KTM AUSTRALIA:

Adding to his success in winning this year’s Condo 750 and placing second in the Australian Safari, Condobolin racer Todd Smith has taken out the Gascoyne Dash off road event held at Coonatha Station in northwest WA where cars, bikes, buggies, and quads competed over two gruelling days.

Riding the KTM 530 EXC for Cycle Products West and SP Tools, Todd Smith ended the reign of three time winner Vern Strange, and gave KTM a win in an event previously dominated by Japanese brands. Gavin Cullen also added more orange to the podium in finishing third outright on his KTM 505 XCF.

Commenting on his racing Todd Smith said, “When Cycle Products West and SP Tools gave me the opportunity to ride the KTM 530 EXC in the Gascoyne Dash I couldn’t pass it up, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be such a tough race.

“Day one was a 180km loop around the Coonatha Station, day two was a 315km sprint from Coonatha Station dropping into the Gascoyne River for 185km’s followed by a 45 minute check point stop.  This allowed promoters to move the cars on avoiding dust for the bike racers.  The final stage was another 130kms into the township of Carnarvon, and being on the gas the entire time, there was no room for error.   Thankfully I had a dream run home, and finished up winning by over nine minutes.

“The terrain really varied throughout the entire race, and every corner was another challenge.  It was an awesome event, and I was stoked to finish up the year with a win for Cycle Products West and SP Tools after coming second in the Safari. Hopefully I will be back next year to defend this title.”

For further details and full results on the Gascoyne Dash see www.gasdash.com.