Sam Tickell was at the Australian Off Road Championship’s Lockyer 300 and  we take a look at a great photo gallery and a look at what happened.

Saturday

Reigning champions Shannon and Ian Rentsch have held their championship rivals at bay after winning Section 1 of the TJM Lockyer 300 in Queensland this afternoon.

Having claimed their first pole position of the season earlier this morning in prologue, the #1 Hogs Breath Café / BFGoodrich Tires team won the two-lap 100km section in a time of 1h32m33.66s, a close 13 seconds ahead of fellow title contenders Jack Rhodes and David Pullino (#91) in second place.

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Despite having to drive behind the dust of the Aus #1 Jimco, Rhodes was the faster of the two on lap one before Rentsch returned serve by making up almost half a minute on lap two to claim day-one honours on the way to what could be a seventh national Championship title come Sunday.

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Prolite’s Tony Fehlhaber and Garry Howell (#138) finished third fastest outright, Michael and Jae Collins (#12) were fourth, Ryan Taylor (#24) finished fifth, while Prolite’s Matthew Martin and Peter Vial (#121) finished not far behind in sixth outright, applying pressure on Fehlhaber for class honours this weekend. The remainder of the top 10 saw Laurence Svensen (#17) in seventh, Shawn Swaffield (#110) in eight, Queensland state competitor Dan Bonner (#954) in ninth and Team Taylor’s Nev Taylor (#6) in 10th.

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The battle for Trophy Truck class honours continues to live on for another day after Tonka Outer Bounds Racing’s Beau Robinson and Ken Skinner finished 13th outright and first of the Extreme 2WDs. Class challengers Greg Gartner and Jamie Jennings (#403) did not take part in section one due to driveline issues but plan to get the F150 back on track for the run home on Sunday.

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Meanwhile, Marson Racing’s Michael Marson and Steve Gates were the talking point of the day after rolling their #32 Pro Buggy while flying over the final jump near the finishline. Immediately attended to by officials and the event medical team, Marson walked away uninjured however Gates was taken to hospital for observation

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Sunday

Shannon and Ian Rentsch have successfully defended their Australian Off Road Championship crown after winning their seventh career Aus #1 title behind the wheel of the Hogs Breath Cafe / BFGoodrich Tires Jimco at the TJM Lockyer 300 in Queensland this weekend.

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Equalling the record of legendary Pro Buggy steerer Mark Burrows, the reigning champions secured their seventh title on what is the 10th anniversary of their first Championship victory back in 2004. The father and son team have won Championships back-to-back starting from 2004-2006, then 2008-2009, and now 2013-2014.

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Heading into the weekend, three competitors were in contention for the title, including Rentsch, Tonka Outer Bounds Racing’s Beau Robinson and Ken Skinner (#402) and Rhodes Racing’s Jack Rhodes and David Pullino (#91).

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Rentsch started the weekend in front after winning their first pole position of the season, followed by a Section 1 win on Saturday, and the outright event win come Sunday afternoon. The win marks the Victorian team’s fifth straight podium finish and third outright event win this year, including the iconic Tatts Finke Desert Race and the Pedders Suspension Coffs Coast 400.

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Run on private land at Mulgowie, approximately 100km west of Brisbane, the Lockyer Valley’s dry and dusty conditions made for extra effort on track by all through the tree-lined course, especially those who joined Rentsch on the event podium including Rhodes in second and Prolite Buggy’s Tony Fehlhaber third.

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In the championship chase, South Australian Rhodes finished second overall for 2014, his highest event championship finish, followed by Robinson in third who also claimed his first Extreme 2WD class title.

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Seven classes were also decided this weekend, with seasoned veteran Geoff Pickering winning his 12th Production 4WD title and an impressive five other teams winning their first career national titles. These included Tony Fehlhaber for Prolite Buggy, Chris Browning winning his first Super 1650 Buggy crown, Beau Robinson his first in Extreme 2WD, Paul Youman grabbed the #501 plate in Performance 2WD and Clayton Chapman his first national Extreme 4WD title.

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In summary, the Event Class Winners at Lockyer Valley were:
– Pro Buggy: #1 Shannon Rentsch
– Prolite Buggy: #138 Tony Fehlhaber
– Super 1650 Buggy: #202 Chris Browning
– Extreme 2WD: #402 Beau Robinson
– Performance 2WD: #503 Dan Osinski
– Production 4WD: #701 Geoff Pickering
– Extreme 4WD: #841 Luke Ayers

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2014 Championship Class Winners:
– Pro Buggy: #1 Shannon Rentsch
– Prolite Buggy: #138 Tony Fehlhaber
– Super 1650 Buggy: #202 Chris Browning
– Extreme 2WD: #402 Beau Robinson
– Performance 2WD: #502 Paul Youman
– Production 4WD: #701 Geoff Pickering
– Extreme 4WD: #871 Clayton Chapman

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By Sam Tickell,  October 2014
Words by Press Materials

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