Event organisers for this year’s Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race are expecting one of the biggest turnouts in recent years as the Polaris Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship (AORC) draws to a close.
West Australians Travis Robinson and Andrew Pinto secured up the championship at last month’s Loveday 400, having notched up three podiums and a fourth place in the opening four rounds of the year. That result will see the pair able to celebrate the Championship on home soil in front of friends and family at their ‘home’ event.
However, with Kalgoorlie offering points and a half as the season finale, there is still plenty to play for across the other classes, including the SXS Motorsport Australia Championship.
The Western Australia-based event also has a strong contingent of local crews take part, with the race also serving as the final round of the Motorsport Australia WA Off Road Championship (WAORC).
As a result of there still being plenty of silverware on offer, Kalgoorlie Desert Race Clerk of Course Daniel Rogers was confident there would be a solid field of crews contesting the event.
“We had a really successful year in 2022 and we’re looking forward to having the AORC in Kalgoorlie once again,” Rogers said.
“I am confident that we will get a good showing this year and hopefully build on the numbers from last year, which is exciting.
“I think there are exciting aspects to the competition side of things, with most of the classes well and truly still up for grabs – especially the SXS Championship, where there are at least four serious contenders for the title.
“I also think it will be exciting to see Travis really have a crack at winning Kalgoorlie, instead of focusing on the title – the battle between him and his brother Beau will be quite entertaining to watch.”
There have been very few changes to the event itself, with Prologue to take place once again on the Friday afternoon, before crews complete three laps of the course over the weekend – one of which will be on the Saturday and the remaining two on Sunday.
The Thursday Street Party is also changing locations this year and will now run at the Ray Finlayson Sporting Complex to accommodate the event, which has grown substantially.
Entries for the fifth and final round of the 2023 AORC season open on Thursday 31 August.
The Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race takes place in Kalgoorlie on 19-22 October.
