#DesertRace: Aussie McShane makes history in iconic race

Correspondent | Monday June 27, 2016 13:02

 

 McShane, a former winner of the Australasian Safari, became the first foreign driver to win the iconic event and revelled in the conditions on the only marathon event on the Donaldson series calendar. With South African co-driver Leander Pienaar sharing the Fox Racing BAT, the pair finished ahead of Sarel van Biljon/Philip Herselman (Atlas Copco BAT) and Jimmy Zahos and Zaheer Bodhanya in the Cobalt Racing Stryker. 

“It was rough and bumpy but the car has been really good all weekend,” said McShane. “We have had a lot of fun.” 

Once again the conditions took a heavy toll on machinery. Only six Special Vehicles saw out the distance with an equal split between Class A and Class P cars. 

Such was the domination that McShane and Pienaar exercised on the rest of the field they finished more than 45 minutes ahead of van Biljon and Herselman. The Atlas Copco pair finished heat one in fifth position after encountering a litany of problems, so a podium place today was a “big relief” to the crew. 

Zahos and Bodhanya won the qualifying race for heat one but then had to endure a troubled weekend when they ran into problems in the first race where they finished seventh. It did not stop there and in today’s race the pair found themselves without GPS or odometer 20 kilometres into the route, and took a wrong slot. 

“It didn’t stop there because we then had major electrical dramas,” said Zahos. “That was one of the hardest races I have ever done.” 

Fourth place went to reigning Class P champions John Thomson and Maurice Zermatten, in a Zarco, who chalked up their first win of the season. There was a huge gap between them and Henrdrik Uys and Gavin Bennett, in a CR-T, who were having only their second national championship outing.

There was also a sizeable gap between the more experienced Grant Watkins and Paul Mare in a Zarco. On a day when more fancied runners fell by the wayside but Uys/Bennett and Watkins and Mare showed great perseverance and were the last of the classified finishers. 

Among the casualties were first heat winners Mark Corbett and Juan Mohr (Century Racing CR5), locals Keith du Toit and Robbie Coetzee (White Star Racing BAT), who were on the podium in heat one, Class P winners Nic Goslar and Andrew Massey (SA Clinics Zarco) and reigning South African champions Evan Hutchison and Danie Stassen in the Motorite BAT. Hutchison and Stassen were among the pre race favourites but it turned into a miserable weekend for the pair who retired in the qualifying race and both heats.