After a dramatic season opener in Newcastle, the DEWALT CAMS Australian SXS Championship heads south to the nation’s capital for round two.
In the season opener at Cessnock, it was reigning champion Simon Evans who ended the day with maximum points after claiming a thrilling Grand Final victory during the final stages of the race, one which involved a number of lead changes.
Fast forward two months and all 20 drivers from the first round are registered to go round again in Canberra with a number of them hoping to improve on their first event for 2019.
As expected Evans is back to continue his title defence, with appearances in the Tatts Finke Desert Race and the Subaru Rally Tasmania also giving the Victorian plenty of seat time across a range of different categories heading into the round.
In recent times, the SXS Turbo class has dominated the field, but an incredible display in the first round from SXS Sport driver Tim Liston sees the third year driver in second place behind Evans.
In third and fourth outright, the young Tom Evans and veteran Stephen Henry will both be looking to topple the two front-runners and climb up the standings.
Henry knows what it takes to win a round, claiming last year’s second round in Victoria, as well as finishing second on two occasions, whereas Evans enjoyed his maiden outright SXS Championship podium in May.
While both the Evans brothers and Henry will be battling it out for SXS Turbo glory along with 12 other competitors, Liston will have four other drivers in the SXS Sport class to worry about – the highest placed being Ivan Szkut and Shannon Leach who sit in eighth and ninth outright respectively.
In a field dominated by Victorians with 12 coming from the south, Liston leads the New South Wales charge with five drivers coming from the state, while Chris Jones joins Henry as the two drivers making their way down from the Sunshine state.
The remaining driver on the entry list is Japanese representative Tadamitsu Nihori, who has been making inroads in the Championship since making his debut in 2016 – his best result being a third place in round three last year.
Like the first round in Cessnock, the circuit will be unfamiliar to a majority of the drivers with the Championship having previously raced in Majura over two years ago – making it an even playing field once again.
However unlike the other three circuits, the ACT Motorcycle Club will see drivers compete on natural terrain adding an extra layer of difficulty for the drivers.
The DEWALT CAMS Australian SXS Championship takes place at the ACT Motorcycle Club in Majura ACT with entry being free for all spectators.
Taking place on Saturday 13 July, competitors will have a chance for some practice sessions before undergoing five heats, two semi-finals and the deciding Grand Final.
