By Lachlan Onions
PENOLA’S Greg Gartner claimed second place in the Pines Enduro on the weekend and put on a show for the crowds who attended the event in Millicent.
Gartner teamed up with Jamie Jennings to fly the flag for the South East in his Ford F150 and was the best-placed South Australian.
“We are really thrilled, the truck was really strong and we were quite quick towards the end of the race,” Gartner said.
He said his truck held up well and he was rapt to get through the weekend scot-free.
“Last time we raced at the Pines Enduro, we got a second outright as well and before we haven’t had a lot of luck,” Gartner said.
“We have always broke down or something has happened.”
Gartner started his weekend impressively after he finished seventh-fastest in the one-lap prologue on Saturday.
He then backed up his performance with a strong showing in the short-course held on Saturday afternoon where he was third-fastest.
“One good thing about the Pines Enduro is that they do a reverse-grid,” Gartner said.
“So on race-day, the quickest drivers in prologue go towards the back and then you work your way through the field.
“To start at the back of the field with all the quick drivers helps you set a good pace.”
Sunday’s long course saw drivers complete six 66km laps through the Tantanoola Pine Forest.
Gartner said he had to be careful on the first couple of laps on Sunday as his truck did not have the same levels of grip as the buggies.
“Once the tracks are made and it starts getting rough, that’s when the truck gets better,” he said.
“The truck was very strong but unfortunately we lost a bit of time in the middle of the race.”
“If we had kept a little stronger in the mid-part of the race, we may have been close (to first).”
Gartner finished one minute and 57 seconds behind Danny Brown and George Apted, who claimed the outright victory after a strong performance on Sunday.
Gartner was happy with how the event panned out after his truck was plagued with reliability issues at the Finke Desert Race earlier in the year.
“After having a lot of trouble with the truck earlier in the season, it is now really strong,” he said.
Gartner said it was great to have an off-road event back in the South East.
“We do travel a long way because we like to travel the ARB Australian Off-road Championship rounds, so this being an ARB major round is good,” he said.
“It is 45 minutes from home, the logistics are a lot easier and you can go home in your own bed, so it has been fantastic.”
With the sun shining down on Millicent over the weekend, the track conditions were ideal for racing and Gartner said it was the best Pines Enduro in terms of conditions.
