South Australian Lachlan Bailey is hopeful that a new machine and his strong local knowledge will put him in good stead at this weekend’s Loveday 400 event.

Bailey has been one to watch in the 2025 BFGoodrich Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship (AORC), following a strong finish at Pooncarie earlier in the season, plus lightning speed at last month’s Finke event – having taken delivery of a new Maverick R SXS machine.

Bailey was particularly strong in Finke, finishing the opening Prologue section as the fastest SXS, even outperforming some big-name trophy trucks and buggies to start the prestigious event from 13^th outright.

A shock absorber failure about 40km along the Finke track on race day one ultimately ended Bailey’s hopes at the race. However, he is raring to pick up where he left off at the Loveday 400 event, held between 25-27 July.

“I made it to about the 40km mark and unfortunately bent my shock at Finke. We were going pretty good up until that point,” Bailey said.

“We were probably trying to do too much for the shock itself, so we’ve gone to a bigger shaft now. That’s the thing with these Maverick Rs – they’re still a relatively new vehicle so we’re learning them along the way.”

Registrations for the Loveday 400 are now live. Head to the Registrations portal to secure your spot.

Along with a new car, Bailey has another handy advantage leading into Loveday: local knowledge.

The SXS driver hails about 150km from the Loveday venue, and grew up watching his father Roydn Bailey compete there.

“It’s one track that I can remember really well, I’ve done quite a fair few laps around there now,” said Lachlan. “I tested there just before Finke, but that was the first time I’ve been there where we weren’t racing.

“It’s a shorter track, so you’re doing lots of laps of the place every time you race. You’re getting the same sort of terrain that we’re used to in South Australia. I know how it shapes up and our family has been racing there a long time now.”

Bailey said race management was a key factor in doing well at the Loveday circuit if you’re competing in a smaller SXS machine. He enters with strong form, having finished fifth outright at Loveday for the past two years.

The SXS Pro class is hotly contested in 2025, with Greg Campbell currently leading the championship standings from Glen Ackroyd and Keith McReynolds.

“It [Loveday] does get very rough since it’s a shorter course and there are lots of laps,” Bailey added.

“I try to make up time when the track is smooth and then preserve the car in the later stages of the race, because it does get very rough in parts.

“It’s a driver’s track too. There are lots of corners, tight corners especially, and there isn’t as much high speed stuff. So if you’re a good driver then you’re going to do pretty well there.

“The SXS machines do well there, but when it gets rough the trucks and buggies are generally faster. If we can keep the car together, we should be up the point end for sure.”

The five-stop AORC resumes with the Loveday 400 in South Australia this Friday. Head to the Loveday 400 registration page to secure your spot before it’s too late!