A Nissan Patrol Y62 has secured a dominant Production Class victory at the Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally, thanks to a little help from Premcar.
Australian off-road racer Lachlan Turley, son of legendary off-road racer Kerry, powered his Nissan Patrol V8 to a commanding victory in the Production 4WD class in this year’s gruelling four-day event, which was held in the remote region of Wentworth on the edge of the New South Wales outback from September 4–7.
In an impressive show of engineering quality and driving skill, the Broken Hill racer’s silver Nissan Patrol took victory using standard Australian-developed Nissan Patrol Warrior suspension springs and bump stops, along with a revised version of Premcar’s Warrior-tune of the vehicle’s Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) system.
Premcar Chief Executive Bernie Quinn said the victory was a testament to the program.
“The Turleys’ race victory speaks volumes about the successful Australian Nissan Patrol Warrior program,” he said.
“Lachlan was impressed by the performance of the Nissan Patrol Warrior by Premcar and quickly concluded it was exactly what he needed to go racing, which is why the Turleys approached us.
“Even though the Premcar-developed suspension system in the Nissan Patrol Warrior was never intended with motorsport in mind, its success in the punishing Sunraysia Safari highlights the capabilities of Premcar’s design and engineering, as well as the quality of its Australian-made components.
“It’s also a reminder of the Nissan Patrol Y62’s impressive quality.”
Turley won the Sunraysia’s popular Production 4WD class by a long margin over formidable and more fancied competitors, such as a Walkinshaw-enhanced Volkswagen Amarok and two Mitsubishi Pajero Dakar Specials.
Despite being an independent competitor with no connection to Nissan, Turley’s victory at the weekend resembled the legendary success of former Nissan works driver Les Siviour, the Griffith rice farmer who secured 15 Australian Off-Road Racing titles in Nissan Patrols.
The Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally is a challenging 1200-kilometre off-road race open to motorcycles, quads, cross-country, and traditional rally cars, as well as selected off-road vehicles. The event is held over four consecutive days and attracts competitors from Australia, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. It is regarded as the largest rally in Australia according to competitive distances covered.