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Brown perfect in the Pines as Martin crowned national champion

By Auto Action

Date posted: 28 September 2023

Danny Brown and George Apted cruised to back to back Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 wins as Brent Martin and Andrew de Simone were crowned Australian Off Road Racing Champions in Millicent, writes TC Media. 

Martin and de Simone saluted the chequered flag in fourth, putting an exclamation mark on another remarkable season highlighted by a victory at Hillston. 

Rewarded for their emphatic consistency, the Victorians secured a third ARB Australian outright and Class 1 crown, and became the first to do so in consecutive years; surviving a gallant David Middlemiss and Matt Burrows for 2023 supremacy.

In the chase for Millicent glory, Brown launched out of the blocks in another Pines masterclass, starting from the back of the grid the two time ARB Australian champion stormed to a 59 second lead at the completion of lap one.

From there he was never headed in the Nissan TT powered Alumi Craft; cruising to a powerful 3.23 min triumph.

The 2013 Pines champion, Carl Haby and Chloe Roehr completed six treacherous laps of the iconic Mount Burr forest to be second fastest. 

Capitalising on a late flat tyre to fellow South Australians Andrew and Fletcher Murdock #1166, Haby crossed a mere 28.5 seconds ahead of the Murdock father and son crew, who rounded out the podium in a career high result.

Brent Martin and Andrew de Simone wrapped up a third Australian Off Road Racing Championship

They managed to keep champions Martin and de Simone away from the podium, while NSW father and daughter crew of Steven and Ella Graham #1065 finished fifth outright for a third time in 2023.

The Class 10 Alumi Craft campaigners also left Millicent with ARB Australian championship and Pines class honours.

David and Alice Middlemiss closed out a fantastic 2023 campaign in seventh, and in doing so wrapped up second place in both the ARB Australian outright and Class 1 Championship.

Brendan Forssman and Leigh Whitehand collected a maiden ARB round Class 2 victory, overcoming teammates Andrew and James Forssman.

Queenslanders Jamie Knight and Lachlan Brosnan secured their second ARB Australian Class 4 championship, after an impressive victory at the Pines; outlasting Jason Forssman and Del Palmer, plus former ARB champions Peter Sibson and Jason Munro.

Jackson Evans and Sam Raper debuted their new Polaris RZR Turbo S in style, claiming a maiden national Class 6 win.

This left eventual ARB Australian class champions Matt Hummer and Aaron Lukschanderl to settle for second and Glenn Pike and Aidan Campagnolo finished third.

The fight of the Class 7 Patrols was claimed by Darren and Damon Gill #760 who made it consecutive Pines triumphs.

Matt Lavis and Andrew Dance finished their ARB Australian Class 66 championship winning season on a high by taking home the Millicent silverware.

Owen Ward and Curtis Laidlaw #832 continued their love affair with the iconic South Australian event, taking home the Pines and ARB Australian Class 8 championship spoils.

It was a race of attrition with a number of notables falling on Saturday including Brendan Payne and Shaun Klingberg.

Sunday was just as tough with three time Pines Enduro champion Matt Hanson falling to power steering issues, while 19 others all succumbed to the brutal Pines terrain during the six lap section.

The event wrapped up the 2023 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship in style before attentions turn to 2024 with the four-round season starting in Rainbow, Victoria on March 22-24.

Images: Clutch Life Media and Steve Chapple Photography

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