#269 – Best Presented Buggy at Gas Dash
Daniel Allen in his #269 Super 1650 buggy has won the best presented buggy award at the Horizon Power Kickstarters Gascoyne Dash. In his first run of the 2017 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC season Allen capped off a great weekend with a 1st in class as well as the best presented buggy award
With a solid points haul, Allen is sitting pretty at the top of the class standings heading into the 3rd round of the 2017 CAMS Carnarvon Motel WAORC at Bencubbin
Kirkwood and Michelmore win Intense Contingency Prize
The Intense LED Australia Contingency Prize for Round 2 of the 2017 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC has been won by Gary Kirkwood and David Michelmore. Whilst they rolled their #721 Pajero which put their event to an end, the crew was fortunate enough to win the LED lightbar as a part of the contingency program
Congratulations to the #721 team and thank you to Intense LED Australia for their support of the series
Murray wins the Oricom Contingecy Prize
The Oricom UHF CB Contingency Prize for Round 2 of the 2017 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC has been won by Mark Murray in his Diesel powered Nissan Patrol. It was a successful weekend for the #866 crew as Murray also took out the Extreme 4wd class, well and truly making amends for Round 1 when their race came to an abrupt holt after collecting a tree
Congratulations Mark and thank you to Oricom UHF CB for their support of the series
Schoen wins an enthralling Gas Dash
Troy Schoen has made it 2 different winners in the first 2 rounds of the 2017 CAMS Carnarvon Motel WAORC. In an impressive display, Schoen maintained his overnight lead to win the Horizon Power, Kickstarters Gascoyne Dash for 2017.
Sundays first section of 2 laps saw Troy Schoen pick up where he left off taking the section by just under 30 seconds from a charging Harleigh Uren. After issues on day 1 dropped him back through the pack, the One Speed Off Road Racing driver fought his way through the dust to beat Mal Yeardley and Jared Percival who were locked in a tight tussle in their prolites. Locals Brett and Kevin Renton lost the right front wheel which put paid to their 2017 assault whilst throughout the field there were tight battles all round. Unfortunately for #721 Gary Kirkwood and David Michelmore rolled their Production 4wd Pajero putting them out of the event
As the competitors went out for Section 2 the intensity appeared to be raised to another level! Schoen continued to lead out front, but after a short pit stop at the end of lap 1 to their lead on the road had shrunk to just 30 seconds. Uren was charging in the dust, but unfortunately mechanical gremlins took him out of the race whilst a podium position was in his grasp. Mal Yeardley and Jared Percival were going toe to toe for 2nd and 3rd outright as well as the Prolite class win, trading lap times in what was to be a very close finish. In the end it was Jared Percival who would storm through to take 2nd outright, with Yeardley not far behind in 3rd. In Super 1650, Daniel Allen had a clean run in challenging conditions to finish 1st in class, a great result for the team. Darryl Hardman won the Extreme 4wd class Mark Murray and Mitchell Davies waged a collossal battle for class honours with Murray being the victor in his Turbo Diesel powered Patrol. The Production 4wd battle turned into a race of attrition. Ben Armstrong cracked the radiator and didnt make it out for Section 3, whilst Steve Baxter blew a motor taking him out of the class lead. Graeme Bentink inherited the top spot, only to break his front shock mounts. Chris May was the only vehicle in the class left running, but a DNF on the last lap handed the class win back to Graeme Bentink in his GTurbo sponsored LandCruiser. Matthew Beck endured a difficult day in the WA Off Road Junior Development Performance 2wd, but a strong finish the event saw him take out the class win in an awesome debut effort
There is now a brief hiatus from the WAORC as the multiclub event, the Narrogin Chase held by WAORRA is run in May, before the Bencubbin 360 sees the third round of the 2017 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC in early June
Schoen scorches the field on Day 1 at the Dash
The Horizon Power Gascoyne Dash Day 1 is underway and if the first days racing action is anything to go by, we are in for a cracker during Sundays final 2 sections. Scrutineering for Round 2 of the CAMS Carnarvon Motel WAORC was held in the Carnarvon town centre on Friday afternoon, with a bit of a party atmosphere and the traditional Carnarvon hospitality which the event has become known for.
As the focus turned to racing, an 8 km prologue was first on the agenda for the field of 28 competitors. Unfortunately the much awaited debut of the WA Off Road Junior Development Program Holden Kingswood got off to a rocky start, Gearbox issues on recon forced the crew to miss out on prologue. The Production 4wds were first off the line and it was the #736 of Darren Schultz who pulled the first punch by taking out the class for prologue. Next up was Super 1650 and Daniel Allen put together a clean run to sit in 16th outright. Mitchell Davies flew the big red navara to 1st in Extreme 4wd class. Colin Doney blitzed the Extreme 2wd field, whilst Jared Percival continued his strong for 1st in Prolite. As the Pro Buggies took to the track, there was a brief intermission as Mark Cramer and Adam Trewhella took a ride on the wild side, rolling their #932 machine and putting them out of the event. Out in front Harleigh Uren surprised every body to blast his was to 1st outright on prologue in his One Speed Racing Maxxis sponsored machine
Saturday afternoon saw the competitors tackle 1 lap of the 70km track, with dust clearly going to be an issue. Uren blasted out of the gates and held his lead until a flat tyre dropped him back through the pack. Schoen didn’t need to be asked twice as he took a lead he would never relinquish and a 1 minute 39 gap back to the chasing pack. Brad Cooper blew a power steering valve and was out of the race early, whilst Brett Renton was on the charge and moved into 2nd outright on corrected time. Jared Percival continued his strong form to sit 3rd outright, just ahead of Marcus Wells and Mal Yeardley. Colin Doney smashed his Extreme 2wd competitors in his blue beetle to lock out 6th outright and first in class. Mark Murray took the ascendancy in the Extreme 4wd class, but remains locked in a dog fight with early leader Mitchell Davies. Daniel Allen enjoyed a strong run, moving up to 13th outright and 1st in class just ahead of Darren Schultz who was making the most of his borrowed Production 4wd Jeep and stormed to the class lead. Unfortunately the WAORJDP #583 continued its troubled debut. Whilst having a good run and slowly starting to reel in some of the cars in front, temperature issues forced Matthew Beck to abandon his run around SOS checkpoint 3
With 2 more sections, each 2 laps and 140kms long, there is still a lot of racing to go and day 2 of the Horizon Power Gas Dash is sure to throw up many more challenges! Results can be found here http://my6.raceresult.com/71981/?lang=en#
Pro Buggies ready to put on a show!
The Pro Buggy field are ready and raring to put on a show at the 2017 Horizon Power Gas Dash. Round 2 of the 2017 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC is set to be an absolute cracker as the states best do battle in the perfect landscape to show what a Pro Buggy can do!
#19 – Troy Schoen in his immaculate CCR Hoses and Fittings machine will come into the Gas Dash full of confidence after a last start win at Three Springs. This Orange Bullet is ready to kick off the season with a bang and will go in as one of the class favorites!
#42 – Peter Barrett will be looking for a good clean run in the Carnarvon Motel sponsored Pro Buggy. With the potential and pace that Barrett has shown, a good run in front of his home crowd could net a solid top ten finish
#74 – Without doubt the home town heroes, Brett and Kevin Renton are the Carnarvon locals best hope of taking out the event. Renton is fresh off a podium finish in 2016 and will be hoping to replicate that form when the WAORC comes to town!
#76 – The Don Brothers are also Carnarvon locals who will be looking for a strong run in their home town race. This crew have an attitude which epitomizes the spirit of the Gas Dash “Winning is something, finishing is everything” and this should hold them in good stead come Sunday night
#77 – Harleigh Uren makes a surprise switch from Extreme 2wd to Pro Buggy. Already blisteringly quick, it remains to be seen what other tricks the One Speed Off Road Racing crew have up their sleeves. This is a definite dark horse for the class and outright honours!
#98 – Fresh off of a breakthrough podium finish at Perenjori, Marcus Wells will be looking to extend his good run at the Gas Dash. The youngster isn’t afraid to lay it all on the line in his quest to be standing on top of the podium at the Gas Dash
#932 – Mark Cramer had a nightmare run at Perenjori. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. With the fire in the belly and will to make amends even stronger than before, Cramer is going to be on a mission and charging hard
#968 – Brad Cooper may as well be an adopted ‘Carnarvon-ite’ such is the affinity that he has with racing there. Maybe there is something in the air, but Cooper seems to step it up to another level when it comes to racing in Carnarvon. Victorious in 2016, Cooper will be aiming to claim the prestigious Gascoyne Dash as well as breathing life into his 2017 WAORC campaign
Production 4wds ready to attack the Dash!
The Production 4wd field is once again set to put on a show at the Gascoyne Dash. As with the Extreme 4wds, this is an event close to the hearts of most Production 4wd racers with much
#721 – David Michelmore and Gary Kirkwood are regulars at races in the North west. Their #721 Mitsubishi Pajero is tough, reliable and quick enough to trouble the series regulars
#727 – Steven Baxter has made great strides with his Toyota Landcruiser. With the pace shown at Perenjori the Baxter Racing team look set for their best outing yet at the upcoming Horizon Power Gascoyne Dash. With a striking new look for 2017, this car will be easy to spot and one to watch!
#736 – Ted Schultz has thrown the keys of the Ray White Jeep Grand Cherokee to Darren Schultz meaning that we can expect absolutely anything out of this entry. We know the Jeep has pedigree, but with an unknown driver at the wheel, the team will be looking to surprise the rest of the Production 4wd field
#764 – Ben Armstrong will be opening his 2017 season with a big charge at the Gascoyne Dash. The current Production 4wd champion has ground to make up after missing round 1 and will be on a mission to prove why the Bottlefed Racing Team are the top dogs when it comes to Production 4wds
#766 – Chris May returns in his GQ Nissan Patrol which has competed in many previous editions of the Gascoyne Dash. The vehicle which has been racing for more years than most other of its class competitors is good enough and the driver knows how to extract the maximum, so be prepared for a big push from the #766
#790 – Graeme Bentink is riding high on the confidence that his GTurbo powered Toyota Landcruiser has been an absolute bullet this season. With times that are making much of the Extreme 4wd field nervous, Bentink will be looking to continue that run and prove that just how quick a diesel can go
Prolites to continue their push at the Gas Dash
The Prolites are one class which always present a top quality field and fierce racing throughout. Picking a winner from the 6 Prolites entered into the Horizon Power Gascoyne Dash is about as easy as picking the lotto numbers!
#119 – Jared Percival isn’t a former WAORC outright champion for no reason. After a strong result at Perenjori, Percival will be looking to bank more points, potentially a class win and if the cards fall his way an outright position.
#158 – Ashley Ruthers and Anthony Doig have been consistently getting quicker in their BAT Prolite. Round 1 showed that they have what it takes to battle with the best in the class and if they can have a clean run this could be the break through event!
#163 – Wayne Holt in the Goose Racing Prolite will be looking to pounce at the Gas Dash! The event and track layout suits Holt and his driving style as he threw down some strong lap times here in 2016 and will be looking to do so again in 2017
#168 – Mark Jarrett is primed and ready to unlock the full potential of his Epic Racing Prolite. Whilst a some small issues hampered progress at Perenjori, the #168 machine has all the ingredients to match it with the best and Jarrett will be gunning for them
#171 – At Round 1 of the 2017 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC Mal Yeardley came tantalisingly close to an outright podium. Rest assured if the oportunity arises again Mal have his race face on and giving it everything to bring it home. A dark horse for the outright championship and definitely a competitor to keep your eyes on
#195 – George Metaxas has been plugging away consistently and will be hoping that this run can continue at the Horizon Power Gascoyne Dash. Metaxas has the potential to run at the front of this Prolite field and will be hoping that his SS Racetech Prolite can carry him there!
Performance 2wd & Super 1650 Preview
Both the Performance 2wd class and Super 1650 classes may only have one entry each, but both hold a lot of interest for their own reasons
#583 – Round 2 of the 2017 CAMS, Carnarvon Motel WAORC sees the debut of a very special vehicle. A specially prepared HZ Holden built to Performance 2wd specs and with a very special purpose. This vehicle is a part of the WA Off Road Junior Development program and will see Matt Beck behind the wheel in his first ever race! Whilst it will be a daunting experience, the WAORJDP has pulled out all stops to build a vehicle and support program capable of bringing juniors into the sport. Keep an eye on this red rocket as Matt gets more comfortable behind the wheel
#269 – Daniel Allen is making his competitive return to the WAORC after some time out of the seat. The always immaculately presented Super 1650 is very quick and with a good run will be nipping at the heels of many of the other buggy competitors. After a hit out at the recent WAORRA Charity Ride Day, the #269 is primed and ready to give it everything at the Horizon Power Gascoyne Dash!
Extreme 2wd trio to charge at the Gas Dash
A trio of Extreme 2wds will be lined up for the Horizon Power Gascoyne Dash and it is anyone race! Whilst 2 of the competitors opened their WAORC accounts at the first round of the series, its the first time we will be seeing one of the Carnarvon locals hit the track!
#406 – Colin Doney certainly put shocked many of the series regulars at the Perenjori 360. The beautifully presented blue beetle put the field on notice and will be hoping to do the same again at Carnarvon for the Gas Dash
#425 – Current Extreme 2wd champion Greg Pickersgill was making a charge for the outright positions before a mechanical issue took him out of the race. With ‘Pickers’ #425 machine repaired and raring to go, the man from Geraldton will be looking to put on a show and take aim at not just the top of the Extreme 2wd class, but the event outright!
#428 – Local Darryl Hardman in the Desert Sweet Bananas Pro Truck is a tough competitor at the best of times, but in front of his home crowd, he takes things to the next level. If Hardman has a clean run, its going to take a hell of a drive to stop him from walking out with a trophy on Sunday night!
Western Australian Off Road Racing Championship 