Rodney Faggotter will again partner Shane Diener to spearhead the Yamaha presence at the 2014 Australasian Safari, kicking off this weekend in Western Australia.

2013 Safari winner Faggotter is back to defend his crown on the WR450F and looking forward to what appears to be the last Safari event in WA. With the extra support and back up provided by the Active8 Yamaha team, Faggotter goes into the event well prepared and confident of a strong showing.

“So many things have to go right throughout the week to win an event like this and there is always a challenge to be faced,” Faggotter said. “I have prepared as best I can and know that the Yamaha WR450F is up to the task, so now we just hope everything goes our way and we can bring home a good result.

“It will also be a special Safari as the future of the event is unknown at the moment. It’s an iconic race that has a long history so I look forward to getting out on the trail and taking on the WA outback one more time.”

South Australian Diener returns to the event after finishing an impressive third place in 2013 and hoping to improve even more in this years’ race. Diener has proven to be as fast as anyone in previous Safari’s and hopes that a clear run will again have him in podium contention when the event draws to a close.

“I feel like we are as prepared as we can be and I’m ready for what always is a tough week in the saddle,” he said. “It’s a demanding week on everyone at the event and success here really is a team effort.

“Working with Rodney is awesome and together we share our knowledge and now with the extra support from Active8 Yamaha, this year’s race should be a good one for both of us.”

The 2014 race is the 29th running of the event and has over 100 competitors entered. Saturday, 21 September, is the opening Prologue stage to determine grid order before the race gets underway on Sunday morning.

Again for 2014, the event will take in the mid north–west coast of WA going through the Gascoyne, Ex Mouth and Carnarvon regions on its seven day journey to Kalbarri, winding up on 27 September.