MOTORSPORT: Australasian Safari 2009 - Day Three
Terry 'Tangles' Connor takes the lead as vehicle preservation becomes crucialAndy Brown has seen his chances of victory in the 2009 Australasian Safari disappear in the Auto class, but fellow Victorian Terry "Tangles" Conner has put his Nissan Ute into the lead, four minutes ahead of 2008 winner Steve Riley in a Mitsubishi Pajero.
Leg three of the 7-day, 3600 kilometre epic journey saw competitors tackle four competitive stages, the longest being the 173 kilometre Noondie Loop stage. Road conditions were rough, sandy and overgrown over much of the route, with vehicle preservation at the forefront of most competitors' minds.
With Brown's demise in the Auto category, Terry and Jodi Conner drove brilliantly in their Nissan Ute to set the pace, but they will be well aware that they have a string of Safari veterans on their tail as the event nears its half-way mark.
Riley had set up a lead of around 30 minutes yesterday, but the reigning champion hit a patch of water and hit a tree, damaging the steering rack on his Pajero and dropping a lot of time.
But with the car fixed, he set about making up lost ground and now sits less than four minutes behind Brown, with former V8 Supercar driver, Paul Weel, third in his ex-factory Holden Colorado.
In fourth is NSW veteran, Bruce Garland, in the same diesel-powered Isuzu D-MAX that he drove to 11th outright in this year's Dakar Rally in South America. The wily Garland is only 23 minutes off the pace, and with four days still to run, he can't be discounted as a possible victor.
Tomorrow sees the Australasian Safari head north-east from Leonora to Laverton over three stages and 301 competitive kilometres. Western Australia's spectacular outback scenery plays a prominent role tomorrow with some magnificent views, although riders and drivers will have little time to take their eyes off the road.
Standings after Day Three
1. Terry CONNER (Vic)/Jodi CONNER (Vic), Nissan GQ Ute, 09:43:18
2. Stephen RILEY (Vic)/ John DOBLE (NSW), Mitsubishi Pajero, +3m54s
3. Paul WEEL (Qld)/Kees Weel (Qld), Holden Colorado, +16m55s
4. Bruce GARLAND (NSW)/Harry SUZUKI (NSW) Isuzu DMAX, +23m06s
5. Reg OWEN (Vic)/Russell CAIRNS (Vic), Nissan Patrol, +26m56s
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