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Agrela dominates the Rod Hatter Memorial
Darren Agrela has taken a flag to flag victory as he fires a warning shot to his rivals at the GTurbo, Rod Hatter Memorial Perenjori 360. Held in warm conditions it looked like we were set for a tough race right from the outset as there were surprises during the prologue run. 3 times and reigning WAORC champion Jared Percival faltered early with mechanical gremlins making him a DNF on prologue. Agrela sealed his position at the front of the field with a 10.03.9 with the Extreme 2wd of Colin Doney next best clocking a 10.11.0 to apply some pressure the Undecided Racing Team. Justin Steadman shook off the rust to take 3rd outright in his return to racing as Cooper and Hickey rounded out the top 5
Section 1 saw Agrela fly away from the field and was in untouchable form to take a 1 minute 42 second lead over Colin Doney. Justin Steadman rounded out the top 3 as Yeardley, Cooper and Hickey fell out of contention and Percival again did not finish. With the race turning into a battle just to make it to the line the pits were busy on Saturday night as crews rebuilt and prepped their vehicles for the 2 sections on Sunday
Section 2 saw the face of the race change dramatically as Agrela continued to lead unchallenged, but behind him all hell was breaking loose. Colin Doney had a flat tyre to put paid to his challenge, whilst Steadman broke an axle, leaving him stranded at the 40km marker. Shepley rose the occasion and moved into 2nd outright, whilst Mark Harris pushed hard to claim 3rd position. The 4wds of Mark Murray and Garry Povah were having a red hot battle whilst Graeme Bentink was very impressive in making his way into the top 10 in his Production 4wd
The final section was a nervy one for the top 3 runners, particularly Shepley who had a flat tyre early which threatened to derail his podium push. Agrela cruised home out in front to take a popular victory for the 2019 GTurbo Rod Hatter Memorial Perenjori 360. With such a dominant performance in the books this is certainly an ominous sign for his rivals in this years CAMS, Westside Insurance & Carnarvon Motel WAORC. Shepley had dropped a lot of positions on road, but managed to hold onto his 2nd outright and 1st in Extreme 2wd, a result which has been a long time coming for the Digrite crew. 3rd place in one of the drives of the weekend was the #611 of Mark Harris and Gloria Viggiano. Garry Povah had a big last section push to take the Extreme 4wd class, whilst Karl Richardson and Peter Barrett were victorious in Performance 2wd and Sportslite respectively.
Of the original 39 starters, just 19 managed to complete all 6 laps as the 2019 CAMS, Westside Insurance & Carnarvon Motel WAORC got off to a spectacular start. We now look ahead to Easter as the prestigious Gascoyne Dash marks round 2 of the series
R1 – Pro Buggy Preview
The heavy hitters of the 2019 CAMS, Westside Insurance & Carnarvon Motel WAORC have come out to play and its a field of 5 Pro buggies that are ready to raise hell at Perenjori. Its going to be game on when the pro buggies leave the line as all 5 are closely matched and will be sure to put on one hell of a race
32 – David Hickey in his Jungle Motorsport Porter is ready for an assault on the Gturbo Rod Hatter Memorial Perenjori 360. Ably assisted by Ashley Ruthers, this duo have shown in the past that they can run at the front and have the pace to push for a podium finish
39 -Darren Agrela in the Undecided Racing Jimco is undoubtedly one of the quickest competitors in the state. The #39 machine is a proven race winner and punches some serious ponies out from its VQ35 twin turbo. Win or lose, this team will put on a show!
68 – Justin Steadman doesn’t compete in WAORC events all that regularly, but when other competitors see his name on the entry list, they take note. Steadman has a lightning quick chev powered BAT at his disposal and if its on song will be aiming for the top spot of the podium
99 – Marcus Wells has tasted success at Perenjori in the past, spraying the champagne in 2017 with a fine 3rd outright. In a tough field, Wells will be a contender as long as he has a clean run to the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon
968 – Brad Cooper needs no introduction when it comes to off road racing in Western Australia. The multiple times Outright champion is race winning threat every time he shows up at the start line. Watch out for a big charge on day 2 as Cooper has been known to finish events off in a blaze of dust and V8 powered fury
R1 – Prolite Preview
The Prolite class has a history of being one of the most hotly contested in the sport. For the season opener we have 3 x N/A powered rockets ready to do battle for supremacy. This is going to be a close contest as all 3 have the capability to run away with a win
119 – Jared Percival is a driver who needs no introduction. Fresh from wrapping up a 3rd WAORC outright crown, Percival is refreshed and ready to stomp on the loud pedal. The SS Racetech built, Toyota powered Prolite has proven to be one of the most formidable packages and will be the one to beat!
171 – Mal Yeardley in his Carnarvon Motel Racing Bat is one driver who has the ability to match it with the big guns. Yeardley has shown over the years that he can match it with the best buggy competitors in the state regardless of what class and will have his sights set on the top of the podium
175 – David Rowett is a young man with a lot of potential. The Inland Mechanical Racing Team have spent a lot of time tweaking and making changes to their buggy since it debuted and all of this effort could come to fruition at Perenjori. Keep an eye out for this hard charger when the chequered flag drops on Sunday afternoon
R1 – Super 1650 & Sportslite Preview
Westside Insurance Specialists Michael Davis is the only Super 1650 entrant in this years field, but he will be hoping to chase down a few of the Sportslite competitors. With a field of 4, the sportslite class continues to grow and is showing signs of being one of the most popular classes of racing in the CAMS, Westside Insurance & Carnarvon Motel WAORC
234 – Michael Davis is bringing out his 2018 class championship winning Southern Cross for another crack at a title. Davis is the only runner in his class, but will put on a spirited fight against the more powerful Sportslite class buggies
1010 – Deon Visagie ran a close second in the class championship in 2018 and will be hoping to get his 2019 championship tilt off on the right foot at Perenjori. The single seat competitor has at his disposal a buggy which he built himself and has had a full seasons worth of upgrade and R&D which could catapult it to the front of its class
1018 – Chris Thomas is another competitor racing a self built buggy. Making the most of regulation changes to allow motorbike powered buggies into Sportslite, Thomas will be on the attack in his Katana buggy which is Suzukia powered and has an impressive power to weight ratio. Our tip is that speed won’t be an issue for this machine
1023 – Joe Hawkins is back for another crack in his Bandit Offroad Racing buggy. Powered by a Nissan VQ25, there is no shortage of power available and Hawkins will be a serious contender in the class battle
1032 – Peter Barrett comes into this event as the reigning class champion, but dont expect the added pressure to get to the Carnarvon Motel man. Barrett is an experienced competitor and his Honda powered Bullet is a potent package which just might get the job done again
Cagetec announce sponsorship of the SXS class for Perenjori
Off Road Racing WA Inc. are proud to announce that thanks to the generous sponsorship from Cagetec there will be a $500 cash prize pool for the SXS class at the 2019 Gturbo, Rod Hatter Memorial Perenjori 360. Cagetec Managing Director Frank Galea has announcd this week that the $500 will be split between 1st, 2nd and 3rd placegetters in the SXS Turbo class. With 11 competitors in in CanAm and Polaris SXS’s racing in this class, it will be a very hotly contested race and is the largest class in the field
The SXS classes have been a strong area of growth throughout recent years and Cagetec have been the manufacturer of choice when it comes to fitting out your SXS for racing as well as a whole range of parts for the recreational user. Throughout the 11 strong field there are many Cagetec parts on show, from door panels, roofs, fuel tanks, roll cages, spare tyre mounts, nerf bars, the list goes on
As if the racing in this class wasn’t going to be hot enough, this little extra incentive is sure to spice things up just a little bit more!
For more information on the 2019 CAMS, Westside Insurance & Carnarvon Motel WAORC visit www.waorc.com
For more information on the Gturbo, Rod Hatter Memorial Perenjori 360 visit www.orrwa.com
For more information on Cagetec, visit www.cagetec.net
R1 – SXS Turbo Class Preview
Comfortably the biggest class in the 2019 Gturbo, Rod Hatter Memorial Perenjori 360 is the SXS Turbo. Split between CanAm X3’s and Polaris RZR and Turbo S SXS vehicles this is going to be one of the most hotly contested classes and should continue all year
609 – Simon Clifford is one of the few competitors in this field who ran for most of the 2018 season. This experience should see the Polaris RZR competitor be fighting for a podium place by the end of the race
611 – Mark Harris made his WAORC debut at the Kalgoorlie Desert Race in 2018. Buoyed by a strong off season where Harris has put some more miles on his CanAm X3 RC this is going to be one of the crews to watch over race weekend
651 – Colin Bevan and Michael Dodds are making their WAORC debut at Perenjori. Equipped with a very quick Can Am X3 the 651 team will be hoping that they can fast track their learning curve and achieve a strong result on race debut
661 – Rob and Callum Alford are making their WAORC debut as well in a Polaris Turbo S. With a background in motorcross, the father and son team from Donnybrook are no strangers to competitive motorsport and will be looking to bring that experience into a strong WAORC campaign
662 – Ben Hodge and Trent Slatter have spent most of the off season fine tuning their Polaris Turbo S after they had a rollercoaster run in their debut race in Kalgoorlie 2018. One thing you can be sure is that when the helmet goes down the #662 crew are going to send it!
666 – Brent Fowler from Kbest Racing is making his WAORC debut in a Polaris RZR Turbo. In that RZR Turbo packe, Fowler and navigator Alan Vial have everything they need at their disposal to have a crack at the class podium
674 – Chris Unstead was one of the quickest SXS competitors throughout the 2018 season. Armed with all of the knowledge from 2018 including an attack on the Finke Desert Race, Unstead will be hoping to stay in front of the many new competitors for 2019
682 – Mat Birnie is another new comeptitor making his debut. He brings to the table a CanAm X3 which has the potential to be right up the pointy end in this class. With such a competitive field of 11 SXS Turbo vehicles its going to make for a tough battle
683 – Gavin Rodgers is another of the more experienced competitors in this group and will be hoping to make that count. The father – daughter team made their debut mid 2018 and the results got better and better as the year went on and are looking to capitalize on that on race weekend
696 – Sean Fitzpatrick will also be making his WAORC debut in a Can Am X3. The Fitzpatrick racing team will know that the X3 is one of the quickest vehicles in the class and will be hoping that they can mix it up with the best
699 – Ash Sudholz is the most experienced SXS competitor in the class and has championship wins that goes with that. For Ash, its all about bringing the Polaris RZR Turbo home for a finish. The LA Car Carriers crew are some of the nice guys of the sport and a podium finish would be a popular one
R1 – Performance 2wd Class Preview
The Performance 2wd class has a trio of vehicles, each of which are very different and should make for an intriguing race.
555 – Daniel Fahey looks to pilot the Junior Development Toyota 22r powered machine to the front of the class. Ably supported by navigator Sean Beck, the Wa Off Road Junior Development duo will be hoping to take down the other bigger Performance 2wd competitors as well as a few Extreme 2wds
569 – Karl Richardson has reverted his formerly Extreme 2wd Navara into the Performance 2wd class for 2019. This car has been very quick over the years and the Boats Unlimited Team will be hoping that the change of class will bring with it some trophies as they have their sights set on the top step of the podium
583 – Mathew Beck is scheduled to be behind the wheel of the ‘Kinga’ again. The reigning and 2 time Performance 2wd Class champion knows that he will have a big job ahead of him, but should be able to put his experience as part of the WA Off Road Junior Development Program to good use in his pursuit of another class win
R1 – Extreme 2wd Class Preview
There will be an exciting trio of Extreme 2wd vehicles lined up to tackle the first round of the 2019 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel & Westside Insurance WAORC. With 2 trophy trucks coming up against the iconic Doney Racing Beetle its going to make for an exciting battle
406 – Doney Racing will be hoping to get their title attack off to the best possibly start after falling agonizingly short in 2018. The blue beetle has pace to burn and if Colin Doney can unleash the that potential the 406 could well be a class winner and challenging for the podium outright
411 – Phil Shepley in his #411 Digrite supported Pro 2 is a bit of an X factor in this years Perenjori 360. Shepley has made just a handful of starts since debuting the bright red truck, but has undertaken a massive amount of work over the off season. This car has the potential to run right at the front, the team just needs a clean run to unlock that potential
444 – Chris Giles will be excited and encouraged by his form in late 2018. The Ford Raptor looks quick and more importantly secured a strong finish, 7th outright and 2nd in class at Three Springs and the team will be hoping that they can continue this form
LensNation Studio are the 2019 WAORC Media Partners
We are very proud to announce that LensNation Studio are the official 2019 media partner of the WAORC. Extensive videography skills and a passion and drive to produce the best possible content, LensNation Studio are a great fit for the WAORC. Bobby Sandhu, creative producer for LensNation was on hand at scrutineering to capture a small sample of the vehicles and is looking forward to the challenge of getting out to the race tracks and capturing all of the racing action
Coming off the back of the recent announcing of Westside Insurance and Carnarvon Motel as the series naming rights sponsors, this news regarding the media partner sees the Western Australian Off Road Racing Championship continue to be one of the leading off road racing championships in Australia
Be sure to follow LensNation Studio on Facebook, subscribe to their Youtube Channel to follow along with all of the latest WAORC and off road racing content!
R1 – Production 4wd Class Preview
It will be Toyota Vs Jeep Vs Nissan at the opening round of the 2019 WAORC as we have 5 Production 4wd’s lined up and ready to strike the first blow of the year. As well as returning competitors, we also have some new racers ready to try and make their mark
715 – Aaron Griffiths will be taking on his first off road race in a Toyota Prado which he has spent the past few years kitting out and building up for off road racing. Whilst Griffiths may be new to off road racing, he does have experience in winch comp and gymkhana style events. If he can transfer those skills across to the high speed of off road racing, this could well be an event to remember for the Red Cloud Racing team as they make their WAORC debut
736 – Barry Schultz will be back and having another crack at Perenjori in the ex Ted Schultz Jeep Grand Cherokee. The #736 machine seems to have found another gear since Barry started driving it and has been one of the front running machines in the class. The only question is if the Jeep can sustain the pace for all 360kms of this years race
783 – Father and Son team of Nic and Sebastien Jennings will be hoping that things will be a bit smoother than their debut run this time last year. Losing a wheel is not the ideal way to get things going, but since then the Out n Back Racing team have been tinkering with the 80 series and making good strides forward. With a clean run, this crew is capable of landing on the podium and claiming some redemption from 2018
789 – Tim Murray has at his disposal one of the quickest GU Patrol’s running in the Production 4wd class. Murray has been attending a handful of events each season and each time has been a force to be reckoned with. If the 4.8L Patrol hits the track with the same form as previous season, its going to take a lot to stop the #789 machine
790 – Graeme Bentink will have his Gtrubo Toyota Landcruiser 200 series on track again and will be the only diesel powered vehicle in the Production 4wd class. The crew at Gturbo know how to punch out performance from a diesel and Bentink will be one of the favorites to take out the class
