Honda dominates 2012 Condo 750

Held annually, the Condo 750 is a fast paced off road navigational rally for motorcycles, quads, cars and buggys.
Attracting riders preparing for rallies such as the Dakar or Australasian Safari, the event has proven itself to be a true test of racing endurance.

On board a CRF250X, Malcolm Marks placed first in the H1 class, followed by Rodney Morrison on a Yamaha WR250F, while Darren Marks took third on his CRF250X. The H1 competitors, like the rest of the field, had to endure a number of re-routes of the course due to bogs and sinkholes in certain sections.

2011 Australasian Safari Winner, Todd Smith, won the H2 class and the moto event overall on board his GHR Honda CRF450X. Todd's time of 7 Hours, 1 minute and 30 seconds was almost 15 minutes ahead of second-placed Shane Diener (Yamaha WR 450F). Behind Diener, Todd Smith's brother and Honda teammate, Jacob, joined him on the podium in third place.

An early frontrunner and contender for the overall win was HSE Motorex KTM's Ben Grabham. The desert racing veteran had just taken the lead on day two of the event when he collided with a pack of kangaroos, fracturing vertebrae in the T4-T9 region, and breaking an arm and collarbone. While Grabham will make a full recovery, the long convalescence required for the spinal fracture will rule the HSE Motorex KTM rider out for June's Finke Desert Race.

In H3, it was a win for Husqvarna, with Todd Ridley taking his TXE510 to victory ahead of the KTM EXC510 of Luke Buckland, with Jason McDonald (KTM 530) completing the podium.

In the Quad class, Honda's TRX700XX scored a clean sweep, taking out all three top spots. Brett Clissold placed first, Heath Young second and Jason Lucas third. Fellow Honda rider, Anthony Campbell, just missed the podium, finishing 14 seconds adrift of Lucas.

image: Honda motorcycles