Can Am BRP Australia took podium finishes in the majority of the classes in Pinnaroo, South Australia on 25th / 26th April 2009 for the Thumb Pump 300
Young gun Can AM X Team rider Mitch Van Vliet along with team mate Chris Howard managed a 1, 2 finish in the Pro Class with Van Vliet taking the outright winner just to add to his accolades.
With the weekend being one of the coldest to hit the region in over 12 months, the deluge of rain and wind proved to add fuel to the fire in making the Thumb Pump 300 the hardest enduro race in Australia to date.
With a Le Mans start the field had to push and shove as they ran to their quads to get the lead in the long and sandy track. Van Vliet was first to his quad but managed to flood the Can Am giving 5 riders a good lead. Can Am X Team rider Paul Smith had a pearler of a start and took the lead with the rest of the field hunting him down. Lap 1 to 5 saw the lead change 5 times and then it was Van Vliet and Smith pulling away. Unfortunately for Smith a DNF was inevitable after trouble with his sprocket.
The fierce track, which was proving a battler, was taking its toll on the field with several riders having a DNF. Ben Hall was also putting the pressure on keeping up with the pace along with Robert Booth and Cameron Wade.
With day one over, Van Vliet had a 10 minute lead on the field with over 3 riders not even finishing the grueling track.
Day 2 saw the weather conditions remain the same. The only change was the ruts were deeper and the sandy conditions were relentless. Van Vliet had his own hiccups with a flat tyre and a quick rest up in a tree. Trying to keep consistent for the rest of the race Van Vliet managed to hold his lead by 9 minutes with Howard and Hall stepping up on the podium with him.
Van Vliet commented, " This was one of the toughest events I have competed in and I'm spent, both physically and mentally. The competition was amazing and the talent of the riders is just awesome. I'm thrilled I won but wow it was hard work"
Other races included the Open Mens, which saw Suzuki rider Brett Clissold take the win. Both Keegan Ballantyne and Daryl Anderson had mechanical problems taking them both out on day one.
The Women's Class had major competition between the girls with South Australian Rider Donna Newman taking overall 1st with Chelsea Deboo and Lisa Hoyle hot on her heels.
Teams were an impressive race with the likes of Howard Reed and Andreas Anderson teaming up again for the 2nd year in a row. Reed and Anderson proved once again they were a force to be reckoned with taking out 1st place for the 2nd year in a row. Not to be outdone Rick Beer and Rob Van Vliet teamed up as Team Beer Van and held onto 2nd keeping their reputation in tact also.
Juniors had their first taste of the enduro scene as they took to the track on Saturday.
With a 150km adventure in front of them these little heroes proved to the senior riders that they were worthy of the race. Adam Larson from Victoria had a consistent ride taking 1st place with Lachy Stone all the way from NT holding on to 2nd. Young Harrison Van Vliet took out 3rd in hero status as the crowd lost site of him in the deep ruts. Unfortunately for older brother Jake Van Vliet the track took its toll on the quad forcing him to DNF.
