13 – Day 4 Saturday – Highlights - Sunraysia Safari 2025

The last stage of the last day was almost an all day affair, beginning to the northwest of Wentworth and stretching north, zigging and zagging its way amongst the trees and scrub country of the southwest region of New South Wales. In all, a massive 250 competitive kilometers with a fuel stop mid-stage. [Music] Rejoining today was Richard McNe in the V8 ute. Nothing an overnight replacement engine couldn't fix to get him back in the game even at this late stage. [Music] But it wasn't enough to make the distance. Just 26 km in and things were going off song. >> Didn't get real. We thought, oh, maybe the sender's wrong. So, filled it up with water radio. It was cold. Engine was hot. Okay, thermostat's good. So, I put the thermostat out. Um, but it looked fine. And then back there, same. Just started getting hot. Next thing you know, it's bloody running on seven and six and five. So yeah, one of those things, it's very expensive. 26 km of motorport. >> To be precise, $158 a kilometer. Ouch. An hour up the road, Toby Hedrix was doing what he does best, riding a fast and accurate race leading from the front. Even the distraction of wildlife wasn't a deterrent. Will Ashb in his first attempt at Sunraia Safari was right on his tail. After 200 km, Ashb was hanging in Hendrick's dust. [Music] Scotty Huggin starting further down the water but right amongst the outright mix still found time to have his own competition motocross style with last year's winner Cory Banks and Scott Steedman. Banks would go on to claim the bottom step of the moto podium and Huggin fifth with Steman's sixth. There was no doubting the dominance of Hedrix though. Despite last year's winner leading out at the end of day one, Toby Hedrix would take line honors at the end of day four. go in today with really wanting to take too many risks or push too hard. Obviously with a bit of a gap, so I just went out and did my own thing. Um to be honest, I kept looking back, figured someone might be there, but I think um the start of this event, I didn't have too much bike time, so first couple days work myself into it and these last few days, I guess I found my feet a bit with it. So no, feeling good and and happy to have that done. But uh yeah, very enjoyable event this one. >> Will Ashb a welldeserved second place in his first outing. The first couple of days I was sort of I was probably lucky to be honest that it was a bit wet the first couple of days like it I sort of made it easier for me starting back to try and figure out okay this is what it means by straight on etc. Um but the last sort of two days especially today I sort of jelled with it pretty good so feeling that it's over. >> Victor Bonaci was the first quad to cross the line but in the spirit of sportsmanship he ensured the class leader made the finish too. I let Cooper pass at the start cuz I knew he'd been having fuel some fuel troubles. So, I thought I'll let him go. If he runs out, I'll top him up. We caught each other. He he caught he must have got lost cuz he caught back up to me in the in the midstage. And um yeah, we took off from there and he was a minute behind and I just thought, you know what, if he runs out of fuel, bad luck. >> You out of fuel? >> Yeah. Can you wait a minute? I still >> Yeah, I'll put some up there. Turns out the bike g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g us g uses a lot more fuel than I thought. So um went into the refuel on fumes and came into here on fumes as well. So just yeah the last oh pretty much that whole entire stage is just trying to keep momentum and low revs and just try and yeah get get the fumes to make it make it to the finish line. Aubry's Andrew Hulahan is our fastest adventure bike home in 17th place. While the quickest of the oldies, the over 45s, is Paul Smith from Warnable, Victoria. In auto, Andrew Travis rejoined in his four-wheel drive Commodore ute, but would have no bearing on the new outright leader Dean Herage. Holding a 5-minute lead over Glenn Brinkman in the Can-Am Maverick, the Subaru Ambassador still couldn't afford even a flat tire. Out here, the odds of a puncture were high. But it wasn't the Subaru with the flat. >> At the halfway mark, we knew we were sort of line ball with Brinkman on time. So, we knew we'd done enough in the first part. And then we actually caught him. So, we had like nearly 90ks to go when he's dust. So, it's really hard to go. I don't need to pass him. Um, and then, ironically, about 30ks out, he had a puncher. So, he's on the side of the road. So, we sort of had a clean road from then. And it's it's quite tricky cuz I feel like you're just doing a fast wrecky. That's um it's crazy, but it's amazing. Really good. And then after we go here, go slightly left. >> Glenn Brinkman had little chance of pulling off a win on the last day, but he pushed the Can-Am to the limit regardless. >> Just um blew the right rear shock in the first section and then it's just loaded the rear tire up and had a flat tire, but I thought we might make it through. I saw Dean coming and we were keeping an eye out for him, but he caught us in the worst place with all the dust. So in the end, the tire let go, so we had to stop and change it. James Moffett's chances of a podium went down with the two rear tires before the mid-stage refuel, leaving the battle for third between Will Dunn and Warren Denim. But the sight of the red Nissen approaching the finish line meant only one thing. >> Only only had 40 seconds to catch me, so he's beat me. Anyway, we'd made up a bit of time at the um fuel zone on most of them. So, yeah, hopefully could get a podium. >> So, a third for Will Done, second for Glenn Brinkman, and an inaugural win for Dean Herage in the Subaru Cross Track. For the record, Rob Herage, the man who started Maximum Motorsport and himself a two-time Australian Rally Champion, brought his Wax home to a class win and sixth outride. A fitting tribute to not only the African safaris of old, but Subaru themselves Yes. [Music]