Nicholas Commins is hoping to build on the momentum from his first maiden class title to secure an outright top 10 finish in the 2024 Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship.
The New South Welshman comfortably secured the Extreme 2WD Championship last year after attending all five rounds and scoring two wins and two runner-up finishes across the season.
Commins started the season off on a high, claiming victory in Charters Towers before finishing second to Brett Comiskey at the Pooncarie Desert Dash.
Unfortunately, he suffered his worst result of the year at the Tatts Finke Desert Race, spinning the car in Method Race Wheels Prologue and breaking a tail shaft on the way down to Finke, however he still managed to finish the event and score points.
The Trophy Truck star recovered nicely with a victory at the Loveday 400 before wrapping up the season with a second-place finish at the Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race to the ever-experienced Beau Robinson.
Despite a rocky run at the Tatts Finke Desert Race, the class title was the perfect way to bounce back after a difficult campaign in 2022, with Commins valuing his improved overall performance over the title itself.
“Honestly, winning the class last year wasn’t much different to not winning a trophy because there were a few big players who didn’t do the full season, so it felt like we won by default,” Commins said.
“With that said, it’s still nice to be a class champion and we’re happy with how the season went overall – we came away with positives at every round we went to.
“The only disappointment was Finke, because we had lots of issues and were always quite down the order. We will definitely be tackling it a bit different this year,
“I am hoping to take that good momentum into this year as it’s our goal to finish inside the top 10 overall.
“The team has a lot of people who help and we’re slowly getting better as we continue to get more experience. I’d like to thank my team for their ongoing support at every round.”
As the Westlime team aims to reach new ground in 2024, they will tackle the season with a two-pronged attack after Commins’ brother Andrew recently purchased a trophy truck from Brett Comiskey.
“Having Andrew in a Trophy Truck will be good for the team because we like to do a lot together, so there will be some friendly family rivalry this year,” Commins added.
“We’re excited for what the season has to offer. Everyone in the sport has good personalities and we get along with the whole community.
“Motorsport Australia also runs a really good show and that’s why we keep coming back.”
The 2024 Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship begins with the Wentworth Shire Pooncarie Desert Race on 19-21 April.
Feature Photo: DJH Creative
