2010 Australian Safari ready to rock

The 2010 Australian Safari has hit the starter button, with a ceremonial kick-off at the picturesque Hillarys Boat Harbour in Perth this evening.

With the preamble done and dusted, tomorrow the real business of competition begins with a prologue in Southern Cross, about four hours’ drive east of Perth.

That will give over 100 moto, auto and quad competitors their first taste of the 3600km marathon, which will then take in overnight stops at Leonora, Coolgardie and Norseman before it concludes in Esperance on September 25.

During the odyssey, riders and drivers will travel through contrasting terrain, from remote goldfields to desert, rugged bush and coastal dunes.

Some, like five-time auto winner Bruce Garland, are seasoned off-road veterans and others, including V8 Supercar champion Craig Lowndes, will be tackling the extreme outback adventure for the first time.

Garland said he was hoping to create history in the 25th year of Australasian Safari.

“My goal this year is to be the first diesel car to cross the line. No diesel has ever won first place outright,” he said. “Mother Nature will be my biggest competitor, but there are five or six teams out there which will be hard to beat.”

Lowndes has a string of victories on the racetrack, but no experience off-road. He believes if his long-time rally co-driver Kees Weel can give him the right instructions he’ll stay out of trouble.

“I’m excited and nervous but we’ve done some good preparation so we’ll get out there and see what we can do.,” said Lowndes. “There’s no doubt that 3600km is a long way, but the Colorado has the reliability to get us through to the last day.”

There will also be strong competition on the bikes in 2010, with the top three outright winners from 2009 back for more. Two-time winner KTM rider Ben Grabham is gunning for his third victory, and last year’s winner Jacob Smith (Honda) and his sibling Todd (KTM) will provide a huge challenge.

“It’s a big crazy race where anything can happen and over such long distances and usually does. If I go out there and ride my best, I’m happy,” said Grabham.

International moto contenders in 2010 include Brazil’s No. 1 off-road moto ride Ze Helio and Swedish Rally Princess Annie Seel, who won the women’s trophy at the 2010 Dakar Rally. Both are riding for the Husaberg team.

It is Helio’s first time in Australia and he is looking forward to testing his skills in our unique conditions.

“We did some test rides over the past two days and I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I’ve already seen some kangaroos, but I am used to these obstacles – in Brazil we sometimes see bulls, so kangaroos are better!

“Every rally has its challenges and you need to be physically strong for the long days.”

Jacob Smith will lead off tomorrow’s prologue in Southern Cross, with final times determining starting positions for Sunday’s first open leg from Southern Cross to Leonora.

Event director Justin Hunt said the course was designed this year to really make the most of Western Australia’s diverse conditions.

“Competitors will ride and drive from Australia’s west coast to its far southern coast with thousands of kilometres of bushland, desert and dirt in between,” he said.

“This will be a massive challenge for competitors in terms of how their vehicles handle the variety of terrain, the types of tyres they use, and how fast they can react to the changing conditions.”