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NEWS
Big names returning to Oz Safari
Thirty-seven riders will start the epic, including Todd Smith who'll be up to the eyeballs in competition from his fellow AussiesThe entries are in for the 2012 Australasia Safari, with 37 riders set to contest the Moto division when proceedings kicks off with a ceremonial start at Hillarys Boat Harbour in Perth on September 21.
Last year’s Moto winner Todd Smith is back to defend his title, coming off a strong run where he placed third in this year’s Finke Desert Race and came up trumps in the Condo 750.
Joining Todd in the GHR Honda team will be his brother and 2009 winner Jake, who while now a Safari veteran, remains one of the youngest competitors.
Other local guns include Shane Diener and Rod Faggoter, who will compete under the Yamaha Desert Racing umbrella.
Add Victorian Matthew Fish (CPW Motoparts KTM) to the mix and the 2012 winner is likely to come out of that leading quintet.
Although, if things go awry for the absolute top brass, experience like that of battle-hardened South Australian David Schwarz (Husaberg Rallye Racing) will be there to pick up the pieces. Schwarz rarely ties himself in knots, and has an unequalled record of nine top 10 Safari finishes. He has also competed in the Dakar Rally three times.
Other highlights in the entry list include:
- Italian Manuel Lucchese (Husaberg), who will be riding in his second Safari. A professional rally racer and moto blogger, Manuel has been competing in the World Cross-Country Rallies Championship and raced in Dakar 2012. He has a big following in the off-road racing scene in Italy. At 24, Manuel is the equal youngest rider.
- Tamsin Jones from the UK is our only female rider in 2012. Tamsin is a past Dakar competitor and is competing with her partner Craig Bounds, the first Welshman to finish Dakar (2009).
- Other international riders include Sjors Van Heertum (Netherlands), Alex van Ginkel (Netherlands), Simon Schimmel (Netherlands), Francesco Beltrami (Italy), Jason Adams (USA), Mike Johnson (USA), Glen Grundy (South Africa), Guy Henley (South Africa), Brett Cummings (South Africa).
- Riders registered for the Dakar Challenge are: Todd Smith, Brett Cummings, Michael Johnson, Alex van Ginkel, Sjors Van Heertum, Glen Grundy, Russell Scoble, and Vern Strange.
Meanwhile, six quads are entered, spaning four different manufacturers, and there are 19 adventure riders (including two Dutch), who will follow a similar route to the main players but without the pressures of competition. They also reside in the same bivouac as the other competitors.
Following the bright lights of the ceremonial start, the prologue will be held in Geraldton on September 22, followed by leg one on September 23.
The final leg (seven) will be held on September 29, followed by a ceremonial finish the same day at Geraldton Secondary Collage.
For a full competitor list and more details visit www.australasiansafari.com.au. Updates are available on Facebook and Twitter at @austsafari and check out last year’s event on our YouTube channel – AustralasianSafari.
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Written byBikesales Staff
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