WDR Beginnings...
Early 90's...
In 1990, Ian French, Dick Marshal, Terry Rogers, Ed Villanova, Ron Goddard and Alan Dobbs formed the Western Desert Racers. The common goal was to improve the management, professionalism and promotion of off-road events in WA for the next decade. The forming of a new club would give off-roaders in Perth the opportunity of making a choice and by having two clubs, this would allow off-road in Western Australia to conduct a State Championship event (an opportunity they had never had before).
The inaugural meeting was held in (Ed. some pub somewhere). An invitation was sent out to all members of off-road, including two of the dune buggy clubs in Western Australia. The newly formed committee announced the club's goals, the club's name, the "Western Desert Racers", and its calendar for the next twelve months. This included an event at Easter called the "Bulyee Bash 400" and the Inaugural State Championships at Hyden. The Desert Racers signed up in excess of forty members that night and commenced with an informative bi-monthly bulletin.
The Club spent the next twelve months promoting the sport through various static displays, including the Speed Boat Mud Races, shopping centres, and the Big Foot Truck competition at the Burswood Dome.
On the September/October long weekend, WDR solicited the sponsorship assistance of the Swan Brewery and Coates Hire and conducted WA's Inaugural State Championship which gained a lot of media coverage, including Four wheel drive magazines, off-road magazines, and Auto Action. The event was well supported by in excess of forty vehicle teams and was billed on completion as the best off-road event the state had seen.
This encouraged the Committee to set their sights on bigger and better goals. As stadium racing was the go in the US and the Eastern seaboard, Alan Dobbs secured, with the help of Ian French, the area known as the "Old Harvey Speedway", and after various meetings with the Harvey Shire, the Harvey Off-road Short Course was born.
Local sponsorship was gleaned from Harvey Fresh, and 6MM Radio assisted in the promotion and give aways, with our first "ride with a racer" competition (at this time there were no other "ride with a racer" competitions in motorsport in Australia).
As the sport's profile grew, so did the sponsorship opportunities for club members and vehicles. At Dumbleyung in 1991, the WA Yokohama Off-road Team presented itself to the public scrutiny with Desert Racers including Steve Grayden in his futuristic Class 1 Magnum buggy (181), Ian French in his Class 2 VERCO Hornet buggy (213), and Alan Dobbs in his Class 5 Ford F100 truck (567). The Yokohama team enjoyed various levels of success, including being transported East to join the Australian Off-road Yokohama team at the Inaugural Yokohama 400 at Mount Gambier, SA.
The Club commissioned a computer-based timing system in the early 1990s with the help of Mick French and Peter Kozack.
The Finke Desert Race in Alice Springs was a popular event that club members attended, including Rusty Stennet, Steve Grayden, Alan Dobbs and Brian Robinson, who all first attended this event in the early 1990's and continue to regularly compete there today.
Going forwards...
The Desert Racers have had their fair share of members who have taken on the National circuit, and have not been daunted by the tyranny of distance. These include Brian Robinson, Steve Grayden, Alan Dobbs, John Webb, Ian French, Terry Rogers and John Cook. Obviously the list wouldn't be complete without mentioning Darian Smith (who managed to take out the Class 5 championship in 2005) and Eric Phillips (who came a very commendable outright 2nd in 2006, whilst campaigning a brand new car). All have equipped themselves professionally and represented not only themselves, but their sponsors, their State, and also their Club at a most senior level.
The club's primary goal of improving and developing this sport has seen professional events, qualified event co-ordinators, managers, flaggies and recovery, infrastructure including flushing toilets, showers, shops, designated bar areas, all adding to the professionalism of the venues that the Western Desert Racers run on the yearly calendar.
The relationship that they have built both with the local people of Hyden and Harvey, has enabled them to run events in those areas with full support of the local people.
The future plan for the club is to encourage the second and third generation racers up through the ranks and give every member the opportunity of having a good, solid footing in the sport before heading off to race at a national level.
Another aim for the club was to run a round of the national championship here in WA. This came to fruition in early 2005, with the running of the ARB-Statewide Hyden 400 Off Road Championship event; being Round 1 of the Australian Off Road Championship for 2005. From all the feedback, it was apparent that this event was one of the best on the national calendar (attempting to ignore the 'tyranny of distance' factor for a moment), thanks in no small part to the efforts put in by the organising committee and the Smith family. The Western Desert Racers had taken their place at the national table and it reflected that this great off-road racing club had finally come of age.
(Compiled by Ian and Jon French; markups by other contributors)
