October 7 2003

Andy Caldecott and John Hederics were the winners of the 2003 Australian Safari, taking out their respective Moto and Auto divisions, while 55 of the original 71 starters completed the torturous eight day event.

After a gruelling trek around outback New South Wales the Australian Safari came to an exciting conclusion in Bathurst, where it had started eight days before.

Caldecott's win was his fourth straight in the event and places the South Australian at the head of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship for motorcycles, with just two rounds in Egypt and Dubai remaining.

The Safari was far from smooth sailing for Caldecott, the 38 year old needing to come back from 20 minutes down with a kangaroo and a big accident on his KTM 660 Rallye that seriously injured his shoulder amongst other problems. Hederics' victory with navigator John Williams in their Nissan Patrol writes the Mildura driver's name into the history books as the first winner of the Safari in both the Auto and Moto divisions, having previously won this event six times on a motorcycle.

"It has always been a dream of mine to win both the Auto and Moto divisions in the Safari, and I'm pleased we have finally been able to achieve it," Hederics said. Hederics said his victory was in stark contrast to Caldecott's win.

"The event could not have gone any easier for us. It's funny, when you're doing it tough the bad things seem worse than what they really are, but this year everything just seemed so easy. I know that's not normally the case, so I'll treasure this victory even more."

Peter Brock finished second overall in the Auto division, with the Bathurst legend and his navigator, Anne Gigney, also securing the production category with their showroom standard Motorola Holden Rally Team Rodeo. "The Safari is full of moments and just reaching the finish is one of them," a relieved Brock said. "The course was a huge test - one slip up and it was easy to go off the roads and out of the event. We have seen some beautiful country over the past eight days, but we have also been through one very difficult race."

It was Brock's second outright runner-up finish in the event, having achieved the same in 2001, while it was also his third class victory in the past three years.

Jeff Portman and navigator Ross Runnalls joined their Holden Rally Team team-mates on the podium, finishing third overall in their standard Rodeo, while Sinderberry's Glenn Hoffman racing Honda team-mate, Andrew Coaker, was third in the Moto division. Sydney rider David Moore won the Sportsman Moto division on the KTM 640 Adventure.

DAYS 1-3
Widespread torrential rain caused the cancellation of Sunday and Monday's stages of the 2003 Australian Safari. Seven stages in the Narromine to Bourke and Bourke to White Cliffs stages were wiped - the first time in the Safari's 18 year history that more than part of a single day's schedule had been cancelled.

Terry and Michael Denham survived a cut tyre during the first competitive stage to maintain their position at the head of the Auto division, leading Terry and Peter Connor's Nissan Patrol by just three seconds, as competitors waited for the weather to improve.

DAY 4
John Hederics charged into the lead with his Nissan Patrol following an action-packed fourth day. After a two-day break brought about by torrential rains that swept across New South Wales, drivers and riders resumed competition with a 630km run from White Cliffs to Broken Hill. Overnight leader, Terry Denham retired when his Mitsubishi Evo Pajero experienced mechanical failure with a crankshaft breaking, while two other vehicles crashed out in spectacular rollovers and one motorcycle rider was left in hospital with suspected broken bones.

Hederics moved into the lead early in the first of the day's four stages, before stretching his lead over Terry Conner's Nissan GQ Patrol to almost 20-minutes. Second-placed Conner led Stephen Riley's Mitsubishi Pajero by 1-minute, 23-seconds, while Peter Brock was 16-seconds further back in his Motorola Holden Rally Team Rodeo.

Peter Jerie and Craig Fletcher both emerged from their vehicles unhurt after crashing out during the morning's first two stages. Jerie's team worked through the night to try and fix his Mitsubishi Pajero in an effort to try and re-join the Safari, while Fletcher withdrew his Holden Jackaroo from further competition.

DAY 5
Mildura's John Hederics continued to lead in the Auto division with his Nissan Patrol, stretching the gap to second placed Terry Conner to just over 25-minutes.

Peter Brock moved into third place overall in his standard Showroom category Holden rally Team Rodeo, the nine-time Bathurst winner just three-and-a-half minutes behind Conner's Nissan.

Unlike Tuesday's drama-filled day when three cars rolled and two motor-cycle riders were left in hospital with broken bones, every competitor made it through to the overnight stop in Balranald.

DAY 6
Competitors faced a gruelling 760km race from Balranald to Condobolin. A spectacular two-car accident in the Auto division marred the morning's first stage.

The accident occurred when outright contender, Stephen Riley lost control of his Mitsubishi in the slippery bush conditions, the vehicle plowing into the back of Warren Ridge's stranded Pajero, which had hit a tree moments earlier. Ambulance officers were attending Ridge's wife and navigator, Joy, for a broken hand in the vehicle at the time, although no further injuries are reported to have been suffered.

Another two vehicles hit the same tree, the treacherous conditions taking their toll on the teams.

The top order in the Auto division remained the same at the end of Day 6, with John Hederics comfortably in control in his Nissan Patrol, while Terry Conners continues in second. Peter Brock was third outright, while also leading the class for Showroom category vehicles in his Rodeo.

The Safari made an overnight stop in Condobolin, with competitors and service crew tackling the Condo to Mudgee stages on Day 7, before ending in Bathurst on Saturday.

2003 Australian Safari - Auto Division - Final Results

1. Hederics/Williams - 1996 Nissan Patrol
2. Brock/Gigney - 2003 Holden Rodeo
3. Portman/Runnalls - 2003 Holden Rodeo
4. Conner/Conner - 1995 GQ Patrol
5. Brown/Schultz - 1999 Holden Frontera
6. Owen/Cairns - 2002 Nissan Patrol
7. Jones/Goldsbrough - Holden Jackaroo
8. Nitschke/Lawson - 1998 Holden Jackaroo
9. Pretty/Thomson - 2003 Holden Jackaroo
10. Lockhart/Donovan - Holden Jackaroo
11. Glennie/Clark - Toyota LandCruiser
12. Land/Turner/Dennis - 1996 Jackaroo
13. Riley/Doble - 1991 Mitsubishi Pajero
14. Power/Ewing - 1998 Nissan Patrol GU
15. Bevan/Nicholls - 1982 Peugeot 505 Gti
16. People/Trigg - 2003 Jeep Cherokee
17. Ridge/Mann/Cohen - 2001 Jackaroo
18. Ward/Wallder - 2002 Mitsubishi Triton
19. Denham/Denham - Mitsubishi Pajero
20. Nicklos/Fletcher/Ridge - 2002 Jackaroo

This article reproduced courtesy of Just 4x4s Magazine October '03