For much of Australia’s off road community, the AORC season can mean long stretches away from loved ones in order to chase ‘the dream’.
For South Australia’s Hannah Bentley, that dream is strictly a family affair.
Alongside her brother Sam, the 25-year-old represents the third generation of the Bentley family to contest the Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship.
In this Spotlight On feature, Hannah details her life growing up in the AORC paddock, and what it means to follow in her father Hayden’s footsteps.
“I love everything about it,” Hannah said. “My brother Sam and I are the third generation from our family, and it’s just the people and the racing. You all come back and chat about how your day went, it’s just the community.”
Born and raised in Port Pirie, South Australia, where her family owns several caravan parks, Hannah’s earliest childhood memories are in and around the AORC paddock.
She reckons she was destined to become a driver herself, and it didn’t take long to get the bug – first learning the craft behind the wheel of a go kart before graduating into trophy karts.
“My earliest memory was Dad winning Finke when I was five – I remember that clearly,” Hannah said.
Hannah was just 19 when she got to cut her teeth in a fully-fledged Trophy Truck, and has become a regular name in the AORC.
In a few weeks’ time, she lines up to contest the 50th annual Tatts Finke Desert Race, racing alongside her brother Sam and her father Hayden, who will be aboard a brand-new Mason trophy truck.
“You can’t describe it, I don’t reckon,” Hannah smiled.
“It’s so great, you just think to yourself ‘how is this thing doing that!’. It’s wicked.
“The thing I’m looking forward to is the same as every year – it’s just the atmosphere really. The track itself I personally love because I like the flowing, rough stuff.”
The AORC season is an expansive one, covering four different states and different sides of the Australian continent.
For Hannah, it’s the family element of the AORC and the ability to travel with them on the road that keeps her energised.
“It’s honestly great, you worry about them at events but it’s amazing to come back and all be there together and all knowing that you made it there together,” she said.
“Like at Finke, when you get to the other end [Aputula end] and you’re all there at the camp fire. You talk about your day, where you nearly crashed. It’s just so fun.”
Hannah has big shoes to fill in following her father Hayden’s footsteps. He’s a two-time Finke winner and a former AORC champion. However, she has stripped back her goals to a very simple formula.
“Everyone wants to get to the top but for me, the goal is to keep getting better each time I’m in the car,” Hannah explained.
“At the moment I’m really happy with how I’m driving, and when I come back to the pits, I don’t care about where I’m coming. I’m just happy with how I’m performing.”
The 50th annual Tatts Finke Desert Race runs on the King’s Birthday long weekend, June 4-8.
