High octaine offroad action on the horizon

Dirt set to fly this weekend at Pines Enduro

Millicent, on South Australia’s Limestone Coast will once again come alive next Saturday, with 67 crews set to hit the track for the 2023 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400.

Headlined by current ARB Australian champions Brent Martin and Andre de Simone #1, three time Pines victor Matt Hanson #7, 2013 winner Carl Haby #56, and defending champ Danny Brown #42, this weekends fourth and final round of the 2023 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship is set to be another epic encounter.

Other crews primed for an assault through the iconic Tantanoola Pine Forest include Dale Martin #1125 fresh off a third place finish at Goondiwindi in his Martin Motorsports Alpha, multiple time Australian champion Mark Burrows #21, Andy Murdock #1166 who finished fourth at Hillston, ARB Big Desert 480 podium getter Andy Brown #1142, Alice Springs hard charger Andrew Mowles #135 and Class 10 front runner Steven Graham #1065; all looking to finish their seasons on a high.

With the top seven crews in the ARB Australian outright standings entered for the Pines, including front runners Brent Martin #1, David Middlemiss #117, and Matt Burrows #123, the battles for championship honours across all classes will also be hotly contested.

Defending ARB Australian Ultimate champion Craig Barnett #68 holds the class lead heading into the season decider, with Queenslander Craig Krog #23, plus South Australians Adam Bierl #35 and Dean Carter #18 also expected to be in the mix for silverware on Sunday.

Brock Pendlebury #231, Peter Stevenson #248 and Brendan Forssman #274 are set to duel it out for Class 2 supremacy, likewise championship leader Owen Ward #832, Benny Thompson #833 and Graeme Hicks #812 in Class 8.

Brent Martin #1 will line up at the Pines with a slender lead in Class 1, with young gun Matt Burrows #123 and David Middlemiss #117 hot on his heels; with just four points separating the three crews.

Class 11 leader Darren Frankling #1110 will spearhead his rivals in the teams Can-Am Maverick X3, with Peter Makeham #1122, Jake Williams #1137, plus locals Gary Turnbull #1179 and Todd Lehmann #1185 poised for Millicent success.

The Class 4 title chase will come down to two contenders, current leader Jamie Knight #439 will take a four point buffer into the Pines over Dean Miller #408 for season honours, whilst Ben Gartner #417, Peter Sibson #412, Darren Mott #435 and Jason Forssman #474 will look to spoil the party.

Unassailable Class 66 championship front runner Matthew Lavis #6684 will take on Queenslander Ross Newman #6681, and Eden Evans #6637 at the Pines, with last years ARB championship runner up Glen Pike #2, Matthew Hummer #633, and the Evans duo of Simon #636 and Jackson #635 all chasing a Class 6 victory.

Heath Weedon #779 will look to wrap up a Class 7 Australian championship on home soil, with 2022 Pines victor Darren Gill #760, Connor Cooper #729 and Joel Kershaw #701 other names to watch. Steve Bowie Graham #1065 has all but sealed consecutive Australian Class 10 crowns, though is set to face stiff competition from Sean Ratcliffe #1007, the experienced Peter Tamblyn #1042, Rodney Visser #1057, and James Tyrell #1036, in a battle to watch all weekend.

Spectators are invited to the Teagle’s Quarry on the outskirts of Millicent, next Friday the 22nd of September for scrutiny and display from 6pm, prior to the action getting underway at 10am Saturday morning with the prologue. Sundays six long course laps start at 8.30am, as the competitors head into the Tantanoola Pine forest for the first time.

The 2023 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 would not be possible without the support of championship partners ARB 4X4 Accessories, Mickey Thompson Tyres, AORRA and Raceline Wheels, major event sponsors Teagle Excavations, ARB 4X4 Accessories and Hards Transport Services, along with all the other incredible sponsors either small, large or inkind who have assisted in so many ways.

There are so many storyline’s that could be written at Millicent next weekend, with ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championships on the line, as well as Pines Enduro silverware for the taking; the final chapter of 2023 season poses to be one of the best yet! The 2023 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 takes place in Millicent next weekend, the 22-24th of September.

ON THE COVER: Danny Brown 42 – The Pines 2022

ON THIS PAGE: Kurt Stephan & Craig Barnett and Andy Murdoch & Brent Martin