Jim Anderson Earthmoving Dondingalong Off Road Challenge after Day 1.

Sean O Leary

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In 2013 four Utility Terrain Vehicles finished in the Top 10 outright of the

Jim Anderson Earthmoving Dondingalong Off Road Challenge. Fast forward to 2014 and Day 1 of the

Jim Anderson Earthmoving Dondingalong Off Road Challenge has got a lot of hardcore off road racers thinking that a repeat may be on the cards!

As the dust settled after two Rounds of racing on Day 1 it is the Tamworth UTV of Iain Hughes / Phil Bell (#629) that leads the way after topping the results in Round 1, and finishing 3^rd fastest in Round 2

. The team also shone by winning the Prologue in a time of 4:18.43, more than six seconds clear of their opposition.

Sitting in second after Day 1 is the Hogs Breath Extreme 2WD VW (#417) of Warren Irons / Tania Irons. The bright pink VW placed 5^th in the Prologue, and was running 3^rd overall afterRound 1. In Round 2 Irons pushed the car hard to draw clear of Hughes, but not enough to take over the top position

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Third outright is held by Warialdas Howard Rose / David Artwig in their Pro Buggy (#34). Rose placed 7^th in the Prologue, was 5^th fastest in Round 1, and improved further in Round 2.

Kempseys David Spokes / Glen Hayes (Pro Buggy #46) held second at the completion of Round 1 but failed to start Round 2 with gearbox issues.

Gearbox issues also struck the immaculate Super 1650 Buggy of David Nikiforoff / Karl Neil. The team failed to post a time in the Prologue, but after swapping to another gearbox, were able to advance from almost dead last in the 36 car field, to finish the day 17^th fastest and 2^nd in Class.

The sister Polaris to the race leaders, campaigned by Phillip Noble / Lee Paulton (#628), sits in 4^th outright, with another Tamworth Polaris (Adam Swindale / Phil Swindale #639) in 6th, and Brendon Clarke / Stephen Biullock (#696) 10^th.

Trying to ward off the UTV swarm are Derek Rose(#279 5th), Sam Egan / Adam Gilkeson (#188 7th), Craig Anderson / Brendan Julius (#187 8th), and Phil Page / Kyle Stokeld (#148) 9th.

It wasnt all good news for the UTV racers however, with Daniel Manwaring / Matt Costello (#619) managing to roll their long wheel base Polaris twice in separate incidents, while Brad Burton / Shane Szkoruda (#616 Polaris) incurred a minute penalty for a jump start. If not for the penalty, Burton would have been firmly entrenched in the Top 10.

Bryce Chapman / Mitch Warren (#658 Canam) have been running strong also and sit 12th, and it would not surprise to see them move up the order.

All the action resumes at 9.30am Sunday, for the final 3 Rounds of competition.

More information on the 2014 Jim Anderson Earthmoving Dondingalong Off Road Challenge can be found on the 2014 Dondingalong page at  www.kempseyoffroadracing.net