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Post Number: 98
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 10:20 am: |       |
Geoff Pickering wrote himself and his Mitsubishi Pajero into the history books by taking his 13th successive victory in the 4x4 production category (Class 7) of the Australian Off Road Championship at the Finke Desert Race near Alice Springs on the weekend.
Battling power sapping sand hills, rocky tracks and unseasonal wet weather for a part of the torturous race, Picking crossed the finish line back in Australia’s Red Centre, very aware of his achievements and that of his long time co-driver, Glenn Watson.
“It is almost overwhelming, we always front up at a race to win, there’s no point coming along if you’re happy to settle for second but to increase our record to 13 successive wins in our standard V6 Pajero is beyond our wildest dreams, “ said Pickering at the finish of Australia’s most gruelling desert race.
“Glenn arranged for us to spend several days before the event testing the Pajero near Alice Springs with a suspension specialist to be sure we had the best set up. It was time very well spent, we completed the prologue almost a minute quicker than our time from last year.”
The Finke is notoriously hard on the suspension with the massive ‘whoops” (bumps) that punish the shock absorbers and put significant strain on the body shell almost the full length of the 460kms route. “If any car can handle it, history has proven again it has to be a Pajero,” remarked a jubilant Pickering.
Almost 100 vehicles and over 400 motorcycles lined up for the start of the Tattersall’s Finke Desert Race over the June long weekend. Barely half that number arrived back in Alice Springs, two days later and both Pickering and Watson were happy to be among them.
“Around 60kms out from Finke on the return run to Alice Springs the sand was some of the worst we have ever experienced. Geoff kept pushing the Pajero hard using all the engine torque to drag us through but you could tell it was putting a huge strain on the car, we were just thankful we’re not some of the stranded ones back down the track!” Glenn Watson said.
“The highlight of the run has to be a 30km blast down the road near Deep Well where the Pajero tops out at over 200km/hr, that makes for an exciting ride I can assure you.”
Now the series heads south during winter with round four, The Pines Enduro, near Millicent in the south east of S.A. during July. |
