The dirt is set to fly

This weekend 60 teams will converge on the South Australian township of Millicent for the Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400, the fourth and final round of the 2024 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship.

Proudly hosted by the Millicent Sand Buggy Club, the 45th edition will again see crews tackle 400kms of the famous Teagle’s Quarry and Tantanoola Pine Forest on South Australia’s Limestone Coast in pursuit of event and ARB Australian honours.

Spearheaded by championship leader Clayton Chapman #15 fresh of dominant victories at Goondiwindi and Hillston, this years edition will also showcase two time defending Pines victor Danny Brown #4, three time former champ Matt Hanson #7, 2013 winner Carl Haby #56 and brother Aaron #57 who will fly the flag for Element Offroad.

In a star studded line up, there are many contenders including Western Australian Beau Robinson #1113 who returns to Millicent in his Mason TT, multi time Australian champion Mark Burrows #21, Andrew Brown #1145, New Zealander Boston Morgan Horan #489, plus the inform Dale Martin #5 and Todd Lehmann #85 primed for Pines success.

Whilst Chapman #15 (240pts) has a significant lead in the title race, ARB Big Desert 480 champion Robinson #1113 (218), South Australian Simon Tucker #110 (209), last years podium sitter Matthew Burrows #3 (204), Jackson Evans #635 (193), Lachlan Campbell #607 (186) and Craig Barnett #68 (184) are all still in the hunt for ARB Australian glory.

The battle for class silverware will be hotly contested, with defending ARB Ultimate champion Craig Barnett #68, Glenn Pike #75 and Josh Ferguson #47 key class players, whilst DavidMiddlemiss #2 and Joseph Patterson #175 will join Tucker #110 and Burrows #3 as the Class 1 favourites.

Brendan Forssman #202 has already secured the Australian Class 2 crown, and will look to finish in style at the Pines, with John Smith #445 and Darren Mott #435 heading into the decider locked atop Class 4.

Trevor Chandler #1181, Cooper Western #1161, and Darren Frankling #1110 are other notable Class 11 contenders, whilst Darren van der Woude #554, Michael Orr #515 and Ashley Cameron #570 will battle it out for Class 5 honours in the Tantanoola Forest.

Defending ARB champion Steven Graham #1065, and young gun Sam Bentley #1018 are set for one final showdown in the Class 10 title race, with locals Jake Douglass #1041, and Jake England #1032, Paul Tinga #1010, and Darren Orr #1015 are others to watch closely.

Jackson Evans #635, Lachlan Campbell #607, and Matthew Hummer #633 are all well positioned for Australian silverware in Class 6, with Kane Jones #657, Matt Lavis #684 and Simon Evans #637 geared up to spoil the party.

Ross Newman #6681 is the sole Class 66 competitor, with Class 7 front runner Darren Gill #760, and Heath Weedon #701 set to duel it out for championship supremacy.

The 2024 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.

The club would also like to thank OneFortyOne Plantations, Forestry SA, and Wattle Range Council for the roads and property to race on, and all their other incredible sponsors either small, large or in kind who have assisted in so many ways.

Spectators are invited to the Teagle’s Quarry on the outskirts of Millicent this Friday afternoon for scrutiny and display, prior to the action getting underway at 10am Saturday morning. Sundays six long course laps commences at 8.30am, as the competitors head into the Tantanoola Pine forest for the first time.

The 2024 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 takes place in Millicent this weekend, the 20th-22nd of September.

COURTESY OF TC MEDIA & CLUTCH LIFE MEDIA