MOTORSPORT: Australasian Safari run and won - for the final time
Toyota Tacoma wins Oz Safari after Murchison Mega stage delivers ultimate Safari finaleAfter more than 26 hours of extreme-condition competition, the 2014 edition of the Australasian Safari, held in the outback of Western Australia, has finished – for the last time.
It was certainly a fitting goodbye, with a fierce Auto category battle that raged through seven legs, the outcome not decided until the very last stage.
With flash flooding on the 154.69km Murchison Mega stage finale, it was anyone's guess as to who would cross the finish line in first overall.
After taking a penalty that saw them surrender the lead, three-time winners Steve Riley and John Doble commenced the last stage with a mere 43 second deficit to new leaders David McShane and Bill Hayes, aboard their Toyota Tacoma.
The popular Riley/Doble crew, fan favourites in the Aussie Holden VF Ute, slid off the road and into a gutter during a torrential downpour. The resultant delay cost them any chance of victory – so close a day ago. They also lost second place to the ever-consistent Greg Scanlon/Liam Nunns Nissan Patrol.
In a clear demonstration of the event's spirit, Scanlon broke two snatch straps trying to extricate Riley and Doble so they could continue to have a fair fight.
These troubles left McShane with more than an hour's overall lead and the final stage victory, but the Safari wasn't completed without drama for the winning team, who crossed roads covered in three feet of water as they slipped and slided to an emotional victory. Here's the video of the podium place getters:
John Purshouse and Murray Hynes finished fourth in their Ford Ranger, with the Adrian Di Lallo and Roger Pedersen Isuzu MU-X finishing fifth.
In the Safari Challenge class for standard four-wheel drives it was a Jeep Wrangler 1-2-3 as motoring.com.au's own Matt Brogan and Julia Barkley took a comfortable eight-and-a-half hour victory in their Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X, followed home by team-mates Matt Raudonikis and Ian Wheeler.
Raudonikis salvaged some pride by taking the final stage victory, beating Brogan by 1min29sec. Jarrett and Clint Streathfield finished third in their 2006 Wrangler.
Top three (Final):
1. David McShane/ William Hayes
Toyota Tacoma 26:17:25
2. Greg Scanlon/Liam Nunns
Nissan Patrol 27:25:48
3. Steve Riley/John Doble
Holden Commodore VF Ute 27:35:03
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