewhella is set to launch his title defence this weekend at the Perenjori 360 in the teams Rimco Pro Buggy, where he will proudly display his new teams livery.

On the back of an outstanding 2022 season which saw Trewhella secure back to back outright victories at Perenjori and Bencubbin, plus a second outright at the iconic Gas Dash, the newest member of Fuel Burna Motorsport has reason to be confident heading into the season opener.

“I started out last year really just wanting seat time, to get to know the car and to finish a few races, I picked up outright victory’s in the first two events, with my dad Craig as the navigator at Perenjori which was special for the team and a 2nd overall at the Gascoyne Dash. Which was enough for us to claim the championship,” exclaimed Trewhella.

Makes Tracks WA is regarded as Perth’s leading 4WD accessories supplier and fitter, a brand Trewhella and crew are delighted to be representing throughout this season after their breakout 2022 campaign. “This year is pretty much more of the same, I just love driving the car. We would obviously like to defend the number 1 plate in WA, but at the same time to finish some races and get a few podiums will be a good result for us”.

Trewhella’s success last year and scheduled title defence in 2023 would not be possible without his amazing sponsors who have all contributed immensely to their racing endeavours. Firstly, to the major sponsors Koby and Sandee Grant at KRT Contracting, Shane and Jody Elphinstone at Elphinstone Mechanical Services and Shannon at Tunecorp who has built and tuned Trewhella’s new 402 cube combo engine which is set to unleashed on Saturday. Also to the minor sponsors Racer Imports, Penrite, Jarrahfire Drilling, Luke Erceg at Erceg Custom Engineering and Borneo’s Race Prep for their ongoing support and commitment.

Fuel Burna Motorsport’s Adam Trewhella is locked in for all five rounds of the WA offroad championship in 2023 alongside new full time navigator and major sponsor Koby Grant, kickstarting this weekend as the defending champion at the Perenjori 360.

Photos by Dakar Press Team Australia
Story by Toby Cooper

Overitt Racing Headed East after Perenjori

Posted on February 16, 2023

Kalgoorlie local Brent Johnson, and his Overitt Racing crew are in full swing preparing for next months 2023 WA season opener at Perenjori, before shifting east for the first time to clash with Australian SXS championship competitors at Pooncarie.

After making his debut behind the wheel of his Can Am at Bencubbin last June, Johnson also spent time on track at the Gascoyne Dash and on home soil at Kalgoorlie, where an unfortunate broken steering boss halted their charge.

“Our first year was a big learning curve that’s for sure and we learnt lots about the new car and off-road racing which was the main focus, hopefully no more teething problems,” said Johnson.

Introduced to the offroad world he and his family now love by pit crewing and sponsoring his cousin and good mate, thrives on the adrenaline rush and atmosphere that a race weekend presents.

With his immediate focus on next months Perenjori 360, Johnson who started his racing career in speedway at twelve years old is excited to see where he stands at seasons end. The local Kalgoorlie business owner is fully aware the experiences gained battling WA and Australia’s finest SXS competitors across 2023 will hold him in good stead moving forward.

“Our goals will be to finish in the top ten or higher for our WA class championship and to get a lot more seat time then last year, and be amongst the front runners each meeting. Overitt Racing are not only scheduled to kickstart their season at the WA opener, prior to setting off across the Nullarbor for Pooncarie, they will return to the AORC at Loveday, along with competing at WA events Bencubbin, Three Springs and Kalgoorlie, which will finish off a hectic 2023 season.

Johnson would like to acknowledge the teams amazing sponsors Alloveritt Hydraulic and Mechanical, Friday’s Can Am and Sea Doo, Site Wear Direct, Gammon Haulage, Pavlinovich Haulage and Goldfields Machining for their ongoing support and commitment towards Johnson’s racing endeavours.

Overitt Racing are looking forward to catching up with their offroad family trackside throughout 2023, starting at the Perenjori 360 which takes place on the 4/5th of March.

Story by Toby Cooper – Frogs Hollow
Pics courtesy of – Dakar Press Team Australia & Andrew Kilburn Photography

Record field of 60 to tackle Perenjori

Posted on February 11, 2023

Wow! What a race we have coming your way for the 2023 McPhee Freight, Gturbo Perenjori 360! A record field of 60 competitors are set to do battle and we will have battles all the way up and down the field. This record field contains many top contenders and several former state champions who have their eyes on the prize of taking home a big bag of points at round 1 of the 2023 WAORC

In Pro Buggy, Current WA Champion Adam Trewhella is the hot top in his BRP Rimco. Also throwing their hat into the ring we have the spectacular #54 GET of Troy Higgins, Craig and Marcus Wells, Deon Visagie in his Dirtmotorsport Bug, Mark Cramer in his immaculately presented SS Racetech Hustler and the Streamline buggy of Wayne Batson. Good luck trying to pick a winner out of this group as the competition should be very evenly matched!

The Prolites have once again turned out in force! Former State champion Jared Percival traditionally goes well at Perenjori, but he will be under big pressure from the rest of the field. Stephen Ketteridge-Hall is one to look out for having taken his maiden WAORC win last year at the Gas Dash , but he isn’t the only contender. Mark Jarret, Rob Sobcyzk, ‘The Magic Man’ Michael Davis and George Metaxas all likely to figure heavily in the battle for a class win. Joe Hawkins could also be a dark horse, having entered the Bandit into the Prolite class

Super 1650 will be a 2 horse race between Aaron Dark who has had success at Perenjori before and Peter De Wit, who will be making his debut in an Edge buggy powered by a Hyabusa motor. So the question is, can the conventional Dark Racing Bullet framed buggy beat the light weight motorbike powered contender of De Wit?

The Extreme 2wd class is certainly alive and well with a class of 5 set to tackle the PJ 360. And its not just any 5 competitors, we have 5 very serious contenders lined up ready to drop the hammer and make the red dirt fly. Harleigh Uren, Brad Krepp, Karl Richardson, Mike Green and Daryl Clayden will be running 4 earth shaking Trophy Trucks and 1 wild Baja Bug in what should be an epic showdown

The Performance 2wd class will feature a David vs Goliath battle, with the ever reliable Kingswood of the Junior Development Program coming up against the might of the Pickersgill Toyota Hilux which will be piloted by Simon Jones. With 360kms of racing to separate these 2, don’t be surprised if reliability is just as much a factor as outright speed

Production 4wd is another duel between 2 highly skilled teams. There is the ever reliable and speedy Gturbo Landcruiser of Graeme Bentink coming up against the newcomer of Glen Taylor in his Nissan Patrol. The Toyota vs Nissan battle should see some great racing, but will the experience of Bentink be too great for the rookies to overcome

Extreme 4wd is set for another great battle and this one is anyone’s game. Peer Horn in the super reliable Mercedes will be up against Daniel Jones, Warren Classen, newcomers James Pudwell and the second junior development entry in the #888 Nissan Patrol. In the Extreme 4wd Buggy Sub class, Scott Bryce will have the Predator out for its second run and all eyes will be on the purple machine to see if some off season upgrades will vault it up the timesheets

The SXS Pro class currently has a whopping 26 out of the field of 60 entrants in the event. The depth in this class is amazing with former state champion Jayden Grewar being one to watch. Other top contenders include current class champion Malcolm Yeardley, Murray Kifer, Friday Boyce, Matt Dec, Jake Montgomery, Will Quinn-Schofield and a whole heap more! We also have the Polaris brigade, Jim Cairns in his lightning quick Pro R, Paul Hutchinson flying the flag in his Turbo S and the ever reliable Ash Sudholz in the 4 seat Pro XP. Throw into the Yamaha of Mark Wainwright, some rookies including Jarred Brindal, Jakeb ODonnell, Jono Hansen and Max Melling and its going to be tough to know who is going to take out the top step of the podium in this race

Finally we have the Sportslite class and its another duel. Rookie CJ Green will be debuting his Matrix Buggy up against Aaron Gates in his Goose Racing buggy. Gates has shown a lot of pace in his motorbike powered machine in the past and will be hoping its enough to hold off Green who is making his WAORC debut

Stay tuned to WAORC.com and our social channels for more information about the event

Additional Entries approved for PJ360

Posted on February 6, 2023

After selling out in less than 1 week, the Perenjori 360 has now had its entry capacity upped from 50 vehicles to 60. Unfortunately with the current track length, it will be impractical and potentially unsafe to try fit more than 60 vehicles onto the 72km course, so in order to ensure a fun, fast and safe event, this cap will have to remain in place. Excitingly, much of this additional allocation of 10 spots has already been taken and all competitors on the wait list currently will be able to race the event. Having already received 9 entries which are on the wait list, these will now be transferred over to the entry list meaning that we currently have a record 59 entries for the 2023 McPhee Freight, Gturbo Perenjori 360. This will mean that there is only 1 space to spare before we start another wait list, so if there is anyone out there who thought they had missed out, this really is the last chance to secure your spot on the starting grid!

With the event selling out for the second year in a row and the 2023 edition set to be the biggest Perenjori ever, the WAORC is very excited to see what this means for the remaining events this year and its clear to see that off road racing in WA is as strong as its ever been. Commendation must also go the team at ORRWA who over recent years have worked with the Shire of Perenjori and local farmers to unlock exciting areas to race in and transform the event from majority paddock running, to a lot more natural terrain, gravel pit and exciting sections of race track

To see the Further regulations document, click here
To enter the event, please click here
To see the entry list, please click here

Entries Open for 2023 Perenjori 360

Posted on January 28, 2023

Entries are now open for the 2023 McPhee Freight, Gturbo Perenjori 360. Round 1 of the 2023 WAORC is once again held at Perenjori as it has been for many years now. The popular event last year sold out with 50 entries and is once again expected to host a big field of competitors

Already, with entries open for just 24 hours the teams have been flooding in, with some very high quality entries being received. So far the headline act is current state champion, Adam Trewhella who will once again be campaigning in his Pro Buggy. The BRP team will be hoping to emulate their fine form from 2022 and start their title defence off on the right foot

Another one of the notable early entries is that of the 2021 WAORC champion, Jayden Grewar. After a slightly subdued 2022 with some mechanical issues hampering his campaign, Grewar and the RAW Racing team are back with a vengeance and hoping to put their CanAm X3 back on top again

Troy Higgins of Kalgoorlie has nominated and will be bringing the immaculately presented Jarrahfire Drilling GET Pro Buggy to Perenjori. The Higgins Motorsport Team had a strong run at KDR 2022 showing that they have the pace to run up the front and it will be exciting to see the team turn up the heat at Perenjori for the first time

We also have a number of rookies entering in the WAORC for the first time, Jono Hansen and Jakeb ODonell, being 2 new SXS Pro competitors, both in CanAm X3’s. With many more entries expected to flow in, its already shaping up as a strong start to the 2023 racing season

To enter the 2023 Perenjori 360, follow this link
Supplementary Regulations can be found here
Current Entry List can be found here

WAORC Points ahead of final round for 2022

Posted on September 23, 2022

The 2022 WAORC is headed for one final showdown at the Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race, which is also doubling as the final round of the BFGoodrich Motorsport Australia Australian Off Road Racing Championship. With Three Springs being cancelled due to torrential rain making the track impassable, this will mean that the WAORC has been shortened to now be a 4 round series, with a competitors best 3 races to count

In the Outright Championship, the champion elect is Adam Trewhella, his results of 2 firsts and a second seeing him sit at the top of the tree. Jared Percival is sitting in second place in his prolite before a gaggle of SXS Pro’s Yeardley, Caldwell, Montgomery and Hutchinson rounding out the top 6. The Round 3 winner of the Gascoyne Dash Stephen Ketteridge-Hall sitting just behind in 7th place

Pro Buggy once again sees Adam Trewhella at the top of the pile, with Wayne Batson and Paul Nappy locked in equal second, whilst Troy Schoen would be hoping a little more luck and reliability will help him jump up into the top 2

Jared Percival leads the Prolite class, with Michael Davis his nearest contender. Davis is set to miss Kalgoorlie, so Ketteridge-Hall will be looking to take advantage of this in his absence

Extreme 2wd has Karl Richardson in the Dirt Motorsport Beetle leading the way over Brad Krepp. Krepp has strong form with a 3rd outright at Kalgoorlie las year and so will be hoping for another strong result to round out the year

Sean Beck holds a slender lead over Greg Pickersgill. A strong run for Pickersgill would see him overhaul Beck for the class championship, but the Junior Development Kingswood is in strong position to lock up another class championship

Extreme 4wd sees one of the closest class battles with all 6 of those to score points this season with a mathematical chance of taking the class win. Daniel Jones holds a slim margin over Daniel Fahey in the 2 very evenly matched Nissan GQ Patrols, whilst Chris Dawes will be on the hunt having found some serious form in his GU Patrol as the season has rolled on

SXS Pro with a mammoth 32 competitors having already scored points this season is by far the biggest class on the list. With the drop your worst round points system, there are 5 drivers in the hunt to take out the class championship. Mal Yeardley currently sits on top of the points, with Aaron Caldwell just behind. Paul Hutchinson is currently 3rd in class and the only remaining Polaris in contention for the class title. Paul Delacey sits 4th whilst Jake Montgomery is 5th and is the final contender in with a chance. Making this class battle extra spicy is that the Kalgoorlie race also doubles as a round of the Kincrome SXS Motorsport Australia Championship meaning that it will all be on the line in this final run

Sporstlite is another closely fought class with Darren Alexander, Wayne Holt, Joe Hawkins and Aaron Gates all a chance to take out the class title.

Whilst in Production 4wd, Graeme Bentink is the class leader Production 4wd and will be looking forward to taking on the AORC contenders.

In Super 1650 Aaron Dark holds the points lead in his Bullet Frame Buggy

Keep an eye out on both the WAORC and Kalgoorlie Desert Race socials to follow what will be an exciting round of the 2022 WAORC

Full Points can be found here