Burrows burying the racing lead

WHEN you imagine going for a family drive, you probably don’t expect to be reaching speeds of two hundred and twenty kilometres per hour.

But that’s the exciting reality for Mark Burrows and his son Matthew, who took out first place in the 2019 Australian Off-Road Championship.

With Mark in the driver’s seat and Matthew navigating, the father-son duo excelled in three fast-paced rounds in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Victoria.

Mark Burrows has taken out eight championships in his lifetime but said winning with his son by his side was far more special.

“I’ll always remember my first wins with my mates navigating, but to win this one with Matthew was really memorable, it’s great we got to experience that together,” he said.

Mark and Matthew agree that off-road racing has brought them closer together, whether they are speeding around racetracks or repairing and fixing up their vehicles in the shed.

With the 2019 championship being Matthew Burrow’s first time navigating in the national event, he said that there is a lot for you to do as a navigator.

“Being a navigator isn’t just about looking at the GPS and telling the driver where to go, you have to memorise landmarks and the track yourself. Then you’ve got to be watching the dashboard and making sure that there’s no problems with the engine,” he said.

Living on a large property in Burrumbeet, the Burrows utilise earth-moving equipment to shape and form racing tracks on their farmland, which allows them to train for the races.

Mark and Matthew will be revving the buggy again this year, as they prepare for the first round of the 2020 Australian Off-Road Championship in April.