THERE was dirt, dust and plenty of action on the weekend when Millicent hosted one of the most popular events on the calendar for off-road racing competitors.
The Pines Enduro 400 attracted hundreds of racegoers who were treated to fast paced, off-road racing action and all witnessed Matt Hanson add his third title to his collection.
Hanson drove his Jimco buggy to perfection, to lead at every service interval and back up his 2012 and 2016 victories.
The Millicent Sand Buggy Club hailed the event a huge success, as perfect weather conditions over the three days provided spectators and competitors with an ideal setting.
Crowds were treated to a spectacle as the racing teams pushed the limits, vying for outright and class honours.
The prologue saw 54 teams meet the starter, with previous Pines Enduro winner Matt Hanson and Nigel Pendlebury topping the time sheets after their qualifying run.
Sitting in second place on the prologue podium and just 0.143 seconds behind Hanson was round five second placegetters Andy Brown and Mark Sedran, while round five at Goondiwindi victors Danny Brown and George Apted slotted into third.
The 2017 Pines Enduro winners Tyler Owen and Oliver Stephens were in form, finishing in fourth place ahead of Waikerie round three winners Greg Gartner and Jamie Jennings.
The prologue was not without incident, with Dean Carter and Bradley Jacobs having clutch issues and returning to the pits.
Jason Forssman and Del Palmer suffered from a broken front differential housing, while Bryan Jones and Prudee Leffler lost a rear wheel over the arena jump.
However, crews worked over the cars to ensure each team started the main race.
Heading into the final round, championship points leaders Brent Martin and Jimmy Boyle had the number one plate in an unbeatable position and were looking for a stress-free enjoyable weekend of racing through the pine forests.
Unfortunately, the brakes stuck on during the prologue, sending them to the pits.
The team fixed the brake issue and Martin met the start line for his short course heat.
Mid-way through his first lap the call came over the radio they were in the hands of recovery with gearbox dramas, which ended their weekend.
The four-lap short course heats where all laps were counted towards their overall race times, were filled with wheel-to-wheel racing, much to the delight of the large crowd that had made the most of the fine weather to come out and witness the spectacle of off road racing.
Hanson maintained his position at the top of the tree, with Gartner in second place, Mark Burrows in third, Owen in fourth and Andy Brown rounding out the short course top five.
The arena jump caught Simon Leech and Craig Bourne by surprise in the debut run of the their Raptor.
Leech launched off the central jump, rolling with massive air, coming to rest on its side.
Both crew walked away with a dent in their pride and extensive damage to their vehicle, but will live to race another day.
The start order for Sunday’s race proper was based on a competitor’s fastest lap from either of Saturday’s prologue or short course laps.
Therefore, the start order does not always resemble the outright times order.
Throw in a reverse grid format and start intervals of 80 seconds, with two cars at a time and the scene was set for some spectacular racing through Teagle’s Quarry and the Tantanoola Pine Forests.
Hanson drove his Jimco buggy to the near perfect race, heading the field at each service break and subsequently has added a third Pines Enduro 400 title to his long list of achievements.
Hanson, with Nigel Pendlebury undertaking the navigating duties, pulled a massive 14 minute, 26 second lead over second placed Mark Burrows, with son Matthew stepping up into the navigators seat.
Burrows, who has been a long-time loyal supporter of the event, took outright honours in 2004 and 2005, greeted the checked flag three minutes and four seconds ahead of local’s Garry Turnbull with daughter Tamara navigating.
Turnbull’s previous Pines titles span from 1990 to 2001, with numerous podium finishes in the mix.
Brendan Payne and Linda Miller slotted into fourth place, with another local favourite Jason Peel and Andy Murdock rounding out the top five.
In an event where the top end of the field failed to keep it together, Andy Brown and Mark Sedran were one of the first to exit the event, suffering a severe rollover.
The Saber did its job to keep the crew safe, but both Brown and Sedran spent the night under medical care.
Not long before the departure of Brown, James Tyrrell and Rhys Elliott also rolled their Nissan Patrol, ending their Pines weekend.
Greg Gartner and Jamie Jennings were running in second place behind Hanson until an oil line issue on lap five ended their race.
Owen and Stephens were mixing it with the top of the field until an engine misfire saw them back in the pits.
Danny Brown and George Apted were within striking distance of the lead cars after lap one, but when they came across the scene of father Andy’s rollover, Danny immediately stopped, forgoing his race to ensure the well-being of his father and Sedran.
With class honours for the unlimited class also going the way of Hanson, the other class battles were just as hotly contested.
Class one was won by Brett Smith Matthew Salt from Mount Gambier, with both drivers credited sixth and seventh outright respectively.
The class two podium was dominated by local club members, with Carter overcoming his clutch issue from Saturday and a slight altercation with a tree during Sunday’s race to take first ahead of Daniel Wells and another local Aaron Heemskerk in third.
Class four was taken out by John Smith and despite Gartners demise, he still managed to secure second, having completed the minimum distance required to be classified as a finisher.
Tasmanian Stephen Watkins took the top step in class five ahead of Chris Pickert in a battle that went on throughout the event.
The class six positions were changing between five different drivers each lap and at the conclusion of the four hours of racing, only 20 minutes separated all of them.
David Loughman was rewarded for his trip down from Queensland, leading home Scott Tymkin and Daniel Carrison.
After enduring five flat tyres and a broken front drive shaft, Heath Weedon was ecstatic to win class seven.
Glencoe’s Weedon made his crew work hard throughout the weekend to head home Jason Keane, another team all the way from Queensland.
Owen Ward set consistent laps all day in the main event and won the class eight from John Alfred and Luke Hall.
Class 10 was a battle of attrition, with Dean Meginley the only car in class to finish.
Chris Boon was able to repair his broken front wheel from Saturday and complete all of Sunday’s laps for second in class.
The Millicent Sand Buggy Club thanks its sponsors, volunteers and competitors for making this year’s Pines Enduro the amazing event that it is.
