Western Australian driver Jared Percival has acknowledged a lot would need to go right at October’s Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race to steal the outright BFGoodrich Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship (AORC) off fellow statesmen Travis and Beau Robinson, but the Pro Buggy driver is already extremely proud of season put together so far.

Percival, competing in a second AORC season after a stunning runner-up outright championship finish in 2024, has again remained amongst the top of the pack, sitting third in the outright driver standings with just one event to go in 2025.

Percival has 1596 points in the Driver Championship Standings after four consecutive finishes inside the top six, trailing outright leader Travis Robinson (2374 points) and brother Beau (2044 points).

With championship points being boosted by 50 per cent at the final stop on the calendar, and a maximum points haul of 1050 points on offer for anyone who can secure the outright course and prologue times, it keeps Percival in the hunt for a major upset.

“It’s a bit of a long shot to get the outright championship, but it’s been a very positive championship season to this point, one that I can be proud of at least,” Percival said.

“The immediate focus right now is to finish the championship off strong and there’s the potential to get a third-straight class win which would be quite a good achievement in itself.

“I’ve done the Kalgoorlie course before, which will help a lot with that experience, but the main focus will be to get through the event in good shape.”

Percival has held a tight grip on the Pro Buggy category since his runner-up class finish at the Finke Desert Race, bouncing back from sixth place class result at the Pooncarie Desert Dash.

Percival has since collected two class wins, first at the Loveday 400 and then most recently at the St George 399.

The West Australian said the recent run of form has not been the result of any particular changes, but credited to a consistent approach to understanding each course and making sure preparation is done correctly.

“It hasn’t been one thing that I’ve focused on since the start of the year, just focusing on each race as they come, that’s all you can do really,” Percival said.

“Finke was obviously a good part of the year getting that runner-up finish in the class, and then to get some positive results at the next two stops was great too.

“The more experience you have behind the wheel in the off road championship is really valuable, so with this being my second season doing these courses, it has helped a lot.”

Percival will also welcome a third different navigator into the neighbouring seat, after collecting class wins with South Australians Matthew Gallasch and Josh Howat.

In Kalgoorlie, it will be fellow Western Australian and 2019 Western Australian Off Road Champion Darren Agrela who provides a great level of professionalism for Percival with a good knowledge of the course.

New South Welshman Paul Tuck-Lee (1334 points) and Queenslander Cooper Western (1144 points) both remain a mathematical possibility to win the Pro Buggy class, pending positive outcomes.

To see the full entry list for the 2025 Black Diamond Drilling Kalgoorlie Desert Race, to be held on 24–26 October, head to www.aorc.com.au/kalgoorlie.