Welcome to Safari 2012
Date: 06-Jan-2012
Welcome to Safari 2012.
Its with great pleasure that we announce that Expressions of Interest are now open and the Pre Event Guide Edition 1 has been published online.
For 2012 we have an entirely new course, we will visit a number of new towns in some simply stunning regions. At this stage the event will be focusing on the Perth, Murchison and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia.
Our initial course trips have been exciting and early indications are for a great course traveling some stunning areas of Western Australia. I did however spend three hours bogged on the beach a little close to the waterline, something that I triedvery hard to hide! Cant tell you where we were but it was hard going in the standard 000 Hilux.
We are very pleased to announce that Ross Runnalls has been appointed as the Clerk of Course for 2012. Ross brings a wealth of AUTO and MOTO experience to the event and will also complete a full course and road book check prior to the event in 2012. Along with an Organising Committee restructure and a fairly substantial course planning overhaul we are confident that this will resolve the issues of consistency that were experienced in the past.
Watch out for a number of new Competitor Forums. Starting in February 2012 we will asking a number of competitors to be part of teleconference focus groups. We plan on seeking more opinions and sharing information (where no competitive advantage can be gained) to ensure we capture feedback and to share concepts and long term plans. If you would like to be part of this process please email me direct.
Safari Challenge is a new category for 2012. It is a great way to be part of the Auto competition. Please read the details about the Challenge in the Pre Event Guide as there are a number of strict compliance issues but its basically open to all 4WD vehicles. The Safari Challenge is still subject to formal motorsport authority approval.
We will again be including the Safari Production category as a stand alone category. Our initial talks with manufacturers is that this is their favoured format for competition and we hope that some new teams will join this category in 2012.
Important information about Category AUTO A3 – Its our opinion, in consultation with our Government Stakeholders that this class of competition vehicles does not really fit into the Safari idea. It is our plan overtime (several years) to remove this class from eligible competition. For 2012 Vehicles entering A3 will have a maximum track width and other conditions to ensure that they will a) fit down the course and b) are suitable for a unregistered vehicle permit. Whilst we are working on the finer technical specifications please contact me if you have any queries.
Well done to the Aussie guys in Dakar. Amazing efforts to date and I wish them all well for a safe finish to this amazing event. As I type this stage 6 was cancelled due to snow.
The Office will be closed from the 9th to the 13th of January as Sally is on her way back from Dakar and I am going to take a week off (just one!), but please email or call anytime and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Regards
Justin Hunt
Event Director
Justin@australasiansafari.com.au
