2012 AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI - LEG 7 FINAL - JUST 4X4S

2012 Australasian Safari - Leg 7 FINAL

In their PWR Motorsport Holden Colorado, Hederics (NSW) and Weel (Qld) finished a comfortable one hour 24 minutes ahead of their nearest rivals after driving a steady race over the past eight days.

Hederics' 2012 victory is now his tenth across both Moto (motorcycle) and Auto divisions. Hederics has won six out of seven Safari attempts on a motorcycle and four out of seven attempts in a car. The veteran now holds the record for most Aus Safari wins for both moto and auto divisions. For co-driver and navigator Weel, this year's victory is his second as a navigator and the fourth in the car.

"I had to rush back for the footy today to watch Sydney!," a clearly relieved Hederics joked. "We held the lead for three days and had it to lose. Driving conservatively is sometimes harder than going fast.

"I've been on loads of Safaris as a competitor and as support, this is by far the best course. The difference in terrain and the variances have been really good. The organisation is good and there are experienced guys running the show and they know what's required."

For West Australians Rob Herridge and Sam Hill (Maximum Motorsport Subaru Forester), second overall was a huge achievement. Being in the Production Class meant their Forester had very few modifications, but was still pushed through some very demanding terrain and performed impressively. With their service crew, the Maximum Motorsport team managed to keep the near-stock vehicle on track for the eight days.

Like Hederics, Herridge took it easy on the final leg, finishing 13th after the day's two stages (Hederics finished sixth on Leg 7), but this was still good enough to lock down the overall runner-up spot. The WA pair finished an impressive one hour and 39 minutes ahead of third place holders, Reg Owen & Russel Cairns.

"I'm feeling pumped. We've been trying not to celebrate for three days because it's not over 'til it's over," Herridge said. "It went well beyond our expectations. Not only did we win a few stages, we came second outright. It's a testament to Subaru cars. We're rapt."

The Owen/Cairns Nissan Patrol placed third, a well-deserved position for the Safari veterans who have 40 years of experience in off-road competition. Their third place this year came in the pair's 15th start in the Australasian Safari, but their podium was a close one, with only 2-minutes separating third from fourth

"We had to work for it. We were pushing quite hard today but 122 (Park/Newbon) made the bigger mistake," Owen said. "They were pushing as well. This event has been tops. They have got it 100 percent right. The tracks were great, they were marked well and it has made a big difference."

Special mention must go the international entrants at this year's Safari. Of the two teams from Thailand, both of which were running Isuzu D-Max utes, the pairing of Vorapot Bunchuaylua and Pitak Bhradprueng finished a noteworthy seventh overall.

Another international entry that shone was the Venezuelan pairing of Nunzio Coffaro and Daniel Meneses. In their prototype Toyota Hilux dual cab (that they also campaigned at this year's Dakar rally), the South Americans suffered innumerable punctures and found the going tough at times, but managed to win a stage and record some fast times on their way to ninth overall.

27 competitors in the Auto division started the Australasian Safari on September 21, and after a Prologue and seven legs, 19 crossed the finish line at Geraldton. Amongst the non-finishers, the most notable was Bruce Garland. After damaging his Isuzu D-Max on Leg 2, Garland decided to withdraw, in order to give his team time to repair the vehicle in preparation for its shipping to South America for the 2013 Dakar Rally.

The new course for this year's event, which combined coastal as well as inland elements, was praised by most competitors. This mix of bush and beach is likely to make a return for the 2013 running of the Australasian Safari.

2012 Australasian Safari FINAL STANDINGS - Top Ten AUTO Division (unofficial)

Driver/Co-Driver Vehicle Time
1. John Hederics/Kees Weel 2008 Holden Colorado (#100) 27hrs 15min 35sec
PWR Racing

2. Rob Herridge/Sam Hill 2008 Subaru Forester S (#105) 28hrs 43 min 22sec
Maximum Motorsport

3. Reg Owen/Russel Cairns 2004 Nissan Patrol (#115) 30hrs 19min 15sec
Owen Truss

4. Wayne Park/Myles Newbon 2010 Toyota Hilux (#122) 30hrs 21min 18sec
Hercules Tires

5. Adrian DiLallo/Robert Masi 2007 Isuzu D-Max (#177) 31hrs 24min 45sec
AAAC Towing/Recovery

6. Murray Young/Paul McBean 2002 Mitsubishi Pajero (#127) 31hrs 52min 45sec
Cairns Cart Hire

7. Vorapot Bunchuaylua/ 2012 Isuzu D-Max V-Cross (#114) 32hrs 46min 42sec
Pitak Bradprueng (Thailand) ABTEC-SITTIPOL Group Isuzu Bridgestone

8. Geoff Olholm/Gordon Trigg 2004 Mitsubishi Pajero (#108) 33hrs 23min 23sec
Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort Rally Team

9. Nunzio Coffaro/Daniel Meneses 2012 Toyota Hilux (#102) 33hrs 38min 48sec
(Venezuela) Team Azimut

10. Gerald Scholfield/Dean George 2010 Mitsubishi Challenger (#104)34hrs 53min 08 sec
Fibertech Medical Australia

The Australasian Safari, from 21 to 29 September 2012, is an eight-day endurance race that sees competitors travel mainly off-road tracks through the outback of Western Australia. The event is known as one of the toughest and most challenging motorsport events in the world. This year's course was approximately 3,500kms through the mid-west of Western Australia.

For more information on the 2012 Australasian Safari, including all the stage by stage results visit www.australasiansafari.com.au