1993-03 Cycle World KLX650R Test
1993-04 Cycle World KLX650 Test
1993-08-24 Canberra Times - Australian Safari Results
The Australasian Safari was first run in 1985 and held under the International Sporting Code of FIM and from 1999, the General Competition Rules of Motorcycling Australia.
It was usually held around the end of August, in the Australian winter, and covered approximately 5,500 kilometres, mostly through the Outback in just over a week. Like the Dakar Rally, the vehicle classes involved were motorcycles and cars, however there was no truck class. From 2008, a quad class was introduced.
The event grew in size and scope for the first few years. In 1988, Australia's Bicentennial year, the event was tagged "The Big One" and was expanded to cover 10,000 km in 15 days, with a start in Alice Springs and traveling across the Tanami Desert, through the Kimberley region into Darwin, across the Gulf Country of far northwest Queensland with an eventual finish in Sydney. Out of 196 starting vehicles, only 96 finished the race.
Initially known as the Wynn's Safari for commercial reasons, the event was renamed in 1989 to the Australian Safari, and to the Australasian Safari in 2008. From 2007 the event was hosted in Western Australia.
Between 1994 and 1997 the event was included in the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup. It was last held in 2014 after Tourism Western Australia withdrew its funding for the event.
Michael Goddard entered the Wynn's/Australian/Australasian Safari 8 times and won twice, in 1988 on a Honda NXR650 and in 1993 on a Kawasaki KLX650R. The KLX650R was basically standard, with the addition of an Acerbis long range fuel tank, stronger bash plate, barkbusters and different tyres. He is pictured below (Far Left) after winning in 1988, and below that, at the start of the 1993 Safari.
1998-12-18 Riverine Herald - Rich River Motorcycles
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