The final round of the East Cape Off-road Club’s season came to a dramatic close at the inaugural BestDrive Pineapple 200 that took place in and around Bathurst on Saturday with only two of the vehicles managing to finish the race.
Many of the competitors were caught out by the rugged terrain as well as the changing weather conditions that saw rain adding to the drama.
Derek and Chester Wilmot had a lucky escape after suffering suspension failure that left their VW Beetle buried in the bushes while Lionel and Chantell Acton had gearbox failure in their Sandmaster.
There was also an early retirement for Paul van Jaarsveld and Adrian Linderman after they broke a ball joint on the well-prepared Orco but the biggest disaster of the day was Quentin Lessing and Brendan Smith who rolled out of contention during the first stage in their new Toyota Hilux.
Billed as race favourites the pair were pushing hard but unfortunately hit a furrow whilst taking a high speed corner leading them rolling multiple times.
Even though the conditions and terrain were incredibly tough the competitors all really enjoyed the course layout and it is set to become an annual event.
The overall winner of the Bathurst Pineapple 200 was Paul Mare in his single seater VW Sandmaster in a total time of 2:11:25 with the father and son team of Grant and Gregory Watkins in their Lexus powered Zarco in a time of 2:17:08.
The Herald