Jake Smith extends Australasian Safari lead

Leg 2 of the 2012 Australasian Safari proved to be long, hard and eventful, with riders travelling 491km through coastal stationed country, from Kalbarri to Carnarvon.

Jake Smith, aboard his 2012 Honda CRF450X, finished fastest for the second day in a row. He took quite a cautious approach, which in the end left him close to 16 minutes ahead of closest rivals Matt Fish and Rod Faggotter. “I had a good day, I was making sure I was looking after myself and the bike,” Smith said. “Despite the long day I feel good and fresh.”

The day didn’t go so smoothly for others, including Matt Fish, who lost time in the first stage. “I had a really rough day,” Fish said. “I had a crash early in the first leg and lost a bit of time and am a bit sore but ready and raring to go tomorrow.”

Day one’s second fastest rider, Shane Diener, has pulled out with a knee injury, and Warren Strange dropped a few places after stopping to help Diener after he crashed.

Warren’s brother, Vernon Strange, continues to lead in the Dakar Challenge, with Michael Johnson and Brett Cummings in pursuit. “I had a great day today it was like a dream, the bike is all good,” Vernon Strange said. “I started today in seventh and finished in fourth so I’m looking forward to tomorrow because it’s similar country to the Gascoyne Dash which I’ve won four times.”

Tomorrow will see competitors tackling three stages and 410km, of what is tipped to be the most spectacular stage of the event in one of Western Australia’s most extraordinary locations – taking competitors through a number of stations including coastal Quobba and Gnaraloo, and to the tip of the Ningaloo Reef, where there will be river crossings, stunning beach runs, sand dunes and twisting tracks.

Don’t forget you can keep up to date at the Australasian Safari website, with updates also available on Facebook and Twitter at @austsafari.

Top Ten Moto Standings – After Day 2:

1. Jake Smith – 07:03:03 (Honda)
2. Matthew Fish – 07:19:36 (KTM)
3. Rod Faggotter – 07:19:57 (Yamaha)
4. Warren Strange – 07:22:15 (Honda)
5. Vernon Strange – 07:39:52 (Yamaha)
6. Ryan Ingram – 08:11:58 (KTM)
7. Ivan Erceg – 08:12:00 (Honda)
8. Michael Johnson – 08:15:01 (Honda)
9. Brett Cummings – 08:16:27 (Honda)
10. Alex Van Ginkel – 08:17:59 (KTM)