The penultimate round of the 2026 Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship (AORC) is now complete, following a dominant weekend from Boston Morgan-Horan and Will Haddock.
Here are some highlights from the Loveday 400.
1. There’s no replacement for displacement
Boston Morgan-Horan’s move from a turbo V6 Geiser into a V8-powered Mason trophy truck formerly owned by Brent Smoothy was the talk of the weekend at Loveday.
How could it not be? Morgan-Horan’s advantage over the field was virtually visible throughout the weekend, pulling about 50 seconds a lap over his next closest rival, Beau Robinson, to dominate every session he entered.
Morgan-Horan achieved the feat behind the wheel of a car with additional cylinders, additional weight, and the move from right-hand drive to left-hand drive.
He now leads the Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship with one round remaining, and looms as one of the youngest outright champions in competition history.
Imagine how he’ll go with some actual seat time and car preparation.
2. This won’t be the last we see of Craig Lowndes at the AORC
The Supercars legend and navigator Dale Moscatt were the star entries of this year’s Loveday 400, competing in a locally prepared Can-Am Maverick R in the SXS class.
Despite some mechanical gremlins, Lowndes showed some impressive speed particularly on the Sunday, where he circulated among the top three in the SXS Pro and even turned a few heads among the outright leaders for speed.
Lowndes’ vision of a top-tier finish ultimately didn’t materialise after a car failure during Section 3, but the seven-time Bathurst winner still flashed his signature smile afterwards, revealing he plans to contest more events in the future.
What’s more, he will likely be driving something with a larger displacement, too.
Watch this space.
3. No Can-Am, no worries
New South Wales driver Kane Jones might well end up an ambassador for Polaris after the speed he showed throughout the Loveday weekend. We wouldn’t be surprised.
Despite his SXS entry suffering a distinct horsepower and top speed disadvantage, the Pambula resident kept the field honest on the fast-degrading track, holding higher corner speeds and making use of larger diameter wheels to take advantage of the tough course.
Jones ultimately feel short of a class win after his car succumbed to issues on Sunday afternoon.
But he will be one to watch in future rounds, with strong results at both Loveday and the previous AORC round at Finke.
4. It ain’t over till it’s over
Queensland driver Tyson Gava didn’t let a brain lapse in the Method Race Wheels Prologue on Saturday ruin his weekend.
In hindsight his determination proved highly valuable.
Gava accidentally stuck his car in low-range during Friday’s Method Race Wheels Prologue – a fixture that sets the running order for Saturday’s Section one.
The mishap ultimately pared back the top speed on Gava’s Maverick R machine to 90km/h, severely impeding his time and relegating him to 58th in Prologue.
A lesser competitor might not have persisted, but Gava didn’t falter, pushing his way to fifth in class on Saturday, and moving higher again to third in class on Sunday, and 10th outright.
It was Gava’s inaugural AORC podium, and a valuable lesson to never give in.
5. Throw the form guide out
This year’s condensed four-round Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship has thrown up some surprise results already, but the respective title races are far from over.
With the championship finale at the Penrith Oils Kalgoorlie Desert Race in October offering a points-and-a-half scoring incentive, the reality remains that anything can happen.
Yes, Morgan-Horan and SXS Championship leader Glen Ackroyd both hold strong leads over their competitors, but the rugged Kalgoorlie layout is no joke.
Add in the fact that a few dozen Western Australian competitors are eager to throw their hat into the ring of a national Championship round, and it makes for a salivating prospect.
We can’t wait to see what happens.
Photos: Harrison Mielke & Dakar Press Team Australia
