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SEPTEMBER 24, 2011. For the third straight time, Tony Quinn’s Australasian Safari challenge has come to an abrupt end on the first full day of competition.
As in previous years, the V.I.P. Petfoods owner was in fine form in the lead-up to the eight-day Western Australia outback marathon. Having been flagged away at the ceremonial start in Perth on Thursday, Tony and his WA navigator, Toni Feaver, drove the 450km transport stage north to Geraldton for the following day's prologue stage that set the starting order for the event proper.
They set the second-fastest time around the 19km course, but were forced to retire 17km from the end of Saturday's 180km first competitive stage when their Mitsubishi Pajero’s engine suffered a massive...read more
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OFF-ROAD RALLYING
For the past three years, V.I.P. Petfoods owner Tony Quinn has competed in the Australasian Safari, Australia’s answer to the famous Dakar Rally.
The Safari, which is held over eight days in outback Western Australia, couldn’t be more different from the racetrack championships and tarmac rallies that Tony usually contests.
Competitors and their machines (cars, motorcycles and quads) face every conceivable off-road driving hazard: rocky tracks, muddy bog holes, powdery ‘bull dust’ patches, deep water crossings and soft sand – not to mention wildlife that can appear anywhere, any time.
Safari cars are nothing like circuit racing or tarmac rally cars either.
Most of them are commercial or passenger four-wheel drives, with a separate chassis and body rather than ‘unitary’ road car construction. Their engines are tuned for maximum torque instead of sheer power.
The Safari presents an irresistible challenge to drivers from across the motorsport spectrum – and Tony Quinn is no exception.
With Toni Feaver navigating, Tony will drive the same 1996 short-wheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero that he’s campaigned in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Having shown early speed but retired early on each previous occasion, his objective this year is to register his first finish!