AUS: Outer Bounds Racing's new buggy

BACK IN BLACK

Perth, Western Australia -- April 21, 2005 -- Outer Bounds Racing will debut in their new Jet Black, Herman Motorsport built Porter race car this season at the 30th Anniversary Finke Desert Race.

Brian Robinson is the team owner and will be driving with the assistance of co-driver/navigator, Beau Robinson. Brian, out of Watermans, Western Australia has been competing in the Finke for 18 years now and has had results ranging from 2nd outright to not even finishing but this year he believes he has the answer.

"We are definitely all geared up for this one," says Robinson. "The team has everything dialled into perfection on our new Porter race car and I think we have a good chance of earning the overall victory. Last year we started in 26th and finished 5th. Now, with a brand new class 1 buggy recently imported from America I feel our chances are better than ever."

The new vehicle is a collaboration between Herman Motorsports and Porter Race Cars, "We worked well with Damen Jefferies of Herman Motorsports," said Robinson, "He understands our likes and dislikes but more importantly shares the same vision."

Running 460km, this year's course mirrors last year's run. Highly technical, challenging and extremely punishing on both man and machine. North America has the Baja 1000 and the Europeans have the Paris - Dakar which are long distance endurance events - the American race is over 1000 miles on the Baja peninsula of Mexico, while the European rally from Paris to the most westerly point of Africa, travels some 12000 kilometres. The Finke Desert Race has distinct advantages over these immensely popular events. The Finke is an endurance sprint with a course that is a great leveller. It gives no guarantee the best rider or driver, with the greatest equipment, will even finish, let alone win the event. In the end, it barely takes two hours for the winner to compete point to point, and four hours for the round trip. With thousands of corrugations, dips, washouts and rises, known colloquially as "whoops" or "whoopdedoos", the ingredients are there for high-speed action. Machines are pushed to the limit. Every competitor must remain totally focused and drive or ride at eleven tenths of their ability -- every metre of the way.

"We are leaving a week prior to the race and will try to pre-run the entire time," continues Robinson. "The more you run, the more you learn and that is really a big help on a course like the Finke with it being so long and no GPS equipment allowed you must memorise the whole course if you wish to be in contention of winning. Being totally prepared is a big part of winning the battle."

The event will consist of a prologue or qualifying on Saturday and then on the Sunday the competitors will race from Alice Springs to the town of Apatula(Finke) and then on Monday will race back to Alice Springs. The event will be televised on channel 7, 9 and 10 on various shows and will also be live on ABC radio. Some 20,000 spectators are said to line the track each year with a record crowd and entry expected for the 30th Anniversary this year.

Outer Bounds Racing® would like to thank the sponsors and supporters for their continued support: BFGoodrich Tires, Kerr Race Engineering, Herman Motorsport, Econo Sweep, Alice Auto Repairs, Porter Race Cars, UMI race Engines, Hurst Motorsport Development.

-obr-