Geoff Pickering

ONE of Australia’s best-know car dealers, Geoff Pickering, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) for his exploits in off-road racing over the past 30 years.

Mr Pickering, whose family-run retail car business centres in Townsville in north Queensland extend south to the Sunshine Coast and west to outback centres like Mt Isa, has led another life outside car retailing at the wheel of a succession of Mitsubishi Pajeros in desert rallies.

He has been the Australian production-class 4×4 Champion 13 times and, in the Finke Desert Race, has had 15 starts with 14 finishes and 14 production-class wins.

The citation for his induction into the off-road Hall of Fame reads in part: “Geoff is a very successful and recognised businessman in North Queensland. He is not only a fierce competitor but is also known as a gentleman of the off-road terrain.”

Mr Pickering started in off-road racing in 1989 as a navigator in the Australian Safari. He has been a member of the North Queensland Off-road Racing Association since its formation in 2000 and before that was a member of the Townsville Motor Sport Club.

By John Mellor