The Rules
The Outback Challenge is about self-sufficiency and competing in a fashion that preserves your vehicle. Final points are tallied from the aggregate total. Therefore, the teams that win the event may not have finished first in any of the SS stages. Under Australia's Cross Country Driver's Association rules (CCDA), vehicles must be street-legal: OEM driving lights, turn signals, a windshield, registered, insurance - the whole enchilada. They are allowed up to a 36.5-inch tire but must have an original frame and factory body with at least 50 percent of the sheetmetal remaining. However, this is where the gloves come off. Choice of engine and drivetrain, axle type, and suspension configuration are completely open. Because OBC obstacles range from high-speed desert runs to rockcrawling and gumbo mud bogs, the most successful rigs have a balance of horsepower and gearing, an agile suspension, and locking differentials. Above all, a drivetrain durable enough to sustain seven straight days of abuse is paramount.
2007 saw the introduction of a second competition class: the Trophy Class. Trophy Class vehicles are closer to stock form. Items such as axles and drivetrain components may be modified for strength but must have been available for the vehicle from the factory. The number and location of shocks may be changed, but suspension components, such as springs and control arms, must retain the original mounting location. The goal of the Trophy Class is to keep the competition accessible to those who don't want to spend a fortune to get in the door. Believe it or not, many competitors in both classes actually drive their rigs to the event and back home again.
The OBC has a way of wiping the smart-ass grin off almost anyone's face. And a midnight slog through a waist-deep billabong usually does the trick. The key to survival when the headlights are only good for scaring the fish? Keep electrical components sealed tight and use a Safari Snorkel for easy breathing. | 
Nissan Patrols are tough trucks: stout running gear, frame, and live axles from the factory. Why don't they bring them to the U.S.? Running in the Trophy Class, Robbie Matthieson and navigator Simmo didn't hold back anything in their push for a title. They placed First in class and Eleventh overall. Not bad for a basically stock rig. | 
The Outback Challenge requires careful consideration of equipment and technique, and a good navi (the navigator, who also does most of the work) is as important as a good driver. Their first time at the Outback Challenge, brothers Somthob and Banto Phuchsowansakui shipped their Suzuki Samurai in from Thailand and took home a First Place trophy. |
The Twisted Minds Of The Organizers
With the help of major sponsors like ARB, Pro Comp Tire, Warn, and Safari Snorkel, organizers of the Outback Challenge, Paul and Sharon Vanderhorst, and their team of marshals have a twisted sense of humor when it comes to crafting the Special Stages. During the course of seven days, teams traversed several thousand kilometers, tackling 22 special tasks located in five separate regions. A typical evening went like this: As the sun drops below the horizon and the celestial heavens appear above, competitors don't have time for stargazing. They are sent on a 100-kilometer, circular goose chase to find a single target then must return via a different route to the staging area. Upon completion, teams are then sent back out to a 30,000-acre sheep station with a map and a list of 10 GPS waypoints. As for the rules... well, there are no rules. Find the waypoints and get back to the starting point within the given time limit.
Arriving back at about 2 a.m. (if they made it), teams then take a required rest period of three or four hours, unless of course if they have broken something during the night and need to make repairs. At about 6 a.m., the marshals send them back out for another 20 hours of fun.
What It Takes To Win
The Outback Challenge has a nine-year history as one of the toughest multiday off-road events in the world - one where only the strong survive. With the exception of two teams from Thailand, this year's field of competitors was entirely Australian. Their first time at the OBC, the Thai teams had shipped in two specially prepared Suzuki Samurais. Running the lightweight Samurais with a mostly stock drivetrain and less than half the motor of most teams (1,997cc four-banger), it was clear that the Thai's strategy was to focus on axle, suspension, and frame upgrades. When the dust settled on the final day (or mud in this case), brothers Somthob and Banto Phuchsowansakui had a surprise for the Aussies. Not only did they make a podium finish, they walked away with First Place. Placing a respectable Second and Third were the Aussie teams of Todd Roberts and Ivan Vella, and Kim Bolton and Robert Marks.
2007 marked the first win by an international team. Weighing in as the lightest vehicle in the field and sporting the smallest motor, the Thai Samurai provided an excellent example that monster mills and heavy horsepower don't always translate into a win. Other big news from the Trophy Class was Robbie Matthieson and Simmo. They not only won their class but pulled down an Eleventh Place overall finish.
With Warn as a major sponsor, one might expect a few winching exercises. Only too right! Almost every obstacle required the cable to be pulled out. Putting their equipment under such extreme conditions, competitors used every method known to keep winches cool and sufficiently energized. The fastest time wins, so winch speed and an efficiently coordinated hookup were essential. The venerable Warn 8274, which provides an incredibly fast line speed, proved a valuable choice of equipment for many teams. | 
This section is appropriately called Sink-or-Swim. After several hours of accumulating GPS points, the final waypoint was dead center in a 70-yard billabong. With the navigator out front on foot, winch cable in hand, drivers nosed into the depths in search of traction and forward motion. Some found it and made good progress before resorting to a cable. Others were in for a long afternoon of winching. | 
Diversity is a prerequisite to any world-class four-wheel-drive competition, and with the exception of snow, the Outback has it all. The Pro Comp Shifting Sands SS provided a solid day of suspension-pounding dunes, a high-speed slalom course, and an insurmountable sand wall. |