Front-runners in this year’s Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship (AORC) say finishing each individual event will be more important that statement-making wins, in what looms as a blockbuster four-round title chase.

Headline competitors are intent on playing the long game when the AORC kicks off this weekend at the Wentworth Shire Pooncarie Desert Dash in south-west New South Wales.

With one fewer round to collect points over the season compared to previous years, consistency will be key.

The evergreen pairing of Beau Robinson and Shane Hutt are being billed as outright AORC title favourites heading into the opener, after reigning champion Travis Robinson (Beau’s brother) and Paul Currie made the tough decision to sit out the event.

While Travis will return for the 50th anniversary Finke Desert Race in June, Beau acknowledged that he has a key opportunity waiting in the wings in Pooncarie, having finished runner-up in the 2025 AORC title.

“It’s super important, the aim is to try and get some points here and then we’re going to go all-out at Finke,” Robinson said.

“Points are going to be extremely important in Pooncarie, in case something weird happens later in the season. You put yourself on the back foot if you don’t score points here, as we discovered last year.”

The trophy truck field is a formidable one in Pooncarie, with an Extreme 4WD cast comprising Brent Smoothy in his Mason Aussie Special, Brett Comiskey with Corey Cooper, Darren Wright with Scott Brown, and Philip Lovett paired with Luke Stanley in the #897 Racer 1.

Robinson and Hutt will compete in the Extreme 2WD category once again in their Mason Gen 2 Spec Trophy Truck, ahead of the anticipated debut of a new entry for Finke.

Kiwi Boston Morgan-Horan and trusty navigator Will Haddock headline a strong field representing the 2WD class, alongside South Australia’s Hannah Bentley and Scott Gould, plus podium finishers Nicholas and Alex Burt.

In the hotly contested SXS Championship, there are 31 entries confirmed for Pooncarie across SXS Pro and SXS Sport classes. Key among them will be Glen Ackroyd and Michael Price, Lachlan Bailey and Jordan Zollo, as well as SXS stalwart Greg Campbell.

Defending Motorsport Australia SXS Champion Bailey echoed Robinson’s sentiments on the short season, and the importance of finishing.

“The plan is to try and defend the title and to finish as many races as we can,” he said.

“We’ve got a couple of little things done to the car, some new front arms and some things to strengthen it to make it bit more reliable. Nothing in the way of how it drives though.”

Reflecting on his breakout 2025 AORC season, Bailey said he was constantly reminded about importance of finishing each event – having spent years chasing round-by-round silverware.

“I think that we got the most finishes we’ve ever had in 2025, with one DNF. If we could have finished that one we would have been miles in front. I think finishing is the key for any championship,” Bailey added.

Elsewhere in the Pro Buggy category, defending champion Jared Percival’s omission from Pooncarie opens a big opportunity for someone else to fill the void. Paul Tuck-Lee will be among those aspiring for that role, alongside 2025 podium finisher Cooper Western.

The Wentworth Shire Pooncarie Desert Dash kicks off on Friday at the Coomealla Club Show n Shine event, from 3pm AEST.

On-track action will commence Saturday 11 April, with Method Race Wheels Prologue from 11am AEST.