14 www.plainsproducer.com.au
Plains Producer, Wednesday June 3, 2009
NEWS v District
Duel in the
t r e s e D
THE Razorback Racing Team off-road vehicle roars out of the Outback with James Madden (inset) at the wheel.
Lewiston off-road aces in action
Two Lewiston men are gearing up for this weekend’s gruelling Finke Desert Race. Tom Lewis and James Madden are among 500 competitors to take part in the southern hemisphere’s biggest desert race. Despite being under-prepared, Tom Lewis is gearing up to compete on his 2008 BMW G450x motorbike. The young Lewiston man broke a thumb in April during a Condo 750 Safari near Condobolin in NSW, which was a training race for his Finke debut starting in Alice Springs on Sunday. “I haven’t done as much preparation as I would have liked. Because of my thumb, I only started riding again a few weeks ago,’’ Tom said. Nevertheless, he plans to finish the annual 452km dirt motorbike and buggy race, which has over 500 motorbike entrants this year. “I hope to finish, and if I do finish, I would like to be in the top 100,’’ he said. Tom has always been interested in motorbikes having been riding since he could walk. Other than the Condo
TOM Lewis with the bike he will ride.
up to
50
%
Acer
Satellite Notebook • Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor • 4GB Ram • 320GB Hard Disk • DVD burner • 15.4” Widescreen • Webcam •Wireless • Windows Vista Premium
1387
Emachine Notebook • AMD Athlon 64 processor • 160GB Hard Disk • 4GB Ram • DVD burner • 15.4” Widescreen • Webcam •Wireless • Windows Vista Basic
*See www.educationtaxrefund.gov.au to see if you are eligible
89 cashback avaiable
$
10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera
In-Car Navigation
138
$
•3x optical zoom • 2.5” LCD screen • Optical Image Stabiliser • Face & Motion Detection • Rechargeable Li-lon battery • Auto red eye reduction
BALAKLAVA ELECTRONICS
Specials end June 13
888
$
Canon
Laser
• 3.5” touchscreen • Text to speech • Latest 2009 Australian Maps • Easy to use interface
750 Safari, this is one of the biggest and most challenging races he will have competed in. “I’ve been following the Finke for a while now, and thought this year I’d stop following it and give it a crack myself.’’ Tom was luckier than his friend and racing partner, Sam Alexander, who broke his elbow during the Condo 750 Safari and will miss out on competing in the desert race this year. Instead, he’ll be part of Tom’s crew. Riders will leave Alice Springs for the 226km trek to Finke River, camp there and return the next day. Another Lewiston competitor, James Madden, hasn’t had an idle moment since returning from the ARB Pinjarra Engineering Hyden 450 at Easter. James and the Razorback Racing Team poured more than 200 hours of labour into the number 81 proclass buggy to return it to as new condition after a roll over in WA, with plenty of TLC
required on the rear half of the chassis. The rear cage was reconstructed in time for a shakedown at the Parilla ‘Richard Bennett Memorial Enduro’ where James eventually took the event win. “It was great to be back on track and we are now focused on building on the Razorback team’s seventh outright performance at Finke last year,” he said. “I enjoy going up to Alice Springs for the Tattersall’s Finke Desert Race as it gives me some time off from the physical work and provides a great opportunity to show off your hard work.” James said racing the Finke was always a challenge. “With only one run at the course in each direction, you don’t have the chance to put in a better lap next time around.” James is confident of a successful weekend ahead. “Alice Springs offroad competitor Matthew Morgan will be jumping in alongside me for Finke (as navigator),” he said. “The extra torque we now have on tap from the 2.5 litre Subaru should really come into its own in the red desert sand,” he said.
Rebate on Computers & Accessories*
Toshiba
$
By Bronte Hewett
28 George St , Balaklava - Phone 8862 1552 or 8862 2211
346
$
available