Smith moves into Safari lead

KTM’s Todd Smith (530EXC) has maintained a cool head to move into the lead of the 2010 Australian Safari after day two of competition outside  the historic gold mining area of Leanora.

When hostilities came to an end, Smith, second in last year’s event behind his brother Jacob, had vaulted into the top spot ahead of KTM team-mate Ben Grabham and Yamaha's Rod Faggotter (WR450F).

Smith, now taking anti-inflammatories for his injured shoulder after a head-on crash with AJ Roberts in leg one, started the day in fifth overall but was already into third by the end of stage one.

And then stage two was all about Todd remaining focussed while Jacob Smith, Grabham and Faggotter all made the classic Safari clanger – taking a wrong turn.

That was enough for Smith to inch in front of Grabham in the overall standings by just over a minute.

Smith’s total elapsed time after two days is eight hours, 46 minutes and 47 seconds (8.46:47), followed by Grabham (8.47.54), Faggotter (8.50:37), Fish (8.52:00), and defending champion Jacob Smith (Honda CRF450X, 8.54:50). Faggotter was forced to stop twice after getting wire caught in his rear wheel.

“The stages were good today,” said Todd. “They were a bit more predictable, so I guess that makes them faster.

“I had a hole in the radiator, so I had to fix that in the service. I didn’t get a chance to do much else.”

Today’s leg was part one of a two-day ‘marathon’, which prohibits major servicing between overnight stops. The only servicing allowed is 30 minutes in the Parc Ferme at the end of the second competitive stage.

Service crews can only provide bike covers, EZYUps, environ mats, fuel, and air and oil filters. All other tools have to be carried by the rider or driver. For autos, all the spares must be carried in the car.

Therefore, conservation was the name of the game for competitors today, especially with tyre wear such an acute issue.

“I was not trying to go too quick today, as I was trying to minimise tyre wear,” said Grabham. “The guys who were going too fast have shredded their tyres, so it will be interesting to see how they go tomorrow.

“I don’t expect to be in the lead after today, because I was riding conservatively.”

Grabham dropped only one spot down the leaderboard today, while Fish moved up two positions.

Meanwhile, the top eight riders in the overall are completed by Ivan Erceg (530EXC, 9.24:54), Peter Costello (CRF450X, 9.34:36) and David Beavis (CRF450X, 9.55:04).

If the competitors choose the full service option tonight, the penalty is a massive 300 minutes – and their Safari chances evaporating in one fell swoop.

A few riders, like South Aussie Shane Diener (KTM 690 Enduro) and Brazilian star Jose Rodrigues Filho (Husaberg FE570) didn’t have a choice but to cop the penalty on the chin.

The luckless Diener ran out of fuel in stage one, and then his map reader fell off in stage two. Without his navigational life blood, Diener was forced to tip toe to back to Safari headquarters following the tracks of other competitors – always a risky business.

But at least Diener's still in the game, unlike Alice Springs star Michael Vroom (CRF450X), who is out of the Safari after dislocating his shoulder.

Vroom, a former Finke Desert Race winner, was an excellent fifth in today’s stage one, just one second behind Faggotter.

Paul Smith (Honda TRX700XX) is blitzing the quad division, and leads John Maragozidis (Interceptor 850) by 30 minutes. Colin Lawson (Can-Am Renegade 800) is well back in third.

Thirty-seven of the 55 moto starters remain in the Safari, and they will embark on the second leg of the ‘marathon’ tomorrow – 464.14km of competitive stages between Leonora and Coolgardie, just west of Kalgoorlie.

The auto division is being led by Warren and Michale Denham in their Mitsubishi Triton.

Check out the official Australasian Safari site for more information on the event, and click on the following link to view the provisional results and current standings after stage six.