Wash-up from the Australian Off Road Championship round

Written on the 31 March 2015

SHANNON and Ian Rentsch took another step closer to a seventh Australian Off Road Championship title in winning the Pedders Suspension Coffs Coast 400 in their Aus1 Hogs Breath / BF Goodrich Tires Jimco.

Hosted in the stunning Coffs Harbour hinterland at Bucca on a brand new track, the fourth round of the AORC was run in conjunction with Rally Australia and the WRC.

Rain made for slippery conditions when the buggies, trucks and 4WD's hit the narrow forestry tracks on Saturday.

While Matt Hanson, Jack Rhodes and Matthew Martin took the prologue honours, it was Rentsch who produced a masterclass in car control during the afternoon's three lap section.

Skating from 6th to first, he finished the day ahead of Rhodes and New Zealand's Raana Horan.

Rentsch consolidated his lead on the final five laps on Sunday to take the win in an overall time of 5hr 9min 50.012sec.

"It would definitely be one of the toughest tracks in the championship, if you dropped the ball for one second it was going to be curtains down," Rentsch said.

The father daughter team of Matt and Kerri Martin were second outright in their Prolite Raceco buggy.

Battling hard not only against their prolite class mates, but the more powerful V8 and turbo charged pro buggy counterparts, the Martins threaded their naturally aspirated 3500cc V6 though the trees to take the Prolite class win and finish 10min 20 sec behind Rentsch's Pro Buggy.

"It was the perfect track for the Prolite, like Milbrodale and the old Bridgestone International." Said Martin

The Australian Off Road Championship now heads north to Queensland for the fifth and deciding round of the season, the TJM Lockyer 300 on October 17-19. For the full wrap http://www.aorc.com.au

Pedders Suspension Coffs Coast 400 

1st: #1 Shannon and Ian Rentsch (VIC)

3rd: #24 Ryan Taylor and Josh Curran (QLD)