Leaders in this year’s Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship (AORC) have emphasised that finishing each event will take precedence over flashy wins, setting the stage for an exciting four-round title race.
Key competitors are adopting a long-term strategy as the AORC gears up this weekend at the Wentworth Shire Pooncarie Desert Dash in south-western New South Wales.
With one fewer opportunity to score points over the season than in previous years, maintaining consistency will be crucial.
The seasoned duo of Beau Robinson and Shane Hutt have emerged as the early favourites for the AORC title ahead of the first round, especially after reigning champion Travis Robinson (Beau’s brother) and Paul Currie decided to skip this event.
Although Travis plans to return for the 50th anniversary Finke Desert Race in June, Beau sees a significant opportunity in Pooncarie, having finished as runner-up in the 2025 AORC title race.
“It’s vital to gather points here so we can really push at Finke,” Robinson remarked.
“Collecting points in Pooncarie is critical, especially if unexpected issues arise later in the season. As we found out last year, not scoring here puts you at a disadvantage.”
The trophy truck category at Pooncarie features formidable competitors, including Brent Smoothy in his Mason Aussie Special, Brett Comiskey with Corey Cooper, Darren Wright with Scott Brown, and Philip Lovett partnered with Luke Stanley in the #897 Racer 1.
Robinson and Hutt will again compete in the Extreme 2WD class using their Mason Gen 2 Spec Trophy Truck, ahead of their anticipated new entry debut for Finke.
Kiwi competitor Boston Morgan-Horan, accompanied by navigator Will Haddock, leads a competitive 2WD class field, which also includes South Australia’s Hannah Bentley paired with Scott Gould and podium finishers Nicholas and Alex Burt.
In the fiercely contested SXS Championship, Pooncarie has confirmed 31 entries spanning the SXS Pro and SXS Sport classes. Some standout entries include Glen Ackroyd with Michael Price, Lachlan Bailey with Jordan Zollo, and seasoned competitor Greg Campbell.
Defending Motorsport Australia SXS Champion Bailey echoed Robinson’s views on the compact season, stressing the importance of finishing races.
“Our aim is to defend the title and complete as many races as possible,” he stated.
“We’ve made a few tweaks to the car, adding new front arms and upgrading components for better reliability, but the driving experience remains unchanged.”
Reflecting on his breakout 2025 season, Bailey highlighted the importance of finishing races, having spent years chasing after individual round titles.
“We achieved our highest number of finishes in 2025 with just one DNF. If we’d completed that one, we would have been far ahead. Finishing is crucial for any championship,” he added.
In the Pro Buggy category, the absence of defending champion Jared Percival at Pooncarie creates a significant opening for competitors like Paul Tuck-Lee and 2025 podium finisher Cooper Western, both eager to claim the opportunity.
The Wentworth Shire Pooncarie Desert Dash will commence on Friday at the Coomealla Club Show n Shine event, starting at 3pm AEST.
On-track activities will get underway on Saturday, 11 April, featuring the Method Race Wheels Prologue scheduled for 11am AEST.
Compiled by SportArena.au.
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