PWR Racing unveiled its latest off road race car this week when PWR owner, Kees Weel took the covers off the new Holden Colorado Australasian Safari machine.

The new PWR Racing Holden Colorado will again be driven by nine times Australian Safari Champion, John Hederics with Kees Weel jumping into the navigators seat for the 2008 event.

The 2008 Australasian Safari will be staged from the 23rd – 30th August. Western Australia will again play host to this exciting event, frequently referred to as Australia’s version of ‘Paris to Dakar’, for the second time in 2008 showcasing the incredibly diverse landscape the state has to offer. Providing Australian Safari competitors and entrants with an unrivalled backdrop this off-road rally course will rank amongst the most spectacular in the world.

As part of the Australian Safari adventure competitors will traverse outback roads and tracks via a route that takes in a great variety of geographical challenges. The inclusion of varying vehicles types, participating in either a competitive or touring element, allows for a spectacle quite like no other in Western Australia’s amazing Outback.

The 2008 PWR Racing driver combination reunites a team who first drove together some 10 years ago at the 1998 Australian Safari.

PWR will post daily updates on the PWR Performance Products website from the 2008 race when the action starts on 23rd August.

PWR Racing’s John Hederics has put the new PWR/Holden Rally Team V8 powered Colorado through a pre Australasian Safari shakedown in the lead up to the start of the 2008 Event.

The new Colorado has improved suspension, a lower centre of gravity and greater fuel capacity.

"This year’s Australasian Safari is going to be tougher than ever before, but the new Holden Colorado is an improved package over our winning Rodeo so I can’t wait to get going," said Hederics

"The biggest challenge is the outback terrain, this year’s course is not as fast as previous, but the terrain is much tougher with bigger rocks and gutters so there will be a greater emphasis on vehicle durability and the role of the navigator."

Catch up on all the Australasian Safari news here at www.pwr.com.au.

The first day of the 2008 Australasian Safari has been more show than go. The organisers provided an optional short 8k practice course on the outskirts of Kalgoorlie, mainly so that the first time entrants could get a feel for the way the Rally is run before the clocks start ticking in earnest. That didn’t stop the experienced competitors cutting a lap as well, with the likes of nine-time winner John Hederics and rival Bruce Garland displaying some impressive driving.

The practice session was followed by a display of the competing vehicles in the main street of Kalgoorlie, and a ceremonial start. The excitement of being flagged away was a little too much for some of the riders, who took the start a little too much to heart and shot through the traffic lights at the next intersection while the lights were still glowing red! From there it was short transport back to the event camp at the Oasis Sports Centre where the field is currently cooling its heels, waiting for the 6am Sunday start. After months of preparation, this is a period of calm before the dust storm of the next seven days as the course takes them on a 4300km journey to Perth, with a tough 2700ks of competitive sections.

This is an especially important event for Hederics who, after failing to finish his first Australian Safari on a motorcycle nearly 20 years ago due a mechanical fault, came back the following year to win, eventually clocking up a record six wins on Honda XR600s. The hunt for a fresh challenge then tempted him into car driving, and his trademark meticulous preparation and uncannily quick motor-coordination skills meant another three wins followed.

Can he make it double figures this year? “It’s a long event and a lot of things can happen. The Colorado feels good. It’s working well, we’ve got a strong team, but there is a lot of talent in the field so while we’ll be aiming for a win, we’re realistic about our chances.”

Included in the team is John’s oldest son, apprentice mechanic Beau, his wife Mellisa and youngest son Toby. How does it feel to have a husband driving at 220kph over desert tracks? “The butterflies are there, but you just have to trust his ability,” said Mellisa as John drove away this morning.

The Australasian Safari is a race that punishes all who enter it. The next seven days will test all the entrants’ physical and mental strength, the skills of their teams, and the hearts of their families. The mood in the camp tonight is subdued and restrained. Generators rumble, there’s the occasional growl of an engine being tested, but mostly the competitors are simply getting some rest. They’re going to need it.

Motorsport can be fickle, and today the Australasian Safari’s hot favourite crashed out of the event in the first section, just south of Kalgoorlie. The course had been a tight one, and several of the riders either crashed or became lost. Hederics was nearing the end of the section when he followed some bike tracks into rough ground

"We weren’t going that hard, maybe 60 or 80kph, but the back right kicked up and immediately after that the front left tangled with a mound of earth. The combination of the two tripped the Colorado up, but I thought we still had it. Then ... well it went all the way over, crunched down on the roof then flipped back on its wheels. The engine didn’t even stop."

The crash pushed one of the front tyres off its rim, so Hederics and his navigator Kees Wheel replaced the wheel, allowing Reg Owen to get past in the process. The damage was more extensive than that though. The rack and pinnion assembly was smashed as well.

"I had turn and a half on the steering wheel before the front wheels did anything, so we eased the car out of the bush to the finish of the section, then headed for the service point. The PWR Holden Rally Team crew flew into action, removing the damaged steering assembly and carrying out hurried panel repairs, but an official scrutineer checked the vehicle and declared it unsafe to race."

"It was a fair call, and I had to agree with him," said Hederics. "The roll cage had been crushed and a second roll-over could have resulted in injury."

The team was out, but John was as calm and controlled as ever.

"It was driver error, simple as that. When you race, these things happen. No-one was hurt; we can race again."

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