By JO HARRISON
ARMIDALE man Rod Colling left Armidale last week for Western Australia to compete in the 2013 Australasian Safari from 20-27 September.
The eight-day event will traverse rugged terrain, averaging between 400 and 600 kilometres per day. Rod will enter his custom-made adventure motorcycle built by Paul Rooney from Woodburn who will also act as Rod’s mechanic for the duration of the event.
The Australasian Safari is an annual off-road rally for four-wheel-drives, side by sides, motorbikes and quad bikes set in outback Western Australia. The event attracts some of the best competitors from across the globe and is renowned as one of the toughest and most challenging motorsport events in the world.
Rod has been preparing for the safari for a number of months, clocking up the kilometres on the dirt and working with a personal trainer on his fitness.
“I have been sitting in a taxi for 13 years so my fitness was a bit of an issue,” Rod said.
“Holly Murphy from SportUNE has been working with me for the last six months to get me fit.”
According to Rod the first two days of the safari will be his most challenging. Adjusting his riding to the sand and getting his head around the navigation will be key to his success throughout the rest of the safari.
Rod had not raced competitively for about 15 years and it wasn’t until he was introduced to Paul by a friend that he thought he would have another crack at a safari.
“I’m not really sure why I decided to give this a go – I think I must have rocks in my head,” Rod said.
“I’ve always liked these navigation type events which I have done before so I just liked the idea of getting out there and just navigating my way through the scrub.”
Rod travelled over to Western Australia with his wife in a campervan and fingers crossed if he doesn’t break any bones and finishes the safari he will take a well-earned holiday before returning home. You can keep an eye on Rod’s progress in the safari by logging onto www.australasiansafari.com.au
