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Thrills and spills at Rainbow Enduro

With mud, rain and windy conditions, there were thrills and spills galore at the first Rainbow Desert Enduro which was the third round of the BFGoodrich CAMS Australia Offroad Championship.

The event, which took place last weekend, saw town numbers swell as people from across Australia descended on Rainbow to watch the final round of the championship for 2017 take place..

Competitors came from all over Australia to take part in the gruelling race. There were 56 teams entered in the race, however by Sunday only 28 race cars were able to compete, owing to a steady stream of casualties on the Saturday..

South Australian Greg Gartner, in car 410, was the winner of the inaugural Rainbow Desert Enduro. Chris Browning, in car 131, came in second and Justin Watt, in car 420, came in third after five laps of the 75 kilometre track..

Matt Martin, in car 121, sealed the title of the championship..

By all accounts, the drivers enjoyed the track and the different conditions to drive through. They also gave praise to the organisers for their hard work and dedication to be able to put together such a wonderful event on the first attempt..

Local farmers were also impressed with the driver’s skills displayed on the course, with only minor damage to fences reported..

The catering at the site on Saturday and Sunday by local community groups was also given praise as the groups provided a wide range of products, from cakes and slices to baked potatoes, soup and hot roast rolls..

On Friday night the numbers in Federal Street swelled as people gathered to take in the scrutineering process as the race cars lined the streets afterwards for interested people to take a closer look at the cars before they were covered in a thick layer of mud. It was interesting to see the wide variety of cars that had entered the race..

On Saturday, the number of people at the GrainCorp Bow Hill site was extraordinary with estimates of around 1000 including officials. The mud wasn’t just on the track, with spectators needing to walk through at times ankle deep mud to get to the viewing area but this didn’t deter people from attending..

Those present enjoyed the challenge and most agreed that the farmers would be enjoying the rain. The carpark was closed as it reached capacity with many people needing to park on the road and walk into the venue..

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy visited on the Saturday to support the event, and as one would expect from Ms Kealy, she put on the fireprooof suit and helmet and headed out for a hot lap..

With rain on Saturday night, the track conditions changed and proved to be a challenge for drivers. It also unfortunately kept the spectators away, but many racing enthusiasts and curious locals still attended to get a glimpse of the action..

As the first cars rolled across the finish line on Sunday, the sky opened up and the rain came down. There was a small presentation for the winners of the race with their trophies being presented by Hindmarsh Shire Councillor Ron Ismay in pouring rain. The trophies were designed using the towns silos as inspiration..

News items courtesy of the Rainbow Jeparit Argus.

Article posted: Monday, August 14, 2017.

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