TWO Mount Isa motorsport fanatics have tasted red dirt and desert glory after winning their class in the iconic Tatts Finke Desert Race in the Northern Territory last week.
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Driver Daniel Osinski and navigator Tony Midgley dominated the Performance Two-Wheel Drive category in their Steelware Offroad machine and finished the challenging 226-kilometre course in a time of five hours, 33 minutes, 26 seconds to win the class and place 21st overall.
It wasn't easy sailing for the pair, as a rollover 200 metres from the finish line had the potential to end their race and chance at victory.
"We made the highlight reel for sure," laughed Osinski.
"One of the stabiliser bars failed about 30km out [from the finish line] and caused us to roll as we went through a corner about 200m from the end."
Luckily, a spectator let them use his four-wheel drive to right the stricken vehicle - which uses a Ford Ranger chassis and engine - and the pair continued across the finish line, just a minute ahead of the second-placed team, to claim victory.
As a result of the rollover, every fibreglass panel on the vehicle was broken, leaving the team's panel beater with a few long nights ahead before the pair's next scheculded race - the second round of the Australian Off Road Championship - in August.
"He [the panel beater] looked at it when we got back and asked if there was any panel we didn't get when we rolled over," Osinski said.
Midgley said the team would need to spend more than 200 hours to get the vehicle back to race standard.
"Apart from the panel repairs, any bolt, nut or component with fluid has to be stripped back and checked," he said.
"Realistically, it's almost a full rebuild."
After the rollover, and with buckets of rich, red Northern Territory dirt still filling the cabin as a reminder of the race, Osinski and Midgley could be forgiven for wanting to take some time out to reflect on the race and whether they wanted to try it again in 2013.
In true motorsport style, the pair laughed and admitted the decision to attempt back-to-back class victories in the race had already been made.
"Going back next year is a given," Osinki said.
"We were planning the trip as we were loading the vehicle onto the trailer in Alice Springs."