RallySport Magazine November 2016

Issue #7 - November 2016

PADDON to push for ‘home’ WRC win FREE EVERY MONTH

2016 KENNARDS HIRE RALLY AUSTRALIA PREVIEW ISSUE EVENT REPORTS

Spain / GB

5 MINUTES WITH

Gary Boyd

FEATURES

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INTERVIEW

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CONTENTS - #7 NOVEMBER 2016 FEATURES

EVENT REPORTS

16 WRC 6 GAME REVIEW

LUKE WHITTEN HITS THE STAGES ON THE NEW WRC GAME

16 GERMAN BEAUTY FOLLOW US ON:

REGULARS

40 TARGA HIGH COUNTRY

06 EDITORIAL

MATT CLOSE DOES IT AGAIN

ANOTHER EXCITING MONTH HAS FLOWN BY

42 TARGA NEW ZEALAND

3 IN A ROW FOR GLENN INKSTER

STUART BOWES HAS BUILT A BEAUTIFUL MERCEDES 450SLC

20 INTERVIEW: SIMON BELL

IT’S NO FLUKE THE NZRC IS LOOKING SO GOOD FOR 2017

24 BEST OF THE BEST

07 LATEST RALLY NEWS

NEWS FROM AROUND THE SPORT

44 CATALUNYA RALLY

OGIER JOINS THE GREATS

18 FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

46 WALES RALLY GB

49 HAYDEN PADDON COLUMN

KIWI RALLY NUT GARY BOYD

WET AND SLIPPERY CONDITIONS WERE NO PROBLEM FOR SEB

FOURTH IN GB A SOLID RESULT

PAUL GOVER SELECTS HIS TOP 10 AUSSIE DRIVERS OF ALL TIME

50 MALAYSIAN RALLY

52 HOLMES COLUMN

GILL CLAIMS SECOND APRC TITLE

MARTIN HOLMES REMEMBERS THE RALLY OF TURKEY WITH FONDNESS

30 LONG TIME COMING

58 AKADEMOS RALLY

56 RETROSPECTIVE

AN EX-TTE CELICA GT-FOUR IS NOW RESIDING IN ADELAIDE

DARREN WINDUS CONTINUED ON HIS WINNING WAY IN THE VRC

36 FRANK KELLY

62 PHOTO OF THE MONTH

HE’S A YOUTUBE SENSATION, AND RIGHTLY SO. MEET FRANK KELLY

65 RALLY AUSTRALIA PREVIEW

WE LOOK CLOSELY AT THE FINAL ROUND OF THE 2016 WRC

COVER PHOTO: Hyundai

RECALLING SOME OF RALLYING’S HISTORY WITH JEFF WHITTEN THIS MONTH’S “TOP SHOT”

✸

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MANAGING EDITOR

PETER WHITTEN

peter@rallysportmag.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS

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TOM SMITH tom@rallysportmag.com.au

Martin Holmes, Luke Whitten, Blair Bartels, Geoff Ridder, Jeff Whitten, John Doutch, Dallas Dogger, Paul Gover, Craig O’Brien

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COPYRIGHT:

No material, artwork or photos may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. RallySport Magazine takes care in compiling specifications, prices and details but cannot accept responsibility for any errors. The opinions expressed by columnists and contributors to this magazine are not necessarily those of RallySport Magazine.

Click the covers to read

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 5

EDITORIAL

FIGHT TO THE FINISH

By PETER WHITTEN

R

ally Australia week is always the most exciting week of the rallying year for us, as we make the annual trek to Coffs Harbour for the showcase event on the calendar.

Seeing the world’s best rally drivers and the fastest rally cars in action is something to behold, and certainly something you never get tired of seeing.

This year, the chance to witness Volkswagen’s last event in the WRC (for the time being) will be special, as will the possibility of seeing Hayden Paddon standing on the top step of the podium.

With the biggest entry the event has seen on the east coast of the country, the excitement is building to fever pitch.

Once again RallySport Magazine are hosting the official Kennards Hire Rally Australia spectator tour, and we’ll be out in force with a big group of rally fans just as keen to see the action unfold.

We’re not really looking forward to the 4.00am stars on days one and two, but the exclusive locations our tour group gets to watch from will make it all worthwhile.

If you can’t make it to Coffs Harbour for the event, be sure to follow closely via the WRC website, watch the live stages on WRC+ or on Channel Nine, and be there in spirit, if not in body.

Simon Evans, Molly Taylor and Harry Bates are separated by just six points heading into the ARC finale ...

Rally Australia is the premiere event on the Australian rally calendar, and long may it remain so.

T

he Australian Rally Championship is heading for one of its closest finishes ever, with Rally Australia set to decide who wears the coveted crown in 2016.

Heading into the final round of the ARC, Simon Evans, Molly Taylor and Harry Bates are separated by just six points, with the champion likely to be the last man or woman standing.

Evans, already a four-time champion, holds a five point lead over Taylor, with Bates a further one point behind.

It means that the result will go down

to the wire, and any one of the three would be a deserving winner.

We shouldn’t forget the co-drivers in all this either, with Ben Searcy (Evans), Bill Hayes (Taylor) and John McCarthy (Bates) all just as determined to win the title, having put their heart and soul into the 2016 season.

It will be an enthralling battle. Evans in his ageing Subaru Impreza WRX, Taylor in her current model Group N Subaru, and Bates in a Super 2000 Toyota that has already won the title in the hands of his father, Neal.

Picking a winner is almost impossible.

Speed, reliability, experience and youthful exhuberance will all play their part. And the winner is .....

AP4 YARIS FOR BATES IN 2017

A

ustralian Rally Championship front-runner, Harry Bates, is set to debut a new Toyota Yaris built to the AP4 regulations in 2017.

The new car is currently being built by the Neal Bates Motorsport team in Canberra, although the process has only just begun, and the team are unsure if it will be ready in time for the first round of the championship in March.

“We’ve got a Yaris and it is stripped down and sitting in the workshop, with the goal of debuting it in round one of the ARC next year,” Harry Bates said.

“However, we don’t know how realistic that plan is as the build process will be time consuming, and all our efforts lately have been on getting the current car ready for Rally Australia.”

“If the new car isn’t ready in time, then we still have the S2000 Corolla that we can use in the meantime.”

Heading into the final event of the season, Bates says there’s “all to play for” at Rally Australia, but admits that he’ll have to take a strategic approach.

6 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

The Japanese Cusco team recently debut an AP4 spec Toyota Yaris

“We’ll be going out at maximum attack to win the championship, but we’re well aware that we have to finish the event to give ourselves the best chance.

“Of course the championship win is the goal, but even finishing second or third is something that I’d be proud of, given that this is my first year contesting the full championship.”

- PETER WHITTEN

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU

VW’S SHOCK WITHDRAWAL PAVES WAY FOR NEW R5 PROJECT

V

olkswagen officially confirmed that they are withdrawing from the World Rally Championship in a statement to the media on November 2.

In their anxiously awaited official confirmation, Volkswagen’s Member of Board for Management of Technical Development, Frank Welsch, stated that the company will develop a new Polo according to R5 regulations.

The statement added that this car will be based on the next generation Polo and that they will offer the car to customers to buy from 2018 onwards.

In the wake of the decision elsewhere in the corporation to end Audi’s WEC programme because of the expensive rivalry

with Porsche, the announcement of entry into R5 raises questions about the future of the Skoda Fabia R5 project, although the mention of the word “customers” is significant.

In the four years since the Polo R WRC programme started, there has been no customer participation.

Motorsport Director, Sven Smeets, said: “From now on, the focus is on upcoming technologies in motorsport and on our customer sports range, where we will position ourselves more broadly and attractively.”

There is no information about what upcoming technology involves.

- MARTIN HOLMES

VW DRIVERS IN WRC LOTTO

T

he race is on between M-Sport, Toyota and Citroen to sign the Volkswagen drivers left jobless following the team’s shock withdrawal

Malcolm Wilson believes he has the car to give Sebastien Ogier a fifth world title.

from the World Rally Championship.

It’s not often a four-time World Champion suddenly comes on to the market, and Sebastien Ogier has quickly

become the prize signing in the current game of WRC lotto.

While many believe Ogier will end up back at Citroen, where he started his career, M-Sport’s Malcolm Wilson is doing everything in his power to ensure the Frenchman lands at Ford.

“I’m convinced we have the car for him to take a fifth world championship,” Wilson told Autosport magazine recently.

“It’s no secret that he’s always been my number one pick for a driver. We came close to signing him with Ford at the end of 2011, and I will do everything I can to make sure he doesn’t get away this time.”

Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen have both been linked to Tommi Makinen’s Toyota squad, but both also started their careers as drivers in Malcolm Wilson’s team.

None of the drivers had signed a contract as we went to press, ensuring next week’s Rally Australia will be much more than just the final round of the 2016 WRC. With the WRC already decided, most of the interest will surround the three drivers contesting their last event for Volkswagen.

- PETER WHITTEN NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 7

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU

ONE-MAKE ARC SERIES LIKELY A

one-make series for the Australian Rally Championship is looking more and more likely, with talks between Rallycorp and manufacturers continuing.

“We’re hot to trot to make the one-make series a reality,” Rallycorp chairman, David Waldon said.

By PETER WHITTEN “We’ve been dealing with several manufacturers, but the important thing is to find the right manufacturer who has a suitable car for rallying.

“Being able to contain the costs is important, so we don’t want to have

‘dog boxes and things like that.”

Waldon admitted that while there is a lot of optimism about a one-make series getting off the ground in 2017, the short timeframe between now and the first ARC round in March would suggested that 2018 is perhaps a more realistic goal.

4 ENGINES, 1000 HORSEPOWER ....

Is this the future of rallying?

M

anfred Stohl demonstrated a special electric competition rally car at the Austrian Race of Champions at Greinbach.

Using a converted Peugeot rally car, this vehicle was fitted with a standard 544bhp electric motor and represents the start of a three-year development project with the University of Vienna.

Future versions are to be fitted with four engines, each coupled to a wheel, with a total of 1000bhp being envisaged.

This launch came the week that Volkswagen announced they were about to explore new technologies in competition.

- MARTIN HOLMES

BARE SHELL REBUILD FOR JACK’S 180B After 16 years of service and hard work, Jack Monkhouse is giving his 2015 Alpine Rally winning Datsun 180B a full makeover.

The car is currently undergoing a bare shell rebuild and will be fitted with a new roll cage and a big horsepower motor.

Monkhouse is already eyeing the defence of his Alpine Rally title, in December 2017.

Jack Monkhouse’s Datsun will get a new roll cage and a big horsepower motor.

Find us at: www.chicane.co.nz 8 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

Call us o

FIESTA SERIES TAKING SHAPE

T

he Fiesta Rally Series in Victoria is well on track for a successful inaugural season.

As the 2017 Victorian rally calendar takes shape, so does the series of events listed for the Fiesta Series, aimed as another step on the ladder for young rally drivers.

At present, a four event series within the Victorian Rally Championship is planned, with the provisional events aimed at reducing travelling costs for Melbourne-based competitors.

The Eureka Rally in March will count for several ‘heats’, and will subsequently run over both days.

Following Victoria’s ARC round, the series will likely head to the Pyrenees Rush, the Spring 200 and the Akademos Rally.

By LUKE WHITTEN “We are trying to limit the costs for the series, and want to know competitors’ thoughts on the plans so far,” series organiser John Carney said.

Classes for both standard and

modified Ford Fiestas will be open for the 2017 season.

RallySport Magazine recently drove one of the cars earmarked for the 2017 series, with a full drive report set to appear in the December issue of the magazine.

NEW TYRE SUPPLIER FOR 2017 ARC

T

he board of Rallycorp has approved a new tyre supplier for next year’s Australian Rally Championship.

The Australian Rally Championship will have a new tyre supplier for 2017.

The details of the new deal will not be announced until after Kennards Hire Rally Australia in mid-November, which is Kumho’s last event as the official tyre supplier.

While the new tyre supplier can not be named at this time due to contractual agreements, Rallycorp are excited about the new deal, and believe it will have a positive influence on the Australian Rally Championship.

It’s exciting news for the sport, and Rallycorp chairman, David Waldon, said that the new deal will offer growth potential for not only the ARC, but for grassroots and state level rallying across Australia.

HJC MOTORSPORTS

on: AU 1800 CHICANE or NZ 0800 CHICANE NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 9

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU

HUGE CHANCE FOR KIWI FIVE 22-year old Job Quantock is one of five drivers in line for the Hyundai Scholarship.

Photos: Geoff Ridder

F

ive young drivers have been selected to compete for the inaugural Hyundai NZ Young Driver Shootout and Scholarship, a programme developed by WRC star Hayden Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand.

The collaboration aims to give a young New Zealand rally driver a major step-up with their motorsport career aspirations, as well as providing the scholarship winner with the opportunity to drive the Hyundai NZ AP4 i20 rally car run by Paddon Rallysport in two

MATT SUMMERFIELD rounds of the 2017 New Zealand Rally Championship.

This will include testing and training with Paddon, as well as the potential for an expanded programme in 2018.

From more than 180 applicants, five drivers were selected as finalists for the December shootout weekend, where they will participate with the co-driver of their choice.

The finalists are: zz Max Bayley, 20, Hawke’s Bay zz Sloan Cox, 24, Rotorua zz Job Quantock, 22, Ashburton zz Matt Summerfield, 24, Rangiora zz Dylan Thomson, 21, Waiuku “We were all blown away by the interest and sheer quality of 10 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

applications – some really good people missed out this time,” Paddon said.

“It made our job really difficult to narrow it down to five finalists, but it’s a sure sign how much our sport of rallying is growing, and it’s great that Hyundai New Zealand can help us to continue that growth with this scholarship.”

Running near Auckland over the weekend of December 9 and 10, the Shootout includes lessons and assessments on fitness, how to identify and look after sponsors, nutrition,

MAX BAYLEY

SLOAN COX

media presence, career planning, writing pace notes and car set-up. The finalists also get a day in the forest where they will be writing and driving to their own pacenotes in the Hyundai AP4 car.

Paddon says he and fellow judges, rally driver Reece Jones, talented teens Pinnacle Programme leader Bernice Mene, Newshub senior sports reporter Shaun Summerfield, and former Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr, aim to not only find the shootout winner, but help them to develop throughout the classroom sessions.

“We want all finalists to take as much as they can away from the shootout weekend.

“We are not looking for the fastest

driver – we are looking for someone with that X factor who has the ability to learn and develop into a leading rally driver, both nationally and internationally, while representing the Hyundai brand.”

The competition was open to drivers aged 16-25, with applicants having contested a minimum of 10 rallies, including four pacenoted rallies.

Seven more applicants – Jack Williamson, Max Tregilgas, Michael McLean, Chris McLean, Ari Pettigrew and Jack Hawkeswood – have been

DYLAN THOMSON invited to participate in the classroom day.

“It’s extremely exciting to see so many young and very talented drivers apply, even though this opportunity may be a little too early in their career due to experience and/or age,” Paddon added.

“However, we felt it was a good opportunity to open the door to these seven drivers for the classroom sessions, to learn and expand their knowledge and to help with their development as rally competitors.

“It’s a fantastic chance for them to develop as a driver, with the potential and goal of winning the 2018 New Zealand Rally Championship.

The scholarship winner will be announced on December 11.

LUCKY ESCAPE FOR EVO CREW

N

ew Zealanders Sam Hurley and co-driver Alan Steel had a miraculous escape in the Kaiwara Road Rally Sprint on November 6.

Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Hurley slid off the road at high speed into a farmer’s fence, with a fence paling coming through the driver’s door window, and narrowly missing his head.

“I went too fast over a crest, the car got light and I wasn’t able to brake or steer around the bend,” Hurley told RallySport Magazine.

“I slid off onto the grass and went sideways into the fence.

I’m surprised there’s only a small scratch on my helmet.”

We expect both crew members rushed home to purchase lottery tickets ….

TRINDER NEW APRC VP A ustralian Rally Commission chairman, Col Trinder, has been elected as Vice-President of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship’s Working Group.

Trinder (pictured right) joins new president Vicky Chandhok as part of the APRC’s new administration.

“The election of Vicky Chandhok from India as President has the centre of gravity for the APRC moving from the Pacific region to Asia, which hopefully will work for us to improve the synergy between events and communication and marketing of the sport in the region,” Trinder said.

Trinder outlined the challenges that currently face the APRC, as the Chandhok-Trinder administration seek to improve the championship.

“There are a great many challenges facing rallying in the context of reinventing a successful Asia Pacific Championship,” Trinder said.

“First, it is logistically challenging with events spread across a massive area, making transport and shipping schedules significant drivers for

seemingly simple things like setting a calendar for events.

“Second, there is a great cultural diversity across the 18 countries participating in the region, all of whom have different regulatory frameworks and expectations.

“Third, the numbers of participants in the main championship category, though similar to other FIA regional championships, needs to be improved to make this Championship work.”

An affordable technical formula is one of the more recent additions to the APRC, with the regulations becoming a popular alternative to the FIA R5 category.

“One area where great progress has been made is around the vehicle eligibility regulations with the development of the AP4 Rally Car technical specification by Australia and

New Zealand,” Trinder said.

“These cars are intended to be a relatively affordable, locally produced version of the FIA R5 category and they are now accepted for competition in the APRC. “With nearly a dozen cars now built or planned to be built in Australia and NZ, as well as strong interest from a leading European based team, we may see the kind of critical competitive mass develop at the top end that will revive the championship as the world’s most challenging regional rally championship.”

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 11

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU

LIGHTFORCE BACK FOR MORE IN ‘17

STONIE CLASSICS

Lightforce, Australia’s leading manufacturer of professional lighting systems, has secured naming rights for not one, but two major motorsport events in South Australia for 2017.

Lightforce Rally SA, South Australia’s round of the Australian Rally Championship, will run under the naming rights of Lightforce for the second year in a row. The event will again be run on the roads around Mount Crawford Forest on September 15-17 .

In addition Lightforce have taken naming rights to one of Australia’s newest and most exciting rallies – Rally of the Heartland. The event will be known as Lightforce Rally SA - Rally of the Heartland, and will be held in South Australia’s mid north on June 2-4 .

Based around Burra, Lightforce Rally SA - Rally of the Heartland will bring the South Australian Rally Championship and a range of iconic rally cars to the picturesque Flinders Ranges, the heart of Lightforce country.

12 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

POSTIVE FUTURE FOR TARGA T he future of Targa events in Australia is looking secure, with Targa Australia having long-term approval and funding for both Targa Tasmania and Targa High Country.

The events have government approval and funding for Targa Tasmania until the 30th anniversary event in 2021, and until 2022 for Victoria’s Targa High Country.

And according to Targa Australia director, Les Smith, 90% of their corporate partners and sponsors have signed on until 2020.

“Our technical regs have had a major rework and are current until the end of 2017 - previously we ran under our own technical regs endorsed by Cams and the FIA,” Smith told RallySport Magazine.

“As part of our major overhaul we re-wrote our regs to include parts of the CAMS tarmac regs, so they are now consistent with the governing body, approved by CAMS and the FIA, and are future focused (including electric and hybrid powered vehicles).

“Our entries are up for future events, including some new to tarmac, some new to motorsport, and some new showroom based performance vehicles in the hands of regular competitors,” Smith added.

With a record number of

competitors at Targa Tasmania in 2016, Smith sees a bright future for tarmac events.

“As a former competitor turned boring administrator, I want a series with a future (so) that I can build/design a car that is relevant for a few years at the front, and forever at the rear. We have adjusted the regs to make this a possibility in Targa world.”

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 13

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU

Renewed hope for NZ WRC

NZ news

By BLAIR BARTELS

T

he promoters of the World Rally Championship recently confirmed that they’ll be visiting New Zealand after Rally Australia, giving Kiwis even more optimism that the WRC could return to their country in 2018.

New Zealand hasn’t hosted a round of the series since 2012, but a test event will be held next year, with the hope that it is granted WRC status the following season.

STRONG BACK IN 4WD FOR 2017 The four-wheel drive field in the New Zealand Rally Championship will be further bolstered by the return of Dave Strong’s sweet sounding V6 Ford Fiesta in 2017.

The Fiesta originally started life as Jari-Matti Latvala’s S1600 car, before becoming an S2000 car at the hands of Britek and Michael Guest in Australia.

After a few seasons in NZ, the car had a Honda 3.5 litre V6 transplanted.

Strong took a season to work on a fragile transmission, winning the open two-wheel drive class in the process, but will be back in the four-wheel drive for 2017.

- BLAIR BARTELS

More internationals for 2017 NZRC

Dave Strong will be back at the wheel of his V6-powered Ford Fiesta next season.

R

umours suggest that as well as record numbers of national competitors in the NZRC for the 2017 season, several New Caledonian drivers will also contest the championship.

I

t is also understood that Richie Dalton will not be the only Australian to contest the championship, with serious interest being shown by competitors in both the two and four-wheel drive ranks, although no names can be confirmed just yet.

A Charlie Drake’s Fiesta Proto has arrived in Australia, and will soon make the trek to NZ. 14 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

lthough Volkswagen have left the WRC, their presence will still be strong at an NZRC level.

As well as Andy Martin’s Polo Proto car, word on the street suggests the brand may have a presence in the Historic category, and at the hands of a former class champion.

BE THE NEXT SEB! WRC 6 GAME REVIEW

WRC 6 gets the thumbs up!

By LUKE WHITTEN

D

ue to the obvious competition from various rally games, the official WRC game had plenty to prove.

The RallySport Mag team recently got stuck into WRC 6 and came to the conclusion that it definitely holds its own amongst competitors.

Released on October 14 in Australia and New Zealand, the brand new game of the World Rally Championship is a difficult game to master, yet a hugely fun and impressive title.

It features all of the current liveries from the WRC, WRC2 and WRC3 championships, and gives gamers the chance to compete in all 14 rounds including the cancelled Rally China.

When starting the game for the first time, you compete as a top line driver bidding for the title on two stages in Italy and Australia, before the game gives you its own suggested difficulty level.

This level may be surprising, but the stage itself is a fair indication of your ability.

Unless you’re a clone of Sebastien Ogier, it’s most likely that you’ve taken a trip into the scenery. The car handles like it should, and the body roll is legitimate and slides around on the loose gravel like a car should.

Your tyres (either soft or hard

compound) noticeably wear, and you can feel them fading at the end of a long stage.

The developers at Big Ben and Klytonn Games have done a fantastic

job at recreating some of the intricacies of a real rally.

Intercom failures, being stuck in sixth gear and passing stricken cars are all a part of the game. You can even change a flat tyre mid-stage.

Yet understandably, they’ve still catered for the ‘non-rally’ person. Some things are still basic.

The pace notes are more detailed than in the past, and listening to them is undoubtedly a key, but these are still not up to par if you’re driving at ten tenths.

An ‘acute hairpin right’ or ‘square left’ suddenly appears very quickly when you’re travelling at 200km/h down a Finnish road!

It soon became very clear that a quick change to the pacenote settings was not just necessary, but vital.

Perhaps the only place you can do without the pacenotes are the super special stages, and these are perhaps the game’s greatest feature There are 11 stages on a 1:1 scale with their real life counterparts - many of which have been live stages during the season.

The Mikoljaki Arena stage in Poland, the Harju test in Finland and the Barcelona street stage in Spain are the main points of interest.

Identical to the real things, these are great fun to drive and equally challenging.

Overall, despite some minor flaws, WRC 6 ticks all the right boxes in our opinion.

The game caters for everyone, and despite hours of play, we still haven’t mastered it.

It’s a must for anyone’s Christmas stocking, or if you simply can’t wait, spoil yourself now.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 15

FEATURE: MERCEDES BENZ 450SLC

GERMAN BEAUTY

L

eading Australian rally photographer, Stuart Bowes, is the first entry in the new Heartland Rally, a classic event to be held in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia next June.

Bowes will drive a magnificently prepared 1975 Mercedes Benz 450SLC in the event, to be directed by Lightforce Rally SA clerk of course, Ivar Stanelis.

“Nothing could make me happier than to be the first entry for this new event,” Bowes said.

“Ivar has been a stalwart of SA rallying for decades, he’s put his heart and soul

Stuart Bowes’ new Mercedes 450SLC is magnificent from any angle.

into the sport and I decided it would be good to jump in and put some weight behind his effort to expand classic rallying throughout Australia.”

Having spent the last 25 years travelling the world covering the WRC, F1 and the ARC, the now recently “retired” Adelaide-based motorsport photographer decided to get back behind the wheel and committed to have a Mercedes Benz 450SLC built.

Early on the decision was made to keep it all in SA, so Bowes quickly assigned the project to local car builder Garry Kirk.

“Garry’s work is first class and he’s 16 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

got a proven track record building and maintaining cars used on international long distance rallies and the Dakar, so he was the logical choice.

“The years pass so quickly. I haven’t competed since the 1980s and I feel like I’ve spent a lifetime of watching others, so I thought it was about time I immersed myself in my passion and do a few things before I was too old!”

Bowes said.

His beautiful 450SLC has been built specifically for long distance classic “The finished job has exceeded even my high expectations, and I can’t wait to hit the roads in the mid north of SA next year.

“The older cars and drivers need a home too and classic rallying is it. As much as we all love the action of the WRC, participation is now pretty well

out of reach.

“It’s become an exclusive club. I have no issue with that, it’s what makes it desirable and marketable, but equally so, there are plenty of us who would just like a ‘spirited drive in the bush’ and events like Rally of The Heartland are just the thing,” Bowes added.

gravel rallies and comes complete with air conditioning!

The car was completely stripped to a bare shell before welding in the handcrafted roll cage. Minimal strengthening was required - remember Mercedes twice won the Ivory Coast Rally in pretty well standard trim, and finished on the podium in Kenya, Argentina and New Zealand rounds of the World Rally Championship.

The engine was improved, AP Racing brakes all round, Murray Coote suspension, ATL fuel cell, Hollinger 5-speed gearbox (the 3-speed auto was a ‘shocker’), Motec, all new wiring, etc. And three years later the car was wheeled out of Garry’s workshop.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 17

FIVE MINUTES WITH ....

5

. minutes with ..

GARY BOYD

Gary Boyd (right) wit FIA WMSC Sporting Vic President Morrie Chandler

If you’re not on Twitter, you may not know of Gary Boyd. But WRC fans the world over keep a close watch on the rally-mad Kiwi’s knowledgable Tweets.

You are literally the rally guru of Twitter ‘Down Under’, posting news just about before it happens. Does this mean you’re on Twitter 24/7?

Thank you for the compliment. It’s pretty crazy considering I initially only joined Twitter to get Hayden Paddon’s Tweets. I probably spend too much time on Twitter, but definitely not 24/7.

At times I use Tweetdeck to schedule Tweets at an appropriate time, which means I may actually be sleeping when a Tweet is sent. Some of my “Rally Trivia” Tweets are scheduled months in advance. I already have something scheduled for March 2nd 2017.

We have a fantastic comradery amongst rally fans on Twitter, a really positive group of people.

You’re obviously a rallying tragic. Do you spend most of your day following websites and news feeds during WRC and NZRC events to keep up with the news ?

We all need a hobby, my hobby is monitoring NZRC and WRC news. I have developed a few international friendships that mean I occasionally get a heads-up in advance of when key announcements are due.

In Australia and NZ we are lucky in having Rallysafe, which makes it easy to follow local events. The website Chrissport.kiwi used for timing many NZ events is also very easy to use.

For WRC events I usually bookmark the noticeboard page on event websites as it enables you to monitor Bulletins, Clerk of Course documents and Stewards decisions with ease.

A huge number of people volunteer their time running car clubs, acting as service crews or marshalling to enable rallies to take place. My volunteer time is helping share info about rallying.

Warning: do not let me near a tool box or your vehicle, I am mechanically incompetent.

18 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

What do you do for a living, and does your job allow you to spend the time following events, particularly those featuring Hayden Paddon?

I am the Finance Manager for the Health & Environmental Sciences Faculty of Auckland University of Technology. My job has zero connection with rallying. NZ events are always weekends, so not a clash. WRC events, with exception of Australia, are outside NZ working hours, so do not create a time conflict.

Being about 12 hours apart from most European events does have an advantage. I certainly could not follow WRC events so closely if I was living in a European time zone. Mexico and Argentina are the most difficult events for me to follow. Early bird starts are a body clock killer. I have been known to take a Monday as annual leave to follow the Latin American events.

“Early bird starts are a body clock killer.

I have been known to take a Monday as annual leave to follow the Latin American events.”

With the majority of WRC events in the northern hemisphere, you must have some long nights during rallies ….

NZ is between 11 and 13 hours different to European local time, depending on daylight savings and country. Typically it means stages are live between 7pm and 4am NZ time.

Up until 9pm is family time, so it means I will not follow all the drivers on the

first couple of stages, but I will try to sneak a few minutes to monitor WRC+ tracking maps while Hayden and John are on stage.

You learn to pick and choose which stages to follow and find opportunities to sleep for two or three hours between stages as much as possible. During Rally Spain, by missing SS12 you got a four hour sleep opportunity. I hardly ever follow Super Special Stages, they just do not interest me, but I realise they are very important to the promotion of rallying and helping introduce new fans to the sport.

What’s your history in the sport, and how did you get involved? And are you a competitor, an official, or just a keen fan?

I am just a keen fan. I have done one rally as a co-driver, which was a disappointing DNF due to a mechanical on day one, and an off road on day two.

In the late 90s I was heavily involved with triathlon and knew absolutely nothing about rallying other than TV news reports. A friend, Ian Hepenstal, was the Media Manager for many triathlons in NZ, as well as Rally NZ. About 1997 or 1998 he asked if I could help him out as a volunteer. My first rally was as a volunteer in the media centre of a WRC event. I was the go-fa. Go for coffee supplies, go for stationery supplies, go for toilet paper, just lots of small tasks to keep things going smoothly.

At the time I did not appreciate what a unique opportunity it was. I still recall (radio man) Greg Strange asking politely if we could all be silent for a few minutes as he was about to do a live cross. It would begin something like: “This is Gregory Strange reporting for BBC World Radio service live from the WRC Service Park in [location] New

th ce r.

Zealand ….” This was well before the days of the WRC radio shows we know today.

By my third year of helping out I was taking more and more time away from the media centre to go and watch the stages. I eventually had to say ‘sorry Ian you need to get yourself a new helper’. I had gone from volunteer to rally fan.

The Aussie is currently driving for Subaru USA in the Global Rallycross series.

You’ve got a decent number of followers, and even some of the sport’s higher profile journos such as Rally Radio’s Colin Clark and Becs Williams refer to you often. That must give you a real thrill?

That is pretty crazy. I am just a fan and am surprised that I have several media types, some top drivers and co-drivers, following me. Hopefully I add something of value to rally conversation.

We often talk about how accessible rally drivers and teams are to the fans, the same can also be said about Colin and Becs. They are true rally fans and are passionate about what they do.

They really enjoy interacting with fans.

I remember in 2011 an occasion where Colin chatted with a group of Kiwis after his lunch break and coffee in a small town just north of Coffs. His enthusiasm and energy was just like we hear on WRC live radio, despite having his personal time invaded by raucous Paddon fans.

In 2012 I volunteered for Rally NZ again in the media centre. It was the 500th WRC event and I was asked to research the 100th, 200th, 300th and 400th WRC events. It was my introduction to the history of rallying and some excellent websites for rally information.

Some of that info was used by Becs as general interest info between stages.

As that weekend in June 2012 unfolded it looked like 100% of WRC The end to Gary’s first time co-driving at the Otago Rally this year.

cars might finish with nobody using Rally 2. I was asked to find out when this last happened, so Becs had accurate facts to use on air.

As it transpired Ott Tanak crashed out on the final day so no 100% finish occurred. (Rally Australia 2014 had 100% of the WRC cars finish, with nobody using Rally 2).

Colin and Becs know they can fire me a question and I will do some research to try and answer it for them, although I am not always able to. At other times I will identify something as unusual or interesting and let them know, in case they feel it will be of interest to their listeners.

The biggest thrill for me is yet to come - it will be helping host international media when WRC returns to NZ. I just need dates so I can book my leave from work!

Tell us 5 things we probably didn’t know about NZ rallying or the WRC ….

* Only 17 drivers have won WRC drivers title. 13 of them have won Rally NZ. The four exceptions are Massimo ‘Miki’ Biasion, Didier Auriol, Ari Vatanen and Sebastien Ogier. * A lot of people know Colin McRae had his first WRC stage win at Rally NZ 1989, but few will recall his father Jimmy won two stages and led Rally NZ that same year. * The final Group B era WRC event was Rally Olympus (USA) in 1986. Six Kiwi drivers started the rally, including Steve Millen in a Group B Toyota Celica. The others were Rod Millen, Neil Allport, Possum Bourne, Clive Smith and Alan Carter. * Bevan Docherty, the 2004 World Triathlon Champion and Olympic medallist in 2004 and 2008, enjoys watching rallying. * The Safari and Ivory Coast WRC endurance events are known for their long stage kilometres. In 1977 Rally NZ debuted in WRC with 74 stages which totalled 2,157 kilometres. It remains the longest non-endurance WRC event ever.

And finally, in what year will Hayden Paddon win the WRC?

Tough question given new car regulations for everyone next year.

Experience on events is vital. 2016 was the first time Hayden has competed in Monte Carlo and he has only competed in Mexico twice.

2017 will be another experience building year for Hayden, learning to fight regularly at the pointy end. For the world title I will say 2018.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 19

INTERVIEW: SIMON BELL

GETTING THE JOB DONE

By PETER WHITTEN

The New Zealand Rally Championship is going ahead in leaps and bounds, hanging off the coat-tails of Hayden Paddon’s success in the WRC. NZRC co-ordinator, Simon Bell, opens up on what has helped to make the series a success, and why at least 10 manufacturers will appear in the 2017 championship.

RSM: The NZRC seems to be in fantastic shape with lots of new cars being built for 2017. What do you put the incredible interest in the championship down to?

SB: I think there are three solid

reasons why the championship is growing. Firstly, we have stable rules that make sense and allow the NZRC teams to be able to plan new cars, attract sponsors and get value from the championship.

Secondly, the marketing of the championship. We have adopted a wider spread of activities, plus also listened to people and adapted the offering, while including the teams in the messages as much as possible.

Lastly, I think Hayden is doing amazing things for our sport and it

20 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

allows us to grow the international audience, plus it has created interest in the sport here from the mainstream publications, which has helped.

How much has Hayden’s participation and success in the WRC helped to influence manufacturers and sponsors in getting involved in the championship?

I think to an extent it is the “Hayden Effect”. Otago / Whangarei opened a lot of eyes to the NZRC and has shown people we have some real talent and characters in our sport.

But also, that scrutiny has given the manufacturers the awareness of the ability for them to actually take a car from the showroom, then turn that production car into an AP4 or AP4+, that will be competitive.

So, perhaps the old adage of “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” could be making a comeback.

The exciting part is the cars are built on a similar chassis / driveline, so it allows an instant performance parity and the investment is lower, or perhaps less risky, as they aren’t trying to invent a full Group N car from scratch.

Also, don’t forget Greg Murphy, as his legion of fans and the wider V8 supporter is now seeing some rallying via his media streams. That has to help and introduces our sport to guys that may have never seen or known about it, and has brought Holden into the NZRC with a two-car team for 2017.

Next year looks like seeing Hyundai, Holden and Toyota represented in the NZRC. Are

PHOTOS: Geoff Ridder

“The old adage ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ could be making a comeback.”

- Simon Bell

there any other manufacturers that may also enter the sport?

Yes, we are looking like we will have 10 brands on the start line for 2017, plus, last week another brand has started working on an AP4 chassis.

We have more manufacturers involved than a few years ago and the level of support ranges for each manufacturer. But the great thing is they are supporting competitors and helping the sport grow, meaning the sport has attracted new interest and more people investing in competitors, which is great for the sport.

There are also some other brands that have chassis’ that need a driver/ funding, so the potential is for more.... name another championship in the world with this many manufacturers or brands in new cars?

The AP4 chassis opens up exciting avenues for the car brands, plus the Group N+ cars are still able to foot it with them, as Ben Hunt, David Holder, Sloan Cox and Dylan Turner proved this year.

To say 2017 is exciting is an understatement.

While your rules are a little more fluid than Australia’s, the two championships seem to be at different ends of the scale, with the NZRC seemingly a lot healthier. Do you see this as the case?

I’m not sure that they are fluid as such, they were thought through very well and involved a lot of people in the sport to create a long term view, which

➜ NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 21

INTERVIEW: SIMON BELL

“We’d love to see the ARC grow, and we are only too happy to talk to them ...”

possibly is where the ARC needs to head with their strategy.

We have created a transition for our sport from the Group A / Group N based fleet to something new, the next generation of cars, be that the AP4 based or showroom based cars like Ben Hunt’s exciting new Subaru.

It’s working well and has helped teams to be able to run older cars for a time, which has given them some breathing space to make decisions on which way to go with new cars.

To be honest, we’d love to see the ARC grow, and we are only too happy to talk to them about what’s working over here, as strong championships in Australia and New Zealand can only be good for the sport.

So yes, the NZRC is going well, but there has been a massive amount of work done to get it here from many people, from competitors to MSNZ, and everyone’s been positive.

We are all working towards making our sport grow and being more exciting in the long term.

Does the NZRC’s variation in events, with some two-day and some one-day events, help to increase the variety of rallies, and control the cost of competing?

The NZRC is the pinnacle of rallying in New Zealand. So there needs to be a mix of events, where you have to be reliable and manage the pace of the car over two days.

Or like we saw at Coromandel, you have to have the foot down from the

start, flinch once and you have lost 10 seconds and it’s all over.

Part of what we asked events was, rather than be burdened with NZRC rules on how to run an NZRC event, we took off the shackles so to speak, and said ‘give us events with flavour, with spice and that have real character’.

I think we have that, the events have really done some great things and continue to, plus the mix is about right.

But, as always in any motor based sport, cost is always an issue and something we do take seriously. You also have to temper that with the fact this is the top of the sport in NZ, so it won’t ever be cheap.

Australia has six state championships that can take competitors away from the national series. New Zealand doesn’t – does this help to increase your competitor numbers?

I guess this comes down to geography, as New Zealand is small so it’s easier to travel, but we do have regional rounds like Australia and they are part of some of the NZRC rounds.

We have the Top Half / Central Region and Mainland rally series, of which all three have a lot of fantastic history, but they are more focused on the clubman type competitor.

We have also developed an entry class into the NZRC via the Gull Rally Challenge. That has helped us introduce teams to the NZRC. They don’t have to do the full six rounds, plus it’s cheaper and the cars are running to the regional championship Schedule A rules.

This class has brought through a few new competitors, and some we have are crazy quick in older cars. One has stepped up to NZRC for 2017 with a new car, so it appears to be working.

We have also introduced the Group A Classic 4WD Challenge to again give teams a chance to be part of the NZRC, and that’s hopefully another stepping stone, from a classic 4WD to a newer 4WD, and then perhaps the top class.

It gives some progression through the sport at the NZRC level, at differing budgets levels.

Where we are struggling a bit, and it is something we are working on, is the 2WD classes, and how to make them more appealing. But we have some ideas, so watch this space.

What are some of the ideas you have to help ensure that the NZRC continues to grow and that the current wave of interest can be maintained?

The main component is effective and relevant content and marketing. And not traditional marketing, but looking at new avenues, providing good content and listening to our audience.

For example, the content we supply RallySport Magazine. Blair Bartels does an incredible job managing and writing these for us, and coupled with the great images from the NZRC photographer, Geoff Ridder, it works really well and the feedback has been great.

This is a new channel for us and provides a great platform to show off the events and teams to NZ/Australian audiences, plus the wider global audience you have.

Our on-event @RallyLiveNZ live streams have been a massive success and continue to grow, with over 13,000 views @ Rally Whangarei.

The feedback while it is running (from all around the globe too, which has really amazed us) has been tremendous. We can give up-to-theminute splits – all while in the back blocks of somewhere, standing on a grass hill, watching cars and providing what we are told is great commentary – watch some from Rally of Whangarei here.

Obviously, the big challenge is the

Find us at: www.chicane.co.nz 22 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

Call us o

remote nature of the events we have here in NZ and the lack of coverage.

The contrasts between events, with Whangarei having full HD quality, to the back of Middlemarch where we had very patchy reception.

To help us, we enlist Blair Read who, while on recce, checks the coverage at key spots for us - kind of a @ RallyLiveNZ recce, and stops us driving to spots that were no good.

Also, of huge help this year, has been the Chrissport results team. They are actually watching the live feeds at HQ, which has been a great advance for them, so they get to see what’s going on. We talk to them directly while live, and they provide SMS feedback by the way of splits or updates.

So the viewer will get more up to date info than they are seeing on the actual results.

Now, with manufacturers onboard, we are looking at ways to create corporate hosting type events, on event, so the teams can bring key guests and they are looked after, either on tours or at a spot in the service park.

It’s going to be very human intensive, we will need more people to make it work, so we need to work out how we deliver it to the right level.

So this is very much a work in progress, but we are hopeful we will have the 1.0 version in place come round one.

There lots of other ideas being floated about between Blair Read, Blair Bartels and myself, and to be honest, all the great content usually is unplanned.

We are constantly in contact, and it’s a never ending round of “what do you reckon about...” messages on Facebook Messenger that I think helps us to keep everything moving along and fresh.

Is the Tasman Cup (between New Zealand and Australia) something that you see as being a key part of building the popularity of rallying down under, and are we likely to see the return of it in the near future?

As I mentioned above, if the NZRC is strong, and the ARC grows, then there is the exciting prospect for the teams to come together at certain events and create a Trans-Tasman Championship.

The NZRC’s live video broadcasts have proven popular in 2016.

Will we see New Zealand with a round of the WRC again in the near future, or are there too many stumbling blocks in the road at present?

But it needs to be of value and we need to ensure the rules on either side of the Tasman Sea are going in the same direction.

I feel our “proof of concept” for the transition and the development of a new generation of cars and teams has worked incredibly well, so I hope that in some sense the ARC adopts some of this and we start to work in tandem.

We have offered to talk to the ARC, and if they want to get together when they are ready, then we are keen to work with them to grow the sport between our two countries, but in saying that, we also have a focus on the 2017 NZRC.

I have to say yes. With the amazing work that Hayden is doing as our Rally New Zealand ambassador, plus the massive amount of behind the scenes work the RNZ board and wider members of the RNZ team are doing, there is hopefully no way they can say no to us.

There is so much passion, from the local fans, to the teams, to the media.

But in saying that, I think the biggest issue we have is history.

We need to be looking to the future of the sport, not looking back at the successful RNZs we have run since about 1973.

RNZ needs to innovate, not only on the stages, but off the stages with technology to engage the fans in NZ and globally.

So we are working towards the NZRC RNZ 2017 in Tauranga as a warm-up event where the RNZ trophy is up for grabs, so come on over Australian teams and have a crack.

Then that will build to the full WRC RNZ 2018 ... the grand showcase of the WRC in New Zealand. #BringBackWRCRallyNewZealand

HJC MOTORSPORTS

on: AU 1800 CHICANE or NZ 0800 CHICANE NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 23

AUSTRALIA’S TOP 10 RALLY DRIVERS

BEST OF THE

Story : PAUL GOVER Editor, CarsGuide

P

ossum Bourne is The Best. There are no ifs, buts or maybes about his place at the top of Australian rallying. I have seen thousands of forest fighters in action since 1972, when Colin Bond ripped past me at the wheel of a Torana XU1 somewhere near Buladelah in NSW and made rallying my sport. I’ve even driven a bit.

After watching all the champions since Bond and Peter Lang in Holdens, I have no doubt that Bourne is best of the best in my personal rankings, and even when he is measured by his own rules.

24 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

“It’s bloody simple,” Bourne tells me in Sydney during the 90s, when he is chasing the Australian Rally Championship in his Prodrive Impreza.

“One stage. Two drivers. Same car. Who wins?” he asks.

“There are only two rules. Your bloke must finish the stage.

And it is FOR YOUR LIFE.” It’s a game we play many times, usually with Bourne making nice with a glass of bubbly, working our way right through from the local wannabes to the heroes of the world championship.

BEST

In 2013, Carsguide editor Paul Gover wrote an exclusive article for RallySport Magazine, naming his top 10 Australian Rally Championship drivers of all time.

Three years on, and with Rally Australia on our doorstep once again, we thought it timely to repeat Gover’s article, and to remember our greatest drivers of all time.

He puts Tommi Makinen above Colin McRae, because the Scotsman is too flaky. My personal choice for number one is Walter Rohrl, a winning machine with ice in his veins.

We argue and argue. He laughs. He taunts. Every night of ‘Race For Your Life’ is special.

So, what about the ARC? Bourne has the best record, even better than Ross Dunkerton, but there is so much more to his story.

I saw him beat Greg Carr in Rally Australia on a slimy day south of Perth, when his Subaru Leone should be no match for an ex-factory Lancia Delta. But he had practised the stages 12 times, even waiting for rain to test the grip, and cleared stones from the long grass to make shortcuts easier.

I ride alongside him on a Canberra stage in his Impreza WRC, running at full rally pace. It’s something I cannot forget.

And I also see him hotdog around a gnarly downhill lefthander, smiling like a loon, on a corner he has nominated as the best spectator point of the day.

“Come watch me there. It will be worth it,” he says. And it is.

Now he is gone, but not forgotten.

For me, Bourne is always in the here and now, not the past.

He is bigger than life, special in death, and the man that noone has come close to trumping.

So ride along for a minute as I run through my personal top 10. And remember those rules, but mostly the big one that was everything for Bourne - it has to be ‘For Your Life’.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 25

AUSTRALIA’S TOP 10 RALLY DRIVERS

1. Possum Bourne – Australian Rally Champion 1996-2002

4. Colin Bond - Australian Rally Champion 1971, 1972, 1974

Speed is one thing, but Bourne is all about commitment. He does anything and everything it takes to win.

That means the best car, the best co-driver and the best deal from Subaru to fund it all.

He is plain crazy fast as a kid, but when he gets some maturity he becomes unbeatable.

He even parks his favourite WRC weapon and keeps winning in Group A. So, why doesn’t he make it to the WRC in a factory Subaru?

He is trumped by Piero Liatti, who brings Pirelli to Subaru in a doublebluff that even Possum cannot beat.

Hannu Mikkola says he is world class after clashing with him in the Heatway Rally in New Zealand in the seventies.

He is past his prime when special stage rallying shifts into gear, and his great mate, John Dawson-Damer, holds him back as they enjoy their time together, but he sets the standard for generations.

Bond has sublime speed and that is enough in his days as the point man for Holden in the forest.

2. Greg Carr - Australian Rally Champion 1978, 1987, 1989 Carr is the best of his generation, in the days when the ARC is a fullon battleground between Ford and Datsun.

It’s high stakes rally poker and no-one trumps him for speed and commitment. He plays chess to improve his concentration, spends every weekend practising in his Canberra forests, and only needs a reliable car - sometimes hard to find, or easy to break - to do the job.

Two trips to the UK prove his potential, but he settles for a safe place in the public service instead of gambling on a shot at the WRC.

3. Simon Evans - Australian Rally Champion 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 Brave. Crazy at first. In the early days you never bet on him finishing any stage, but once he hooks up with Neal Bates - and learns about slowing down to go fast - he becomes special.

He shows me his speed the first time in a front-drive Golf GTi, which he also rolls on the first Super Special at Rally Australia, and continues through the years.

He is another who should head to Europe and he tries once, but it’s not enough.

On his day, fully formed, he is formidable.

26 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

5. Wayne Bell He is fast the first time I see him in a Galant, and still fast when he takes Hyundai into the World Rally Championship. In between, he does lots of winning but never puts all the pieces together for a championship.

Does it matter? Not so much to Bell, just as Stirling Moss revels in his ranking as the best driver never to win the F1 world title. He is sensational to watch and only team orders prevent him beating Peter Brock to the big prize in the ‘Round Australia of ‘79.

6. Geoff Portman - Australian Rally Champion 1981, 1982

How would you feel if you climbed all the way to the top of the ladder, and then someone smashed the final step? That’s what happens to Portman, who does everything right on the way to leading Datsun in the ARC just as the company switches from rallies to races. Memories of Portman centre on his elegance, perhaps born from his time as a Victorian forester, but more likely from a full bottle of talent. Even in his fifties he has enough pace to rattle youngsters in historic cars.

7. Neal Bates - Australian Rally Champion 1993, 1994, 1995, 2008

9. Ed Ordynski - Australian Rally Champion 1990

Such a pity he peaks as Possum is at the height of his powers. And that Toyota never spends enough to level the playing field against Subaru. Bates is tagged as Mister Two, first of the losers, but he is still good enough for four titles and his speed in his historic Celica today is proof of his prodigious talent. He also embarrasses plenty of people as “The Stig” in Top Gear down under and runs hard and fast in the Bathurst 1000. He is a nice guy, too.

There is steel beneath the gentle and quietly-spoken facade that carries Ordynski into battle. He works hard at his craft, even watching his fuel economy on transport stages to run light on the specials. He convinces me he has real speed at the 1000 Lakes in Finland, where he attacks like he never does at home.

Mister Ed always brings his A game to Rally Australia, which is his personal Mount Panorama and as important to him as Bathurst is to any V8 racer.

8. George Fury - Australian Rally Champion 1977, 1980

10. Peter Brock

Another from the glory days, with plenty of speed and a burning desire to win. Perhaps it’s down to his Hungarian immigrant background, but he is the only one with the pace to challenge Carr. His brilliance helps him to transfer successfully to touring cars, although he is always a bit weak in the stages if things are not going right. These days he still farms in Talmalmo, near Albury, but has given up driving the school bus.

And the rest? zz Ross Dunkerton never quits, but never has the ultimate speed. zz Chris Atkinson does his early learning on local roads, but we never see him at his best, or in a serious WRC car. zz Eli Evans is a champion, but never beats the big boys. zz Cody Crocker stars as a kid, but never emerges from Possum’s shadow, zz Michael Guest is fast but flawed, David Officer is beaten by Portman, and at least one recent champion buys the title.

So, what do you think? Remember, for your life …

- PAUL GOVER

A stupid mistake in a stupid road rally cuts him down, but Brock proves his pace enough times in real forest fights to earn my respect and a top-10 spot. He has the advantage of factory Holdens, but uses both Geminis and Commodores better than anyone expects of a touring car star. Anyone who sees him in the Castrol Rally, driving a battered ex-Repco Trial Commodore, learns what he can do when he cuts up in the rough.

Five titles, but Dunkerton doesn’t make Gover’s Top 10.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 27

INTERVIEW: KIRRA PENNY

NEVER TOO

Kirra Penny (right) with fellow co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino.

YOUNG Kirra Penny is a 16-year old student juggling her secondary schools studies with an emerging co-driving career in the Australian Rally Championship.

We checked in with Kirra to see how she manages the school vs rallying conundrum, and what her plans for the future are.

RSM: You’re a 16 year old co-diving for Chris Higgs in the Australian Rally Championship. How did you get involved in the sport, and specifically, get to be codriving for Chris at this level?

KP: For me, I have always been involved in the sport and strangely, really enjoyed the paperwork and reading regs, etc. I never felt the need to navigate until the day after my first event.

I was always asked: “When are you going to start racing?” and the response was always the same, “Never, I am not crazy. Until one day this conversation just took a different direction.

I was told “That the real reason I wasn’t competing was because I was scared”. To me, I took that as a challenge, and always being competitive, I had to prove them wrong.

Three weeks later, I was competing in my first motorsport event, a rallysprint in Canberra. I competed along side my Kirra Penny has had a busy season co-driving for Chris Higgs. Photo: Aaron Wishart.

father, in his Subaru GC8 that he had just bought a week earlier. We ended up winning the event outright, which was a scary thought. Suddenly I was hooked.

I’m not exactly sure how the rest happened, it all happened so quickly.

Four weeks later I was in South Australia competing in my first ARC event, Scouts Rally SA 2015, alongside Chris Higgs, at the age of 15.

I met Chris through my father, Andrew Penny, as Chris leased dad’s second car for the National Capital Rally in 2015. It was one of the hardest events, I have ever done, but I loved every second of it.

You’re in the higher years of your schooling, so obviously this must make it a difficult balance. How do you structure school and rallying when they happen together?

The balance between school and rallying has been difficult to find, and something I have struggled with, but with the help from my school and teachers, I have successfully been able to juggle this past year.

I would independently work ahead before a rally to try to even out the

work load for when I return. I have been lucky that my school supports and works with a lot of athletes who take large amounts of time out of school during the winter months.

This means the majority our work is independent, making it easier to catch-up on. Once I return home, I work to catch-up on the work I missed. This means lots of late nights and anti-social weekends studying.

Presumably this will get even more difficult when you reach the final year of secondary school. Have you thought that far ahead, and will you be competing while you’re doing year 12?

Currently I have just started my year 12 studies and feel that if I work hard, stay focused and keep doing what I am doing, it will work out.

At this stage it appears that I will be competing in selected events throughout the duration of 2017, but at the end of the day, school comes first in 2017.

Throughout 2016 I have developed strong support networks and look forward to the challenge that lies ahead.

What are your career plans after secondary school, and do you plan to continue codriving? Or do you have a desire to swap sides and drive?

I plan to go to university after high school to further my education, but am unsure of what I would like to study.

I would love to keep co-driving and am determined to make that happen. I have never had the desire to swap sides and drive, I love what I am doing, and would love to make a career out of it.

Who have been your rallying heroes, and which co-drivers have been the biggest help 28 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

Chris Higgs and Kirra Penny in this year’s Quit Forest Rally in WA. Photo: CMR Photography

and inspiration to you so far in your rallying career?

Possum Bourne and Colin McRae are two drivers that I really enjoy watching.

For the people who helped start my rallying career, Rhianon and Alex Gelsomino have taught me to be the co-driver I am today.

Coral Taylor and dad’s co-driver, Rhys Lewellyn, have always been there every step of the way, while Rhianon has been mentoring me for almost a year now, and inspires me each and every day.

Even when she is busy or competing herself, she finds time to answer questions, give explanations and even read and provide feedback. Rhianon is a role model and someone I aspire to be like.

There were plans to co-drive at Rally Australia with Chris Higgs, but school commitments have got in the way, which must be disappointing?

Yes, unfortunately I won’t be competing at Rally Australia due to school commitments during the week leading into Rally Australia. Although I will still be at Rally Australia spectating for the weekend. I hope to be competing at Rally Australia next year.

What are your rallying aspirations for the

next five years?

I hope to still be rallying and working hard to climb my way to the top. I hope that I can gain experience in events across the country, and potentially internationally.

I would like to secure a full-time ride

and be on the path to making rallying a full-time job. Like a friend once told me: “Dream big, and achieve big”.

I would be happy to keep doing what I am doing. I have made great friends and loved every second of it.

- PETER WHITTEN NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 29

FEATURE: TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR

A LONG TIME COMING ...

If ever you get a hair-brained idea that you’d like to steal an ex-works Group A rally car you might want to think again?

30 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

The TTE Celica was driven by nine world champions at the 1997 Race of Champions.

Story: PETER WHITTEN

U

nless you sit close to the spectrum, love “counting cards” or numbers on buses, the starting sequence might do your head in?

Remembering each of the six steps, and in the correct order, could well be more difficult than actually getting the 1990s WRC weapon off the line, but I’m sure I’ll give it a go given the chance!

S

tuart Bowes is one of the bestknown rally photographers in Australia and overseas, and one whom the RallySport Mag team helped along the way in his early years.

Having spent 25 years covering the Australian Rally Championship (ARC) and jetting around the world shooting WRC, F1 events and motor shows, in between times, and with his brother Angus, he’s fronted Broons, a successful earthmoving equipment manufacturer

and rental business based in Adelaide.

Stuart says he’s now “sort of” semi-retired from rally photography, and has decided to finally get back behind the wheel of a rally car “before the years march on any further” – something that he hasn’t done since driving a Group G Datsun 1600 in the 1980s.

“I’ve had a few long chats with Jeff David about classic rallying and I reckon he’s spot on about making some decisions and doing what you really enjoy,” Stuart says.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to accumulate the resources to enjoy my passion, and I’m forever grateful for the wonderful opportunities that have come along over many years.”

The mighty “Datto” still sits in a shipping container at the Broons yard (and could well see daylight again in 2017), but with money in the bank, Stuart decided that he was going to chase a car that he never actually believed he could even contemplate owning – an ex-works Toyota Team Europe (TTE) Celica GT-Four.

As Toyota’s official rally photographer in the ARC for many years, the Toyota passion burned brightly and so the search began….

“I started looking seriously in 2007,” says Stuart.

Countless trips to Europe (where the Broons work often just happened to align with his motorsport interests) and after looking at numerous cars, he started to hone in on his objective.

“Group B was never going to work for me. I love the cars and I remember watching them on the WRC in Europe, but they are very expensive to run and maintain, plus they were never campaigned in Australia.

“Anyone who’s got a real one will tell you they’re fantastic to drive, but a bottomless money pit if you intend to use it.

“The latter years of Group A was every bit as impressive as Group B for action, and I was right in the thick of NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 31

FEATURE: TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR it taking the pictures. They might not have had the outright grunt, the big wings and Kevlar body panels, but the handling and performance made up for it, blitzing the stage times of the old days.

“No doubt about it, they were quick for sure. The cars were getting modified to such an extent that they barely resembled the road car under the shell, and of course this led to the start of the World Rally Car formula we see today.”

B Isolde Holderied in the car’s only WRC appearance, in the 1997 Monte Carlo Rally.

Mattias Kahle won the German Rally Championship in the car now residing in Adelaide.

Freddy Loix driving the car in Marlboro colours in the 1996 European Rally Championship.

32 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

ut what really attracted Stuart to these cars was the fact they were based on a road car sold to the

public.

“It’s the last time a manufacturer built a production special just so they could compete in the World Championship, and so my passion became buying not just the genuine ex-works factory rally car, but also the matching road car, so I’ve got the pair and I’ve made a lot of progress!” he says.

“I’d been searching for a genuine car that was in pretty much original condition, but just about everything out there has been modified so much over the years that it is only a hint of the car that emerged from the TTE factory in Cologne, Germany.

“I made contact with a guy in Europe who had one of Kankkunen’s cars for sale, but he had sold it just before I got a chance to take a look.

“A couple of weeks later he dropped me a note to say he had a second car that he didn’t really want to sell, but it was perhaps the most original ST205 Celica from TTE, and the third to last one built, so I changed my travel plans and went for a look.”

A deal was done and once the import permit was arranged, it was on the water heading for Australia.

“I went to Germany for 24 hours to wash the car and pack it in the container - I knew what Australian quarantine was like given our years of experience shipping machinery all over the world, so I didn’t want to take a chance.

“I drove it in, shut the doors, and 10 weeks later I opened the doors, started it up and backed it out right here in Adelaide - it has to be one of the highlights of my motorsport life - I still smile when I think about it.

“I never thought I could do it, but I made it happen. I’m like a dog with a bone when I focus on something.”

Parked at the Bowes workshop in South Australia, the car is pretty well as it arrived from Europe and is as genuine as you could find. Whilst the ST205 Celica might not have the WRC cred of the previous ST185 that won a couple

R-L: Stuart Bowes, Neal Bates, Angus Bowes and Darryl Bush with the Celica GT-Four at Wakefield Park Raceway.

Below: Neal Bates belts up as Bowes takes the Celica for a test drive.

of world championships, it is the better performer and much of the technology carried over to the Corolla World Rally Car. “The anti-lag system and Hang-On Clutch (HOC) is leading edge for the 1990s - flick the switch and hang on. But I’m not sure I’ll ever master that,” Stuart says.

“Unfortunately, the only original item missing is what makes it one of the most infamous of all rally cars - the modified turbo restrictor - for those who remember the events which led to Toyota being banned from scoring points on the WRC. “Never before had a team been banned from an FIA series, but subsequently McLaren has since joined

Carlos Sainz (L) and Colin McRae in the 1997 Race of Champions final.

this very small club a few years back.”

T

he car is currently adorned in the Marlboro livery that former factory driver, Freddy Loix, used in the European Rally Championship during late 1996, but the car has a long history worth briefly recounting.

In the Castrol colours for which they are most well known, the car was used by the indecently fast German lady, Isolde Holderied, in the 1997 Monte Carlo Rally, and was then driven by Mattias Kahle to win the 1997 German Rally Championship.

But undoubtedly, its final official TTE event was it’s crowning glory.

In December of 1997 the car was used in the Race of Champions event in the Canary Islands, where no fewer than nine former World Rally Champions drove the car.

Carlos Sainz won the event in the exact car now owned by Bowes, beating Colin McRae, in an identical Celica GTFour. Incredibly, Neal Bates also drove the car in his only appearance at the ROC. Along with Sainz and McRae, at the ROC the car was also driven by former champions Bjorn Waldegard, Hannu Mikkola, Timo Salonen, Stig Blomqvist, Didier Auriol, Walter Rohlr and Miki NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 33

FEATURE: TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR

Biasion. WRC event winners, including Michele Mouton, Armin Schwarz, Gilles Panizzi and Kenneth Eriksson, also took the wheel in the event.

Whilst the car only contested one round of the WRC, it was the most famous of them all, Monte Carlo.

The fact it also won the German Championship and was later driven by nine former World Rally Champions simply adds to its value in the years ahead.

“I have the TTE car body record to prove the provenance,” Stuart says. “It’s the real deal.”

The car is still in the Marlboro colours, although Stuart thinks that eventually he’ll convert it back to the

famous Castrol colours that the cars become synonymous with, and in which it spent most of its life as a works car.

S

ince the car arrived in Australia it’s only done a couple of track days, but recently Stuart had it over in the Neal Bates Motorsport workshop for a thorough going over, before Neal, Stuart, and his brother Angus, took the car to Goulburn’s Wakefield Park race circuit to put it through its paces.

“Compared to your daily drive, it’s incredibly expensive to run,” Stuart stresses, “… around $40 a lap I worked out, but it is worth every cent.

“Considering it’s been over 20 years since Neal drove one of these cars he

Freddy Loix jumps the Celica GT-Four in the European Rally Championship.

34 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

jumped straight back in and was right on the pace from the first lap.”

In the future the car will be kept solely on tarmac, but there are plans to enter it in some tarmac hillclimb events, as well as at some track days.

“Neal and Darryl (Bush) were both keen to point out they’re a lot of fun for sure, but keep in mind the wear and tear the more you do.

“It’s a full-on works car and parts are limited, but we’ve struck up a good relationship with Erik Wevers in Holland, who owns the entire spare parts stock from TTE, and only serves those who own the genuine cars.”

Between running the family business, driving the Celica and competing in his recently-finished Mercedes Benz 450SLC, it doesn’t look like Stuart will have much time for rally photography any time soon. Not that he’s too concerned. “ I like to tell people I spent more than 25 years taking hundreds of thousands of pics and travelling the world at someone else’s expense, but I’m over it.

I probably couldn’t care if I never pick up a camera again.

“The time pressure is enormous, everyone wants everything instantly or faster, and I’m just not interested the world doesn’t need to move that quickly, regardless of what people think, so I’ve decided to slow things down a little – well, not too much when it comes to the cars!”

W

ith a purpose-built rally workshop nearing completion, any spare time is likely to be spent tinkering on rally cars, or scouring the world looking for the next “must have” historical piece.

Owning the ex-factory Toyota is a dream come true for Stuart Bowes.

“I’ve got a real surprise I’m working on and hopeful it will come to fruition.

I’ve been chasing this car for some years and I’ve had a tip off I might be close to securing it.

“For sure it will be the only one in this part of the world, and one of only a couple left in existence,” Stuart says.

We could think of few better ways to spend our time.

Car History:

Built Aug 1996 Nov 1996 Freddy Loix Jan 1997 Isolde Holderied Feb 1997 Renaud Verreydt Mar 1997 Mattias Kahle April 1997 Mattias Kahle May 1997 Mattias Kahle June 1997 Mattias Kahle Aug 1997 Mattias Kahle Oct 1997 Mattias Kahle

Dec 1997 Various

Condroz Rally – ERC (Marlboro) 1st Monte Carlo – WRC (Castrol) 8th Spa Rally – ERC (Marlboro) 1st Sumava Rally – ERC & ADAC (Castrol) Ret Pneumant Rally – ADAC (Castrol) 1st Havelland Rally – ADAC (Castrol) 1st Deutschland Rally – ERC & ADAC (Castrol) 1st Hunsruck Rally – ERC & ADAC (Castrol) 1st 3 Staate Rally – ERC & ADAC (Castrol) 3rd (Kahle Won German Rally Championship) Race of Champions – Canary Islands (Carlos Sainz won the event, beating Colin McRae)

Stuart’s road car set up to tow the new rally car ..... perhaps.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 35

FEATURE: FRANK KELLY

“THE ONLY WAY IS SIDEWAYS”

K

elly is a name steeped in Australia’s history, with the legendary bushrangers recognised by many as a part of Australian culture.

Another Kelly from Ireland – Frank – is recognised as one of the most exciting talents in the world of classic

I

first got behind the wheel at the age of 7. It was a wreck of a Mini and my two brothers, Conor and Gary and I rallied it up and down the road behind our house. We crashed it on a regular basis, but I eventually wrote it off when I hit a lorry backwards and bounced into the wall of my dad’s garage.

I will never forget my first big off and waiting to face the music when my dad

36 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

rallying, behind the wheel of a familiar blue Mk 2 Escort, ‘Baby Blue’.

Certainly one of the more endearing features of Australian rally fans is their propensity to accept and embrace such great driving talent as Frank Kelly, despite only having first hand exposure through the pages of YouTube.

Whether it’s a Flying Finn, or a Kiwi named ‘Possum’, rally enthusiasts in Australia have warmed to the exploits of internationals who can drive a rally car like there is no tomorrow.

Frank Kelly is one of the latest in the line of rally drivers who Australians are taking to heart.

YouTube clips reveal Kelly’s driving of his immaculate Mk 2 Escort to be both fluent and aggressive, and driven in a style that proves to the audience he knows what he is doing.

Kelly’s clips have attracted thousands of views, with his aptly named “Frank Kelly – Fast, Sideways and Mental’ hitting a whopping 372,000 views at last count. came home. He eventually arrived on the scene, surveyed the wreckage and turned to me and said “... well that’s a valuable lesson learnt ...” - how wrong he was.

When my father started stock car racing at a local quarry a few years later, it wasn’t long until I was looking for a spin. He let me use his car for junior races, which had me hooked on motorsport for life. A few months

As a ‘clubman’ outfit, Kelly Motorsport run on a tight budget with as much of the preparation work being carried out by the team as possible.

Frank takes care of the pre-event work on the car, and any rebuilds or developments required.

Gary, Frank’s brother, is the onevent service man and chief mechanic, and keeps the car in good shape throughout the rally, having pulled the team out of the fire on numerous occasions.

Frank’s other brother Conor, takes care of the paint work when required, and has been known to manage a full re-panel and paint between rallies.

Frank Kelly generously gave his time to tell his own story for RallySport Magazine in this 2 part series.

What started as an interview to gather information became a great yarn, as Frank tells his Australian and New Zealand fans his story, in his own words.

- TOM SMITH later I had saved up and built my own VW Beetle, and was at it hammer and tongs.

I won the junior championship on three or four occasions and by the time I was 15 the stockcar club put me out of the juniors into the senior races.

Boy they were rough buggers, but I held my own. I fitted a 2 litre Alfa twin cam in the back of the Beetle and held on for dear life. There were some good wins, but equally some big, big offs. I even won a race one day as I passed the leader over the finish line on my roof.

By 19 I had won the local senior championship a couple of times and was thinking of moving to rallying. It seemed a very big jump - I had no money and rally cars appeared so high-tech compared to the cars I was building at the time.

Work was light so I sold the stock car and any bits that I had and headed to London to sell my road car, which was an Alfa GTV that I had fixed up. The second day I was there I was offered a job and ended up in London for eight years.

I went to Australia for a year as well.

This was all fantastic, but there was no motorsport at all.

In 1993 I was back home again in Ireland. I had no time to build a car,

O

ver the next few years the Fiesta grew horns and became “the baby baboon”. I fitted a home-built 2-litre 16v Zetec with 45mm Webers and a Quaife gearbox, lengthened the wheel base by four inches and widened it by two inches. She had a handling characteristic all of her own.

I had to drive it completely on the limit to get the times, but if I made even a small mistake, which was fairly regular, it usually ended up in a tree or on its roof, or both. Luckily Conor is a brilliant panel beater, and although he got seriously peed off, he never let me down.

We had some great results now and then, a couple of top three overalls and even one outright win, with Rosemarie (my wife) co-driving.

WATCH HERE

All good things come to an end and so did the Fiesta. I went one tree too far in 2001 and broke a collarbone and a few ribs, and the Baby Baboon was dead and buried.

That’s when I bought my first Mk2, a red Group 4 with a 2-litre Vauxhall engine. It was a good car but for some reason I didn’t warm to it. I still don’t know why that was.

A few months later, I traded it in for an F2 Escort. I was back to frontwheel drive and something I was more familiar with. Again we had some good results, but there was something big missing ... “FUN”.

At this stage I had ran out of navigators as my big offs were making

▲

and as I couldn’t wait to start rallying, I looked around for something cheap and simple that would get me started. I ended up with a Fiesta XR2 which was an ex-Brands Hatch car. She hadn’t much power and even less grip, but it was a start.

First rally and Conor co-drove for me. Now everybody will tell you that I crashed on the first corner of the first stage of my first rally, but that’s not true. I made it to the second corner and crashed there. We got going again and took a stage maximum, but went on to finish the rally. That was it, no turning back.

it very hard to talk anybody into getting in the car. Mickey Broderick, my cousin, had sat in the early years, but he wised up when the Fiesta went 2-litre and hung up his helmet.

Fintan McGuckin sat with me for most of the Fiesta 2-litre years and was probably there for most of the biggest accidents, then he went and got married and that was that. Sean Ferris did some of the local events and there were loads of people in for “one offs”, in fact I don’t think I have ever had a bad navigator.

The F2 was sold in 2003 and I told the Mrs that was it - no more rallying!

That lasted for 11 days until I watched Coronation Street with her one evening and she knew I wasn’t taking the whole NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 37

FEATURE: FRANK KELLY “rally over” thing to well.

Then I heard about a yellow Mk2 for sale at reasonable money. I rang about it, drove it for 200 yards and bought it.

Yet again some major offs, but I loved this car, the fun was back. We changed the colour and she became the first “baby blue”.

I

n 2005 some of the locals talked me into going down south to do the Irish Forest Championship, and boy was it good craic. John Shelvin sat with me and did a great job, but made it clear that he couldn’t afford to do the whole season.

We got as far as the fourth round and were going well, but John had to pull out and that seemed to be that.

The day before the fourth round, Greg Shinnors, the Clerk Of Course of the Moonraker, rang to see why I hadn’t entered. I told him the story and he replied: “Get your butt down here Kelly, I will have a navigator ready to go!!”.

That’s how I met Liam Brennan from Cork. I couldn’t understand a word he said between stages, but his notes were perfect and we hit it off immediately.

We did the rest of the season together and became 2WD forest champions.

In 2006 “baby blue” was replaced

38 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

“All I had to do was finish in the top 12 in 2WD, but like a dipstick I went off while battling for the lead ....” with “Tarzan” a white Pinto Mk2. I fitted a 2-litre 16-valve Mountune engine and went back south again with Liam on the notes. The season went great until the last round. All I had to do was finish in the top 12 2WD, but like a dipstick I went off while battling with Seamus O’Connell for the 2WD lead. Championship lost, but no one to blame but myself.

2007 went the same way, except I kept it on the road on the last round and regained the 2WD title.

In 2008 a change was needed.

After talking with Seamus and Adrian Hetherington we all headed for the BTRDA Silverstar Championship, based mostly in the Welsh forests, and so “the reindeers were on tour”, Liam couldn’t take the time off work so Aiden Friel, who had sat on a few occasions, committed to the full season.

The first round went well and we scored top points. We missed the second round when I fell ill with meningitis and I thought the season was over. Luckily I had recovered sufficiently for me to return to the third round in Humberside.

We were in a frantic battle all day for the lead and went into the last nine mile stage two seconds down. The stage went great right up to half a mile from the finish line when the gearbox blew up. We pushed her over the finish line but went OTL. To cap it all, my main competition had wrung a half shaft and didn’t finish either.

A

t this point it didn’t look good, but they are great rallies over there, so we went to Somerset anyway. We won that one and things went great for the next three rallies, taking maximum points on all of them.

Unfortunately, I became unstuck in the Woodpecker were we rolled heavily on the second stage (sound familiar??).

It had been 13 months since I had been on my roof and that was a record for me.

It was a big rush to get the car ready for the next round, but once again Conor and Gary helped pull it all together. Maximum points on the

last two rounds, gave us a total of six maximum scores and we became BTRDA Silverstar Champions.

That Christmas Paul Hughes gave me first bite at buying his 2-litre Duratec engined Mk2. A deal was done and Baby Blue 2 was in the garage getting the forest treatment! Tarzan was sold to a guy in London and we were ready for the new season.

F

or 2009 I decided to take on the Scottish stages and signed up for the Scottish Rally Championship.

We had a season long battle with the legend that is Steve Bannister.

Our biggest problem was punctures.

On average we had two punctures per rally! I lost count of the times we were in the lead only to pick up a puncture.

Sometimes we lost the rim as well and on one occasion, on the Speyside Stages, we lost tyre, rim and brake calliper!

By the time I worked out that I couldn’t drive sideways without getting a puncture it was too late and we finished second overall in the 2WD championship.

I went back for another crack in 2010, but by mid season the ferry costs had gone up so much it wasn’t affordable

anymore. Driving the car straight wasn’t suiting me either, and when I’d get frustrated and go sideways I picked up punctures again!

We cut the season short and did some of our local forest events to finish off the year.”

Join us next month to see how Frank’s story unfolds.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 39

REPORT: TARGA HIGH COUNTRY

WILD WEATHER NO PROBLEM FOR CLOSE

Michael Pritchard finished second in his Dodge Viper.

V

ictorian Matt Close took his Porsche GT3 to outright victory and GT2 competition honours at Targa High Country, which finished at the top of Mt Buller on November 6.

After the opening two days of intense duelling, Close started the final leg with just a one second lead over fellow GT2 competitor, Tasmanian Michael Pritchard, driving a Dodge Viper ACR. Overnight snow on Mt Buller saw Close adopt a cautious approach on the wet and slippery run down the Grant Denyer and Jim Richards at an autograph session in Mansfield.

mountain, and he dropped 16 seconds to his rival.

But on the very next stage he bounced back, grabbing the lead on the 40 kilometre long Jamieson test.

With his confidence high, and hard tyres now working well, Close pushed on to extend his lead on every stage, finishing the three-day enduro 59 seconds clear of his fellow GT2 competitor.

Third in the Mt Buller GT2 competition went to Craig Dean and

Kate Catford in a 2015 Mustang Shelby GT, one minute 14 seconds further back.

In Shannons Classic GT, Pete Nunn looked set for an emphatic victory, having led from the very start on Friday morning, but on the penultimate stage his 1985 Porsche 944 Turbo developed clutch problems, forcing him out of the rally.

His misfortune handed the lead and the competition victory to South Australian, Craig Haysman, in his thumping Triumph TR7 V8. The Targa veteran, with co-driver Julie Boorman, finished three minutes and 38 seconds clear of Mark Hammond and Lisa Dunkerton in a 1980 Jaguar XJS. Roger Lomman and Annie Bainbridge were third in their 1971 Datsun 240Z, another one minute 29 seconds further back.

The Shannons Classic competition went to Lindsay Stone and Simon Martin in their 1985 Mazda RX-7. The 1971 Porsche 916 of Ted Banks and Bruce Douglas kept the pressure on until the end, eventually finishing just 45 seconds in arrears, while Colin Byrne and Paul Stoopman performed strongly to move up to third, one minute and 26 seconds behind in their 1971 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000.

One of the drives of the event came from Alan Roe and Michael Lloyd, who took the Duttons Garage Early Modern honours in their 2000 Mitsubishi Evo 6.5RS. Roe was quick across all of the 277.71 competitive kilometres, and in outright terms was third fastest overall.

Second in Early Modern went to the highly consistent pairing of Adam Kaplan and Aleshia Penney, one minute 31 seconds behind Roe, with Liam and Larry Howarth, in a 1995 Nissan GT-R, rounding out the podium a further one minute 12 seconds back.

In the RDA Brakes GT4 competition, Trevor Macleod had the highly experienced Steve Glenney calling the notes, and they proved a formidable combination in their 2010 Subaru WRX STI. Others around them faltered, with overnight second placed Barrie Smith and Anthony McLoughlin forced out

TAILOR-MADE PACKAGES TO 40 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

Matt Close left the field in his wake at Targa High Country.

on stage 16 when their Audi TTRS had mechanical issues.

Their bad luck left the door open to Tasmanian Crichton Lewis, who improved on his fifth last year to take second place, two minutes back, with yet another Subaru STI WRX combination, Nathan and Nicholas Stokes, in third.

In the Mansfield Shire GT Sports Trophy, Anthony and Toni Rizzo continued their great form to take their 1977 Subaru WRX STI to victory over the fast finishing James Bullock and Ben Dearlove in a Porsche GT3.

The Porsche pairing started the day in fourth, but charged home to finish one minute 27 seconds behind the Rizzos, with Jordon and Debbie Bridge forced to accept third, having been pipped on the very last stage for second by just 18 seconds.

The combination of Brian and Justin Marshall, in a 2011 Volkswagen Polo GTI, proved too good to lead from start to finish in the TSD Trophy.

Across the final day’s six stages and 125 competitive kilometres, the pair added just 10 penalty points to take their total to 23 across the three days.

O SUIT YOU

Darryl and Peter Marshall, driving a Ford Pursuit Ute, finished second with 33 points, after an exceptional final day which saw them only collect four points. Jeffrey Morton and Jarred Kershaw in a 2006 Lotus Elise finished third with 39 points.

While some competitors will head to Classic Adelaide later this month, the

Day 3 started with sno w on top of Mount Buller.

focus now moves to Targa Tasmania, the mother of all Targa events in Australia, which will get underway in Launceston on April 24 and finish in Hobart on April 29.

Targa North West, based out of Burnie, will be held on February 18 next year.

To advertise in RallySport Magazine call Dominic on 0499 981 188 or email dominic@rallysportmag.com.au NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 41

REPORT: TARGA NEW ZEALAND

INKSTER CLAIMS TARGA NZ TRIFECTA

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lenn Inkster and Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo 8) claimed their third Targa NZ win in a row, crossing the finish line at the end of the four-day/1602km tarmac road rally over five minutes clear of their nearest rivals.

Second place went to 2013 event winners, Martin Dippie and Jona Grant, in a Porsche GT3 RS. Both pairings also claimed class wins, Inkster and Winn in Allcomers 4WD, Dippie and Grant in Modern 2WD. In an event which took a field of 134 from a start in Taupo on Thursday to the finish in Havelock North on Sunday, Inkster and Winn fought back after problems with their car on the first day to dominate the second and the third days.

Former gravel rally star, Chris West and his co-driver Chris Cobham (Mitsubishi Mirage Evo), beat them home on the first day as Inkster struggled with an engine management system issue and traction problems.

But Inkster wrestled back the advantage and was never again headed.

West kept Inkster honest, but late on the third day he slid off the road and his event was over.

The same slippery corner on the second of two Gentle Annie stages also caught out West’s sponsor, Andrew Simms (Mitsubishi Evo 10), and Modern 2WD top three prospect, Brent Early and co-driver Andrew Oakley, in their former event winning Nissan Skyline GT-R34.

Accidents on the final day also put paid to the finishing hopes of Mark

Chris West led early, but then suffered engine problems in his Mirage.

Regan Ross thrilled the crowds in his rear-wheel drive Escort Mk 2.

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Hellier and Glenn Edley (Porsche 911) and Kim McLeod and Ben Quinn (Mazda RX7), the latter pair running in fourth place in the concurrent two-day Targa Regional Rally when they crashed.

Targa Rotorua winners Leigh Hopper and Michael Goudie (Subaru WRX STi) were lucky to get to the finish line, let alone be able to hang on to second in the Allcomers 4WD class, after completing the last three stages of the event without a clutch and running off the road at least once because of this.

Also suffering mechanical problems and ending up back in sixth place overall was five-time event winner Tony Quinn and his co-driver, Naomi Tillett.

Quinn was due to start the event in a new two-wheel-drive Porsche GT3 RS, but was forced to press his well-used Nissan GT-R35 4WD into service when it became obvious that delivery delays meant the Porsche, though landed,

Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn took their third successive Targa NZ victory.

PHOTOS: Fast Company / ProShotz

would not be ready in time.

Quinn and Tillett were never far behind the lighter, more nimble Mitsubishi Evos of Inkster and West early in the event, and were swapping times with the Subaru of Leigh Hopper when the GT-R35 was first slowed, then eventually stopped, by a gearbox issue.

Enjoying a nearly perfect event were standout Classic 2WD class winners Regan Ross and Shaun Howie (Ford Escort RS1800).

A stalwart of the South Island gravel rally scene, Ross topped his class time sheets in 21 of the 25 stages, to beat former class winner and pace-setters, Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand, by more than six minutes and end up fifth overall.

Despite Ross and Howie’s winning margin, there was depth as well as quality in the Classic 2WD class, with a pitched battle for second through sixth places. Kirk-Burnnand was under constant pressure from Bruce Farley (BMW 325i), Ashton Wood in another Escort RS1800, and BMW duos Barry Kirk-Burnnand (M3), and Rex McDonald (325i).

There was also a fascinating battle of the BMWs in the Modern 2WD class, where Steven Kirk-Burnnand (Barry’s son) and co-driver Mick Hay eventually prevailed in their modified 318ti Compact, over Perth-based Kiwi expat Rob Darrington in a M3.

They ended up second and third respectively in class (and fourth and seventh overall) after a three-way battle for second place with the only other driver to take a class stage win other than Martin Dippie, Marcus van Klink, in

his exciting new Mazda RX8.

The concurrent two-day Targa Regional Rally, from Palmerston North to Havelock North, was won by Grant

Aitken and Caroline Cullimore. Second was Graeme and Maree Coley in an Audi RS4, with third going to Jerry Friar and Nick Chibnall-West in a BMW 330ci.

Barry Kirk-Burnnand twowheels his BMW M3.

Marcus van Klink debuted his fire-breathing Mazda RX-8.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 43

CATALUNYA RALLY - WRC 11

OGIER JOINS THE RALLY GREATS Kankkunen, Makinen, Loeb .... Ogier.

Fab Frenchman is now a 4x WRC title winner.

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hirty-two year old Sebastien Ogier clinched his fourth successive World Rally Drivers’ championship title in Spain, the fourth driver in the history of the series to achieve this level of success.

He won the Catalunya Rally, gradually overhauling Hyundai driver Dani Sordo, who gained the lead in very wet conditions at the start of the event, which he held for half the rally. Sordo finished second, the 24th time he has finished runner-up in a WRC event.

The Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy was won by Osian Pryce, after a remarkable series of misfortunes on the final morning for higher positioned drivers elevated the Welsh driver’s hopes to the title.

Ogier retained his title after a first half season crisis, when running order rules made it difficult to win events.

More favourable events strengthened his championship hopes in the second half of the season, though on this event his Volkswagen teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala, was the fastest driver on the rally, winning seven of the 19 stages.

Latvala, however, had missed stages

Sebastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R 3h13m03.6s Dani Sordo, Hyundai NG i20 3h.13m.19.2s Thierry Neuville, Hyundai NG i20 3h.14m.18.6s Hayden Paddon, Hyundai NG i20 3h.14m.31.4 Mads Ostberg, Ford Fiesta RS 3h.16m.28.0s

Fourth place for Hayden Paddon and his Hyundai.

44 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

interest because the Spanish driver, Dani Sordo, was currently in top form.

No Spanish driver had won the event for 25 years, the first time it was held as a WRC qualifying event.

Volkswagen could afford to play a cautious hand, their manufacturer championship hopes depended simply of containing the challenge by Hyundai, while only a remarkable turn of fortune could deny Ogier his drivers’ title on this event.

The pressure from the Hyundais, however, forced two of their drivers into errors – all the team except for Ogier. yundai brought four cars to Spain, for the usual three drivers plus an old 2015 car for their test driver Kevin Abbring. All of them finished in the top seven and all completed the full route.

when he went off the road on the Friday and their fellow VW driver, Andreas Mikkelsen, retired after going off the road. This left Hyundai finishing 2-3-4, while after a relatively technically trouble-free event, Mads Ostberg was fifth in M-Sport’s Fiesta WRC. Catalunya Rally is an unusual event, not only because it has a high proportion of stages on gravel, as well as the majority of stages on asphalt, making this the only truly mixed surface rally in the series, but also because there was one important stage held fully in the darkness for the leading drivers. WRC 3 winner Fabio Andolfi.

Run in the region down the Spanish coast south of Barcelona, it created considerable national

2016 Catalunya Rally, WRC 11 1.

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Story: MARTIN HOLMES

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To the winners, the spoils.

The reliability of these cars, however, was affected as all three of the 2016 specification cars suffered severe understeering problems, which arguably cost Sordo his chance of beating Ogier and winning.

Abbring did not have this trouble, but he suffered coil failure on Day 1 which caused bad misfiring and he dropped out of the top 10 for a while.

After their impressive turn of speed in Finland and Corsica, there were high expectations from the nonchampionship Abu Dhabi Total team Citroens, who this time fielded Kris Meeke and Craig Breen, as well as team patron Khalid Al Qassimi.

Meeke made a few driving mistakes, including a spectacular roll, and finally retired with electrical trouble. Breen had been lying eighth before losing a lot of time with driveshaft failure, though finally he recovered back to finish tenth.

The M-Sport team continued their troubled path through the WRC, and Ostberg suffered an upsetting transmission problem on Day 1.

“I can only attack round right handed corners!” he explained.

The car wanted to change direction unexpectedly, but happily these issues did not seriously delay him. The result was an encouraging fifth place, his best result for almost six months, behind the VWs and Hyundais.

Teammate Eric Camilli was less fortunate, gearbox trouble forcing him to lose stages on Day 2, but there were smiles in M-Sport during the extraordinarily wet opening super special stage on the Thursday evening.

Ott Tanak’s run round the famous Magic Fountain gardens of Barcelona came in between downpours, and the DMack team driver was fastest!

Tanak finished the event sixth overall, while the private Fiesta driver Lorenzo Bertelli was eleventh.

So ended the final time the teams bring out their 2016 specification cars for an asphalt WRC event, and the sport rounds off their current formula with gravel rallies in Britain and Australia.

he race for WRC2 honours continued its circuitous path through the season with competitors trying to maximise their points scoring opportunities by avoiding unnecessary confrontation with rivals.

Points leader, Elfyn Evans, had already competed his maximum available score, but rivals Teemu Suninen, Esapekka Lappi (who was not entered on this event), Jan Kopecky and Pontus Tidemand still retained the chance to increase their points.

Suninen initially led but then had turbo failure, missing four stages and dropping to ninth place in the category.

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His good luck being that many other WRC2 rivals were also being heavily penalised for missing stages. One day later he was lying fifth, and was able to keep his championship hopes alive.

Meanwhile the race was on between the Skoda Motorsport team drivers, Kopecky and Tidemand, who pulled well ahead of the rest of the WRC2 field.

Kopecky was quicker on asphalt, but Tidemand momentarily led at the end of Day 2 when Kopecky punctured.

The Czech driver pulled ahead on Day 3, leaving the Swedish driver in second place. In his case this was not good enough to remain in contention for the title.

The race for the Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy was exciting, of which this was the final round.

Osian Pryce and Max Vatanen were favourites for the title, in which points were earned not only by category finishing positions, but for winning individual special stages. Pryce lost nearly a quarter hour with electrical trouble on Day 1, dropping him to ninth in the category.

All seemed lost. He stayed in that position through Day 2, out of obvious contention. Vatanen’s hopes were mounting, but then on an incredible final morning the fifth, sixth and eighth drivers all had to retire, and Pryce found he had won the title!

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 45

WALES RALLY GB - WRC 12

OGIER BACK IN TOP FORM

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inally the world champion has won a gravel rally this year!

Sebastien Ogier’s win at Wales Rally GB finally ended the running order nightmare which has haunted him, in conditions where tracks which became progressively more slippery actually favoured him.

For another time this year, Ott Tanak found the conditions also completely suited his DMack tyres, notwithstanding his later running order, and on this occasion he scored the most number of overall scratch times.

The Estonian not only scored his second runner-up place of the season, but also his first ever Power Stage win.

Ogier helped Volkswagen forget a nightmare event, in which all their cars had driveshaft troubles, by leading the team to their fourth successive Manufacturers’ title.

Simone Tempestini secured the WRC3 title, leaving WRC2 as the only remaining series to be settled, in which works Skoda drivers fought hard not only to overtake the championship total of Ford driver Elfyn Evans, but also the privateer Skoda driver, Teemu Suninen, to be resolved in Australia.

The category was won by Esapekka Lappi after a dramatic first stage crash which wrecked his car’s aerodynamic wing.

British drivers fared badly: Citroen driver Kris Meeke had a most unhappy event, struggling to finish even fifth, the only British driver to finish in the top 20,

2016 Wales Rally GB, WRC 12 1.

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Sebastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R 3h14m30.2s Ott Tanak, Ford Fiesta RS 3h.14m.40.4s Thierry Neuville, Hyundai NG i20 3h.16m.05.6s Hayden Paddon, Hyundai NG i20 3h.16m.25.1s Kris Meeke, Citroen DS 3h.17m.05.4s

46 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

while Craig Breen retired off the road.

For the final round in Europe, the last time fans will see top drivers in action in the current specification WRC cars, there was a good turnout in the top teams, with the non registered Citroen team even bringing four examples of their DS3 WRC cars.

But for a puncture, Ott Tanak may have won.

There were no technical novelties among the cars and with continued attention to finalising the designs of the 2017 WRC cars, there was very little attention to pre-event testing of the 2016 cars.

Special this year was a change of date, moving from the traditional November date into the warmer and longer daylight of late October, and competitors were pleased to see good conditions during the recce.

This immediately focussed attention on the other major change, the route between tyre changing points, which on Day 2 extended for 100km, an unprecedented distance under current rules.

Drivers wanted to run soft tyres for performance, but would these last the distance in the warmer climate?

Actually they would, because the weather turned the night before the start. It was now wet and foggy!

Someone happy to see the change was the DMack driver Ott Tanak, knowing that his tyres would be splendid on the wet and slippery Welsh roads. Indeed he had already created a shock when he was fastest on the rather softer but dry conditions at Shakedown.

There was to be only one rival for Tanak for whom the conditions were also well suited. The recently crowned world champion Sebastien Ogier. He was happy as it was probably one of the few occasions during the season when running first car on gravel roads was an advantage.

As the tracks became damp the slimy roads got more and more slippery with passing cars. Except for Tanak, who found the conditions gave his DMack tyres an even greater advantage!

So it was that Ogier set off on another rally, this time leading Tanak from start to finish. Tanak lost touch when he dropped about a quarter minute with a puncture late on Friday afternoon, after which Ogier was in full control.

Tanak ended up with 12 fastest stage times against seven for Ogier, an impressive confirmation of the speed of these tyres, as shown in Poland and Finland.

Volkswagen were in for a rally of stress, when all three cars suffered various forms of driveshaft failure. In the case of the champion it came just before the end of the final stage of the day. How about that for luck!

This offered a lot more hope for the Hyundais, who ended up with three cars in the top six places, while Ostberg’s Fiesta was struggling to keep up with Hyundai’s Sordo.

While Mikkelsen suffered bad time

The World Champion took his first win on gravel this year.

Skoda again dominated the WRC 2 category with its Fabias.

Thierry Neuville was the first of three Hyundais in the top six.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 47

WALES RALLY GB - WRC 12 Kevin Abbring’s Hyundai R5 had a troubled event.

loss with his VW transmission trouble, Latvala was still able to join the top 10 cars, eventually overtaking Ostberg into seventh place by the finish.

The top 10 ended up with Stephane Lefebvre ninth on his first event since his Germany crash, and Camilli 10th.

There were 19 competitors in WRC2, but sadly the British national champion, Elfyn Evans, was not among them.

Best WRC2 driver at Shakedown was Suninen, but it was Lappi who soon passed into the lead, despite damaging the rear of the car and particularly the rear aileron on his Skoda on the opening stage, a major handicap on the fast Welsh stages.

Suninen continued in second place until the final stage, when he was pipped by Tidemand.

Tidemand was up to third behind Lappi and Suninen midway through Day 1.

Although Tidemand had already lost his own chance of the WRC2 title, he was in the position to support Lappi in his title race by reducing the points that Suninen could achieve. Team tactics!

Tidemand started the final day 12.3 seconds behind Suninen. After the first loop the gap was down to 4.8 seconds and finally he snatched second place on the PowerStage.

Standings in the series now saw Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen equal not only on points, but also on the number of wins, second, third and fourth places 48 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

gained during the season.

Hopes lay with Lappi finishing first or second in Australia to secure the title without the need to consider the rule book further, at least for who takes the title!

Kevin Abbring had another rally in the official NG i20 R5 entry but had to stop on all three days having slid into a ditch, then had transmission trouble, and on the final day off the road avoiding a rock.

Four drivers were still able to win Quentin Gilbert, Citroen DS3 WRC.

the WRC3 series, two of them were in Wales. These were the current leader Simone Tempestini, the veteran Michel Fabre, and Sebastien Loeb’s protégé Terry Folb (non starter), while the Peugeot driver Fabio Andolfi stayed at home.

The winner of the associated Junior World Rally Championship series, for which Wales was the final qualifying round, was decided in favour of Simone Tempestini.

- MARTIN HOLMES

HAYDEN PADDON COLUMN

MORE PROGRESS FOR PADDON A

nother rally and another close run for the podium, but we eventually had to settle for fourth at Wales Rally GB. While the result is nothing to turn my nose up at, naturally when you’re close to the podium, there will always be a little frustration. But we will use that as fuel for the next round to go even faster!

This is a rally that has never played to my strengths. After seeing the roads in recce, every year we love the Paddon’s speed continues to look of the stages - fast, flowing and improve with each outing. almost NZ-like in places.

But the deal breaker is once you in the championship. Who would have thought at the start start the rally of the year that we would be fighting for third in the drivers and get a feel championship in only our second full year in the WRC? for the grip, The work has already begun to prepare better than ever for it feels like Australia. Naturally I have been looking forward to the rally driving on all year, which will be made even more special for the fact we ice in places. will have over 100 guests that we will be hosting and have Especially on supporting us. the second A huge thanks for everyone’s continued support. It may not pass when seem like it (especially after the Argentina result earlier this the road year), but we are still making progress with every rally and surface continuing to make sure we do make steps forward. becomes We will continue that moving forward for 2017. ‘polished’, which means - Hayden the tyres and car have nothing to grip onto.

While conditions were still wet and muddy this year, there was virtually no rain. Almost against the laws of physics, the roads were more slippery with no rain.

At least when it rains the roads become more muddy and gives you something to ‘dig’ into and find some grip. This year, the hard base roads had very little of a layer of anything on top of the rock base, meaning there was nothing to extract grip from.

I spoke a lot over the weekend about how these conditions did not suit my driving style and the general reason for this is the lack of grip. My natural style is to slide the car more on the entry of the corner, to get a straight exit - but doing that here meant the rear would then become unbalanced, lose even more grip and lose all corner speed.

For the final day we tried a smoother style that, while it didn’t show anything in the times, will give us important info for next year.

It is important we learn from this year and become more adaptable so that I can increase my ‘window of performance’.

At the moment that window is too limited.

But it’s not all negative. We were much more competitive ! this year compared to last (last year finishing three minutes behind Ogier, this year less than two), and we were pushing our team mate, Thierry, all the way for the podium (who always goes well here).

We also keep our fourth in the championship, which gives us a good road position for Australia, while closing the gap to third by just three points. Australia will not only be a battle ! for the rally result, but it’s now a straight out fight for third

WRC TECHNOLOGY SUSPENSION

FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 49

REPORT: MALAYSIAN RALLY, APRC

FIFTH WIN GIVES GILL APRC TITLE Story: MARTIN HOLMES

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ndian MRF team driver, Gaurav Gill, clinched the FIA’s Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title for the second time when he won the very hot Malaysian Rally, held around Johor Bahru, near Singapore.

It was the fifth successive time a Skoda driver has been champion, and Gill’s fifth consecutive win this season, after victories in New Zealand, Australia, China and Japan.

Second overall was the nonhomologated Swedish Mitsubishi Mirage running under special local rules, driven by Jari Ketomaa.

Gill’s teammate, Fabian Kreim, stopped on the first day with gearbox troubles.

Michael Young was lying second at the end of Day 1, but on the first stage

Jari Ketomaa took second in his Mitsubishi Mirage.

50 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

of Day 2 he went off the road and his Subaru was stuck in a drainage ditch.

Two fellow Subaru drivers stopped and tried to retrieve the car, but were unsuccessful.

The heat affected many drivers.

Japanese driver Makoto Kawahara collapsed. Ketomaa said it was almost impossible to breathe inside the car and the gear lever was too hold to touch.

“It was for me the toughest rally I ever did,” he said. “On Day 1 we spent two hours on the stages in these conditions.

The stages are so slow that air does not

pass through the car.”

One APRC rally remains (India), in which the co-driver’s title will be decided.

Currently, Australian Glenn Macneall is in the best position to be claimed champion, having missed one round due to European commitments.

2016 Malaysian Rally results:

1. Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall, Skoda Fabia R5, 2h48m12.5s 2. Jari Ketomaa / Mikko Lukka, Mitsubishi Mirage, 2:57:32.7 3. Yuya Sumiyama / Takahiro Yasui,

Five wins from five events for Indian star, Gaurav Gill.

Subaru Impreza WRX, 3:06:23.8 4. Sanjay Takale / Noriko Takeshita, Subaru Impreza WRX, 3:19:58.2 5. Fabian Kreim / Frank Christian, Skoda Fabia R5, 5:47:45.3

Kiwi Mike Young’s event ended in a deep ditch.

New German champion Fabian Kreim.

TENNIS STAR’S BIG CRASH David Nalbandian, the former world class tennis player turned Argentine championship rally driver, had a spectacular accident on the penultimate stage of the Entre Rios Rally, the second last round of this year’s series.

Nalbandian lost control of his Chevrolet Agile Maxi Rally on a jump over a cross roads when lying seventh overall.

The event was won by the Fiesta Maxi Rally of Federico Villagra, beating Agile team leader Marcos Ligato.

Ligato has already won the championship with one round to go.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 51

HOLMES COLUMN HOLMES

INSIDE LINE

VW OUT ... FOR NOW

Story: MARTIN HOLMES

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was not surprised that Volkswagen decided to end their WRC campaign.

Every promotional campaign has an exponentially diminishing value the longer it runs, even if it is successful.

However, it was very sad that they chose to do it in such a sudden fashion, in a way and with timing that paid no attention to the collateral damage it would cause to the sport, which they had tirelessly served for years.

Why it all happened in this way is puzzling. While the future of VW’s motorsport programme had been in constant public debate from the moment when the financial enormity aspect of ‘Dieselgate’ became apparent, right up to the Board’s decision, there had been no indication this would happen.

There had been the decision that Audi should stop their World Endurance Championship programme, but that was different. There was a clear financial duplication with the Audi and Porsche programmes.

There had been a recent change of the position of VW Competition Director, but the impending move by

52 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

Jost Capito to McLaren had been known a long time earlier.

There had been no warning signs that the WRC rally programme would end. No sign that anyone involved with the team was any the wiser.

Official announcements like that issued by VW on November 2 are very carefully prepared documents, saying exactly what the company wants you to know, omitting what it does not want known.

The real message was in the heading. “New technologies and customer support activities get top priority”.

This is interesting, considering that rallying’s non connection with ‘new technologies’ has long been cited by Japanese manufacturers as the reason why other active participation in other motorsport disciples have been preferred. ow, suddenly, it is a European company – and the biggest one at that – which is talking about this.

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It will take a long time for the dust to settle after the VW decision, and many innocent people will suffer as a result while it happens, but the official VW communiqué offers new and exciting light down the tunnel.

And I am also wondering why the word “top” was used. What else is in the pipeline? Rallying hasn’t seen the back of VW yet.

Far from it.

Any unlikely situation that in theory could just happen is sure to happen in motorsport.

Look again at the situation after Wales Rally GB in WRC2 where there is a tie for the lead in the series, with one round to go.

Teemu Suninen and Elfyn Evans are equal on points and both have entered

the maximum permitted number of times. A third driver, Esapekka Lappi, can and will enter the final round, and if he finishes first or second in WRC2, he will surpass the total points of both Suninen and Evans and become champion.

But what happens if he does not? Tie deciding rules will have to be applied.

The primary rule (10.1.1) looks to the greater number of category wins, then the category seconds, etc. until a winner is found. No such luck! Both have scored three wins, one second, one third and one fourth.

On to the next tie decider.

Championship sporting relation rule 10.1.2 states: “According to the greater number of highest places achieved in the final classifications on their respective Championship, counting only those rallies in which each of the drivers and co-drivers concerned have taken part”.

What does that mean? So on to the tie-tie-decider rule 10.1.3, which says: “the FIA itself will decide the winner and decide between any other tying drivers and co-drivers, on the basis of whatever other considerations it thinks appropriate”.

Clearly the problem lies with the word “each” in 10.1.2. The word “both” was what the FIA had intended and if the rule said that it would have saved all the argument.

Suninen and Evans met each other three times in 2016. In Portugal Evans finished higher, albeit in an out of point scoring position; on the second and third occasions (Poland and Finland) Suninen beat Evans. Two scores to one means Suninen will be the champion if Lappi misses out in Australia.

Is this all storm in a teacup? We wait to find out.

RC2 may sound like a second division in the sport, but it is still first division when it comes to professional strategies.

Skoda boldly supported their three team drivers Lappi, Pontus Tidemand and Jan Kopecky as equal challengers for the championship, giving each of them different programmes, but an equal number of events, so as to reduce the number of occasions they would have to fight unfairly against each other.

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Pontus was the first of the three to lose a chance of title, but still went to WRGB where he carried out his team responsibilities to perfection by pipping Suninen on the final stage into second place, behind Lappi, reducing Suninen’s chances of beating Lappi to the title.

But what is happening here? Why was it important for one Skoda driver not to beat another? If the company funded a works team to challenge for the title, it would have been seen as bad strategy if a customer team could have done this on their own.

Then came the decision to cancel the entry for Jan Kopecky in Australia.

There was no championship rival on that event whose championship endeavours could be spoiled by Kopecky, therefore no need for Jan to

go on the rally.

The only person whose championship chances that Kopecky’s presence could spoil was Lappi’s. As the Mafia hitmen could have said: “Stay at home, it’s nothing personal, it’s only business”.

And while we are talking about Skoda, the VW communiqué threw out the promise that their otherwise redundant motorsport staff were to set about the development of an R5 version Polo for supply to customers in 2018, when the next model Polo is to go on sale.

One week the group stops the direct competition between Audi and Porsche, the next week they introduce VW into a realm where their Skoda associates are supreme. Curious days.

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he world of WRC3 hardly gets a mention these days, although it is one of the four major WRC divisions.

The subject came to my mind when a media colleague inferred a curiosity that Michel Fabre should be able to challenge for a title as his pace was well short of other top contenders.

The observation raised the required

ingredients for being a champion.

Speed is not the primary name of the rally game. The real game is winning.

The skill is finding what wins are achievable.

Don’t forget the historic essence of rally sport is regularity and complying with rules. A rally is defined as a “competition in which automobiles are driven over public roads and under normal traffic regulations, but with specified rules as to speed, time, and route”.

Years ago, Rauno Aaltonen told me he persuaded BMC to give him a Mini instead of powerful car like a Healey.

He explained that road sections were traditionally a more fundamental aspect of the sport than stages. Before road books became compulsory, recce concentrated on finding the intended

route for the road sections, and there was insufficient time to recce the stages as well.

A Mini was chosen because it was more suitable for tackling special stages without pacenotes.

Back to today. Fabre is over 60 years old. His formative rallying days were likely to have been during Aaltonen’s heyday. Fabre represents the essence of rallying, where speed is not everything, where spotting opportunities is everything.

The late Richard Burns told me that his greatest regret when winning the world title in 2001 was the NZ Rally that year. He had hoped to be champion by regular consistency, but his win in NZ spoiled that ambition.

Fangio said the art of motor racing was winning at the slowest possible speed, conserving, not wrecking your car in the process.

If you have the chance to watch Rally Australia this year, hang around to cheer on Fabre, who is planning the trip down under even if his title chances disappeared at Wales Rally GB. For him rallying is not a business, it’s personal!

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 53

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54 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

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NEWS

ABBLITT TAKES TASSIE TITLE

T

he North-West coast Tasmanian crew of Keith Abblitt and Adrian Hodgetts are the 2016 TRS champions after finishing second in both heats of the LWR Mountain Stages Rally which was run in the forests around Mathinna.

TRS round4Driving their Subaru WRX STi, the team were no match for the flying Eddie Maguire/Michael Potter Evo 9 Mitsubishi which won both heats by a comfortable margin elevating them to second outright in the series.

Going into the round only two points separated the top three teams but series leaders Lee Peterson/Daniel Willson went out on stage four with gearbox failure in the Nissan Sunny GTi and the Marcus and Scott Walkem Evo 9 Mitsubishi was a non starter so Abblitt/ Hodgetts, who were third going into the event, just needed a consistent run.

While Maguire/Potter set a blistering pace to win nine of the ten stages, the Subaru team were content to stay out of trouble and focus on the series win.

A remarkable third place in both heats went to the Toyota Sprinter of

Kade Barrett and Mitch Newton which put in some staggering times for a two wheel drive car which is normally driven

by Kade’s father, Peter.

2015 series champions Craig Brooks and Reubecca Sheldrick in the Subaru WRX STi, looked set to provide a challenge to the Maguire/Potter team

in the early stages but it all came to nothing with gear selection problems on stage four and they were forced out.

While there were no incidents, the event proved to be tough on the cars with eight of the 23 car field not getting to the finish.

- BARRY OLIVER

Keith Abblitt is the new Tassie champion: Photo: Jarrod Leonard

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 55

RETROSPECTIVE

WOULD YOU BELIEVE? Jeff Whitten looks back on some of rallying’s lighter moments

BUILDING A BETTER RAT TRAP

I

n the 1955 Redex Round Australia Reliability Trial, an entry from an AW Standfield meant very little amongst the 175 other starters who had entered for this rugged 10,500 mile endurance event.

Advertising on cars entered for motorsport, once forbidden by CAMS, was common and most competitors were happy to spell out their sponsor’s name on the panels of their car to help finance the big drive around the country.

In last month’s issue of RallySport Mag we described how Ford had support from Colibri cigarette lighters in the 1974 RAC Rally of Great Britain, and gave out thousands of lighters at

The ‘Supreme Rat Traps’ Vanguard stuck in a bog in the 1955 Redex Trial.

56 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

spectator points, service breaks and rally forums.

It wasn’t the most generous of financial support (cash would have been far better), but at least it got the sponsor’s name before the public.

Unique, yes, but giveaways had been done before.

Standfield manufactured rat traps under the “Supreme” brand, which was recognised as the leading mouse and rat trap manufacturer in Australia, turning out 44,000 traps per week.

Since 1944, when the company was established, the family business had sold more than 64 million mouse traps.

Obviously the business knew a thing or two about marketing (as did Colibri), and 54-year old Wes Standfield, the company’s CEO, decided to take the opportunity to promote his business even further.

With his sons Ron and David as crew

members, they packed their 1953 Standard Vanguard sedan, resplendent in “Supreme Rat Trap” stickers, not with just the spare parts that the Vanguard would possibly need on their long and arduous journey around Australia, but with thousands of giveaways in the form of – you guessed it – rat traps.

By the time the Redex Trial was over, the Supreme name was displayed all around the country, sales went through the roof, and rat and mice numbers tumbled.

It was a great bit of marketing that proves the point that sponsorship can come in almost any form.

PULL OVER DRIVER

O

ne of Australia’s foremost navigators of the 60s, 70s and 80s was John Bryson, a somewhat eccentric all-round driver and navigator

Italy’s Alex Fiorio pushes his Lancia Delta hard on the ‘Rollercoaster’ stage at Rally Australia in 1989.

Photo: Peter Whitten

who was able to get out of almost any difficult situation.

In his book “A Bootful of Right Arms”, the legendary Evan Green tells of one incident from Bryson’s long rallying career, and which he swears is true.

The story goes that Bryson and his driver were competing in a rally on a shire road somewhere when a stone broke their windscreen.

They were driving on a tight time schedule when a farmer in a truck pulled out of a paddock and slowly drove down the road in front of them.

The road was narrow and the farmer, being a typical bush motorist, was reluctant to glance in his rear view mirror, with the result that he blocked the road and prevented the rally car from passing.

With the windscreen missing, dust and stones were pelting into the cabin, and tooting the horn and flashing of headlights had no effect.

After many fruitless attempts to get the farmer to pull over, Bryson instructed his driver to pull up as close as possible behind the slow-moving truck, whereupon he climbed out the hole where the windscreen had once been, and on to the car’s bonnet.

He then leaped onto the tray of the truck and stuck his head through the driver’s window.

“Excuse me,” he said. “We’re in a rally and short of time. Would you mind pulling over and letting us pass?”

The startled farmer obeyed and with

that Bryson jumped off the truck, got back into the car and took off, leaving a startled farmer to wonder where the speeding rally car had come from.

JUMPING THE START

W

hen you’re performing on the world stage you want everything to go right so that you leave a good impression. That’s a good philosophy, right?

Back in 1989, RallySport Magazine almost shed a tear when we witnessed a gut-tearing mistake from a competitor in that year’s Commonwealth Bank Rally Australia.

The 1989 event, like most rounds of the World Rally Championship at that time, had attracted quite a few Malaysian crews, of which Francis Cheung from Hong Kong was one.

Cheung and his co-driver Danny Wong had spent a considerable amount of money on preparing their Subaru RX Turbo, shipping it to Australia and finetuning it for an assault on the big event – you can appreciate what an entry in this caliber of event costs.

In due course the big day came around and Cheung and Wong lined up for the “off”, which was a Super Special around Fremantle’s Richmond Raceway trotting track.

As car 51 of the 67-car field, the duo were naturally all fired up to attack the first stage, watched by thousands of spectators, and although the stage ran

in reverse seeded order, they still had plenty of time to watch the proceedings before their turn came around.

However, things didn’t quite go to plan. Competitors were required to drive up onto a big wooden start ramp where they were flagged off by Western Australian Premier, Peter Dowding, to the cheers of the crowd.

But this flagging-off was not the start of the first competitive - they were required to slowly drive off the ramp and stop at the start control timing marker 20 metres further on, on the Raceway’s shell grit track surface.

But with a rush of blood to the head, poor old Cheung was more interested in waving to the crowd and putting on a show.

He floored the accelerator and charged off the ramp with a squeal of tyres and a big roar, totally ignoring the timing marker at which they were required to stop, and took off on the first stage.

You can imagine what happened next – our hapless crew had taken off before the officials had time to count them down, so no time was recorded.

Sadly they were immediately disqualified and spent the next three days of the event as spectators instead of competitors. It was one hell of a mistake, and rumour has it that their service crew and supporters were none too pleased – all that time and effort, only to be disqualified even before the start.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 57

REPORT: AKADEMOS RALLY, VRC

WINDUS SHOWS HIS CLASS

Different car, same result. Darren Windus was in fine form again.

Story: CRAIG O’BRIEN

D Above: Luke Sytema slides his Escort, while Arron Windus and Joe Brick listen intently at the pre-event briefing.

Photos: RedMAGAZINE Bull Content Pool | RALLYSPORT 58 - NOVEMBER 2016

Photos: JOHN DOUTCH

arren Windus took another step closer to defending his Victorian Rally Championship with victory at the MRF Tyres Akademos Rally on October 16, ahead of Glen Raymond (Subaru).

In a season plagued by cancellations and wet weather, a field of 45 crews set out under clear skies from the picturesque Alexandra township to take on three stages, repeated twice, for a total competitive distance of 100km.

Following the sale of one of the team’s Subarus, Windus opted to lease Irishman Charlie Drake’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X for this round, with Bernie Webb calling the notes.

A change in manufacturer and co-driver did little to change the status quo of proceding events, with Windus going fastest on the opening stage, four seconds clear of an impressive Glen Raymond, on his first competitive outing in a 4WD since winning Rally Victoria in 2010.

The Mackenzie brothers, Steven and Brent, were an impressive third in their G2 Fiesta and leading 2WD. However, drama would soon follow with defending Akademos winners, Arron Windus/Joe Brick (broken differential), Andrew Pannam/Tim Batten (suspected blown turbo), and 2011 champions Warren Lee/David Lethlean (gearbox) all retiring.

The short liaisons between stages caused brake dramas for Darren

Windus on SS2 when the brake pedal went to the floor, dropping the stage to Raymond, who also encountered his own problems with a fuel surge.

Benefiting from the issues of those in front were the Mackenzies who recorded a stage win on SS3.

Heading into heat two, a mere 12 seconds covered Raymond, Mackenzie and Windus, but the order would soon change when the front differential on Raymond’s car failed, leaving him to fight spectacularly in rear wheel drive.

Mackenzie too had problems when he dropped five minutes

Stephen Eccles, Hyundai Excel.

with a flat tyre, leaving Windus with enough margin to claim the win, despite his brake problems reoccurring on the final stage.

A faultless drive from Michael Conway/Jenny Cole in their Escort netted them the final step onbroke the the Sloan Cox podium. stage record, but had give best to Matt Tod Reed/Williamto Murphy

Summerfield in the final.

.

(Mitsubishi) were fourth in their only appearance for the year, Tony Moore/ Simon Rowland (Ford) fifth, with Luke Sytema and Simon Evans (Ford) rounding out of the top six.

Aiming to clinch the Our Auto Rally Series for Hyundai Excels, series leader

Stephen Eccles/Simon Pilepich were struck a cruel blow on SS3 when a brake component failed, sending them off the road.

Fortunately the crew escaped unharmed, but the same cannot be said for the car, which suffered significant

damage.

Luca Giacomin/Brett Williams eventually came out on top to win in a tight battle over Joel Perkins/Tom Brennan.

Mike Conway, Ford Escort.

Ben Hayes, Datsun Bluebird.

M S R F O E U S S I DON’T MISS AN

Corolla or Clio? Gravel or tarmac? Richard Fung has a difficult choice.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 59

LATEST PRODUCTS

VIP Tracker provides cost-effective peace of mind

I

f you need to keep track of your rally car, service vehicle, or even your partner (!), then RallySport Magazine advertiser VIP Tracker are just what you’re looking for.

The founder and Director, Craig Morris, is a long-time rally competitor and has been in the motor industry 40 years.

He understands the emotional devotion enthusiasts have to their most prized possessions, and when one of them is stolen, the distress can be overwhelming.

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“Our VIP3000 GPS Tracker is very popular for all vehicles with 6 – 24 volt systems,” Morris says.

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There are no tracking fees or ongoing contracts when you purchase a VIP Tracker - you simply insert the FREE Vodafone Red PAYG SIM card supplied, activate it with CMobile, and you do the tracking yourself.

Don’t leave it until your rally car has been stolen – protect it now with a VIP Tracker. You can purchase online at www.viptracker.com.au or by calling 1300 76 00 54.

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ut an end to searching for tools while you’re crawling around under the rally car in the mud or dust.

Chicane’s tool wrap, has been designed in conjunction with New Zealand’s leading rally mechanics and is tough and durable.

It features loads of pockets, room for a torque wrench, your mobile phone, notes, sockets, crowbars and lots more.

Made in New Zealand, the tool wrap retails for NZ$138, and is available from www.chicane.co.nz

60 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

AP4 REGS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS

T

he Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and MotorSport New Zealand are continuing their discussions about ensuring that the shared regulations for AP4 rally cars stay aligned in both countries.

Australian Rally Commission (ARCom) chairman, Col Trinder, told RallySport Magazine that they have been approached by New Zealand about making some changes to the regulations to take into account the lessons learned over the last 18 months, and dealing with cars being constructed to the AP4 regulations.

Trinder explains: “In response, ARCom appointed a technical group made up of teams, scrutineers and engineers to consider the NZ proposals and we tossed in a few ideas of our own. These have been discussed with NZ representatives over the past month or so.

“Many of these points are of a relatively minor technical nature and are rightly focused on containing construction and operating costs (e.g. brake rotor sizes, a few cc’s of engine capacity, chassis weight, piston weight, etc.).

“The problem we face is that we have to balance the philosophy underpinning the development of the AP4 category – which was to facilitate the construction of locally built cars that have a similar level of performance to FIA R5 (but not exceed that benchmark) – with the desire to make the cars as cheap as possible to build and own.

“Some of the proposals put by NZ move some of the technical aspects slightly to the right of what we consider is appropriate for the R5 benchmark.

While we are not welded on to every element of R5 as fixed in perpetuity, our position has been that there has to be a good business case demonstrating an overall cost saving for competitors if we are going to adopt a more liberal specification than what is permitted on an R5 car.

“So some minor tweaks have been agreed, some are being considered, others have not been accepted.

“An area where no resolution could be reached was the NZ proposal to amend the regs to provide for a type pattern chassis that conforms to a single design – in essence a control chassis.

“NZ propose the chassis developed in NZ by Andrew Hawkeswood at Force Motorsport NZ. Force has done a great job, being the first to design and build

Australia and New Zealand are still working closely to ensure the AP4 regulations are aligned in both countries. PHOTO: Geoff Ridder.

AP4 east/west-engined cars for NZ, with nine cars now completed or planned.

“The problem we have with that approach is that none of our Australian teams or engineers have been involved in the development of that car design, and this was not really the model for the category that we had in mind when the regulations were first drafted.

“Our view is that we want our Australian teams to be able to use the same regulations as Force Motorsport, to be able to develop their own chassis within the template provided for in the AP4 regulations (this is more like the FIA approach to R5).

“In NZ their concept may well have merit, and there may even be cost efficiencies in common parts, but we see the approach as potentially risky, possibly slowing the evolution of the AP4 design and making it potentially more difficult to get the category widely accepted both here and in Asia.

“Given more time, I’m sure we can work our way through this with NZ, but we also need to confirm the AP4 regulations here so people can start cutting steel. There have been a number of constructors who have applied to build cars in Australia for next year, and they want to get on with it.

“Since we don’t think it is sensible to unilaterally make changes to the regulations moving away from R5, unless both Australia and NZ agree ARCom has not recommended changes to the existing regulations at this point, except on those issues where both countries are in full agreement.

“Discussions at the philosophical and operational level about the future direction for the category are still continuing with NZ, at the highest levels,” Trinder said.

To download the current AP4 regulations CLICK HERE. NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 61

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Steve Mackenzie put in a brilliant drive in the Akademos Rally, setting fastest times in his front-wheel drive Ford Fiesta.

Photo: John Doutch

62 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 63

NEXT MONTH IN RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE

OGIER GETS HIS WAY WITH START ORDER

Sebastien Loeb seems to have got his way, with changes to the running order expected in 2017.

I

t has been reported that the FIA World Rally Championship Commission support Sebastien Ogier’s call for a change in the starting order rule in 2017, as well as increasing the points issued from the Power Stage.

The World Rally Championship Commission is to ask the World Council to use reverse order seeding on Day 2 of WRC events, rather than only on Day 3, as has been the case in 2016.

Insiders consider the current rules have been the basis to the wide variety of different winners on 2016 WRC events, and that these proposals will serve simply to strengthen the monopoly of Ogier - assuming he finds a competitive car to drive next year.

- MARTIN HOLMES

NEXT ISSUE

Full Rally Australia wrap

WRC driver line-ups: where will Ogier drive?

WE DRIVE ONE OF THE NEW ONE-MAKE FIESTAS IN VICTORIA

AVAILABLE DECEMBER 15 at www.rallysportmag.com.au or www.issuu.com

64 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

w e i v e r p a i l a r t s u A 2016 Rally

THE LAST HURRAH Can Paddon upset the World Champions?

DRIVER PROFILES - FULL ENTRY LIST RALLY AUSTRALIA MEMORIES - OGIER FEATURE 2 R A L L Y G U ID E

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 65

RALLY AUSTRALIA PREVIEW

LOCAL BONANZA T

he biggest field in the event’s east coast history will start Kennards Hire Rally Australia on November 18.

Fifty-five Australian competitors are spread throughout the WRC, Australian Rally Championship and NSW Rally Championship fields, with the season-ending date on the calendar seemingly helping to increase entry numbers.

The fight for the Kumho Tyre Australian Rally Championship may not receive the media attention that the WRC event receives, but among the rallying faithful it will be just as keenly observed.

Simon Evans, Harry Bates and Molly Taylor are all eager to win the country’s ultimate rallying prize, and with only six points separating them, it will be the driver who has the most consistent event who will likely spray the victory champagne.

Bates and Taylor will run among the WRC field, but Evans has chosen to enter only

the ARC component of the rally, meaning that he will start the first day 15 cars behind Molly Taylor.

As car one in the ARC field, Evans will have a five minute gap between the last car in the WRC field and himself, so if the stages are dry and dusty, it could really work to his advantage.

However, should the event be hit with wet conditions, then his decision could well come back to haunt him.

The entry list includes a wide variety of four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive cars, highlighting the current high level of interest in the sport in Australia, as well as the desire for many to compete in a world championship event.

A competitive field in the NSW Rally Championship component will also ensure that spectators attending Rally Australia will be presented with three days of high octane rally action.

- PETER WHITTEN

PADDON’S H

ayden Paddon will be going all out for his second WRC victory when Kennards Hire Rally Australia gets underway on November 18, with a near perfect road position set to aid his attack.

The Hyundai i20 driver will start the event fourth on the road, and while he’ll have a top three finish in the 2017 WRC in his mind, it will be victory at Rally Australia that drives him the most.

But standing in the New Zealander’s way will be three Volkswagen drivers, all desperate to win the team’s last official event before the team withdraws from the championship.

Four-time World Champion, Sebastien Ogier, has won Rally Australia for the past three years, so betting against the Frenchman will be a brave call. However, having to run first car on the road for the first two days of the rally will severely disadvantage him, particularly if the current dry spell around Coffs Harbour continues.

His team-mates, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen, are currently team-less for 2017, and while there may well be contracts ready to be signed with other teams, they’ll both be eager to impress.

Paddon’s Hyundai team-mates, Thierry Neuville and

D fe d n th

e n

p m c

it th

H s tr

o te A

RALLY AUSTRALIA - HALL OF FAME 2015

Sebastien Ogier

Julien Ingrassia

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2014

Sebastien Ogier

Julien Ingrassia

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2013

Sebastien Ogier

Julien Ingrassia

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2011

Mikko Hirvonen

Jarmo Lehtinen

Ford Focus RS WRC

2009

Mikko Hirvonen

Jarmo Lehtinen

Ford Focus RS WRC

2006

Mikko Hirvonen

Jarmo Lehtinen

Ford Focus RS WRC

2005

Francois Duval

Sven Smeets

Citroen Xsara WRC

2004

Sebastien Loeb

Daniel Elena

Citroen Xsara WRC

2003

Petter Solberg

Phil Mills

Subaru Impreza WRC

2002

Marcus Gronholm

Timo Rautiainen

Peugeot 206 WRC

2001

Marcus Gronholm

Timo Rautiainen

Peugeot 206 WRC

2000

Marcus Gronholm

Timo Rautiainen

Peugeot 206 WRC

1999

Richard Burns

Robert Reid

Subaru Impreza WRC

1998

Tommi Makinen

Risto Mannisenmaki

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V

1997

Colin McRae

Nicky Grist

Subaru Impreza WRC

1996

Tommi Makinen

Seppo Harjanne

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III

1995

Kenneth Eriksson

Staffan Parmander

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III

1994

Colin McRae

Derek Ringer

Subaru Impreza 555

1993

Juha Kankkunen

Nicky Grist

Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185

1992

Didier Auriol

Bernard Occelli

Lancia Delta HF Integrale

1991

Juha Kankkunen

Juha Piironen

Lancia Delta Integrale 16V

1990

Juha Kankkunen

Juha Piironen

Lancia Delta Integrale 16V

1989

Juha Kankkunen

Juha Piironen

Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165

1988

Ingvar Carlsson

Per Carlsson

Mazda 323 4WD

66 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

CLICK HERE for spectator l

S BIG PUSH

Dani Sordo, look to be the only other drivers likely to eature in the podium celebrations, as the M-Sport drivers, Mads Ostberg and Eric Camilli, have shown nothing of late to suggest they’ll be dark horses once the hree-day event begins.

Being held two months later than ever before on the east coast, this year’s Rally Australia will throw up a number of new challenges for the world’s best drivers.

While many of the stages remain the same as in previous years, the warmer and drier conditions will make road sweeping a real factor, and tyre wear a critical component.

Saturday’s 50km Nambucca stage will be a huge test if t remains dry, and conserving tyres for the duration of he stage will be a skill in itself.

On the other hand, November can be wet in Coffs Harbour, and afternoon thunderstorms could really spice up the leaderboard and make road conditions reacherous for everyone.

With 19 stages and 313km of competitive driving on offer, a Kiwi desperate for a ‘home’ victory, and a VW eam wanting to go out on top, the 2016 edition of Rally Australia could go down in history as the best yet.

locations and maps

LAPPI SET FOR WRC2 CROWN Esapekka Lappi will be Skoda Motorsport’s sole entry in Rally Australia after Skoda withdrew Jan Kopecky’s entry.

Lappi is lying third in the series, 13 points behind Skoda private team driver Teemu Suninen, and Ford driver Elfyn Evans.

The FIA has already stated that the title would go to Suninen unless Lappi finishes first or second in the category

in Australia.

It would be more fitting for Skoda if a works driver, rather than a private Skoda team driver, took the title.

This will be Skoda Motorsport’s first official entry in the Coffs Harbour-based event, after the team appeared several times in the Perthbased Rally Australia, with drivers such as Colin McRae, and Didier Auriol.

TOUR GUESTS IN FOR A TREAT Passionate rally fans will get the best seat in the house as part of the sold out RallySport Magazine Official Rally Australia Spectator Tour.

Armed with cameras, GoPros and flags, the 40-strong crowd will be escorted around the stages by RallySport Mag representatives to the best viewing locations Kennards Hire Rally Australia has to offer.

These like-minded rally enthusiasts will see a minimum of several spectator locations per day as the New South

Wales countryside welcomes the world’s best teams, drivers and cars.

Shakedown, the pre-event rally show, grandstand seating and the end of rally podium presentation are also included in the package.

Guests will also visit a number of exclusive viewing locations across the four days of action – something the general spectators don’t have access to. It promises to be a fantastic weekend.

- LUKE WHITTEN NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 67

M-SPORT

HYUNDAI

VOLKSWAGEN

WRC DRIVER PROFILES

Sebastien Ogier

Jari Matti Latvala

Andreas Mikkelsen

Name: Sebastien Ogier Co-Driver: Julian Ingrassia Nationality: French Car #: 1 DOB: December 17, 1983 WRC Starts: 109 WRC Wins: 38 WRC Podiums: 55

Name: Jari-Matti Latvala Co-Driver: Mikka Anttila Nationality: Finnish Car #: 2 DOB: April 3, 1985 WRC Starts: 168 WRC Wins: 16 WRC Podiums: 57

Name: Andreas Mikkelsen Co-Driver: Anders Jæger Nationality: Norwegian Car #: 9 DOB: June 22, 1989 WRC Starts: 76 WRC Wins: 2 WRC Podiums: 19

Theirry Neuville

Hayden Paddon

Dani Sordo

Name: Thierry Neuville Co-Driver: Nicolas Gilsoul Nationality: Belgian Car #: 3 DOB: June 16, 1988 WRC Starts: 70 WRC Wins: 2 WRC Podiums: 18

Name: Hayden Paddon Co-Driver: John Kennard Nationality: New Zealand Car #: 4 DOB: April 20, 1987 WRC Starts: 58 WRC Wins: 1 WRC Podiums: 4

Name: Dani Sordo Co-Driver: Marc Marti Nationality: Spanish Car #: 20 DOB: May 2, 1983 WRC Starts: 139 WRC Wins: 1 WRC Podiums: 40

Mads Ostberg

Eric Camilli

Ott Tanak

Name: Mads Ostberg Co-Driver: Ola Fløene Nationality: Norwegian Car #: 5 DOB: October 11, 1987 WRC Starts: 102 WRC Wins: 1 WRC Podiums: 16

Name: Eric Camilli Co-Driver: Nicolas Klinger Nationality: French Car #: 6 DOB: September 6, 1987 WRC Starts: 22 WRC Wins: 0 WRC Podiums: 0

Name: Ott Tanak Co-Driver: Raigo Mõlder Nationality: Estonian Car #: 12 DOB: October 15, 1987 WRC Starts: 66 WRC Wins: 0 WRC Podiums: 4

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

Hyundai NG i20 WRC

Ford Fiesta RS WRC

68 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

RALLY AUSTRALIA - WRC ENTRY LIST Comp.

Competitor No 1 VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT 2

VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT

3

HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT

4

HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT

5

M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM

6

M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM

9

VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT II

12

DMACK WORLD RALLY TEAM

20

HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT N

37

F.W.R.T.

31

SKODA MOTORSPORT

32

SKODA MOTORSPORT

33

PEUGEOT SPORT SLOVAKIA

34

JOURDAN SERDERIDIS

35 42

CULTURE & SPORT QATAR RALLY TEAM NICHOLAS FUCHS

62

SAINTELOC JUNIOR TEAM

63

BRENDAN REEVES

64

NATHAN QUINN

65

NEAL BATES

66

RYAN SMART

67

LES WALKDEN

68

BRAD MARKOVIC

69

ADRIAN COPPIN

70

DYLAN KING

71

JUSTIN HATTON

72

TONY SULLENS

73

SUPER ALEX TROOP

74

ANDREW PENNY

75

STEPHEN RAYMOND

76

TOM CLARKE

77

JOHN STILLING

78

PETER DUNN

79

MARK BEARD

80

MICHAEL RYAN

81

RHYS PINTER

ENTRY LIST (Approved by the FIA) 18 - 20 NOVEMBER 2016 Driver Co-Driver OGIER Sebastien INGRASSIA Julien LATVALA Jari-Matti ANTTILA Miikka NEUVILLE Thierry GILSOUL Nicolas PADDON Hayden KENNARD John OSTBERG Mads FLOENE Ola CAMILLI Eric VEILLAS Benjamin MIKKELSEN Andreas JAEGER SYNNEVAG Anders TANAK Ott MOLDER Raigo SORDO Dani MARTI Marc BERTELLI Lorenzo SCATTOLIN Simone LAPPI Esapekka FERM Janne KOPECKY Jan DRESLER Pavel PTASZEK Hubert SZCZEPANIAK Maciek SERDERIDIS Jourdan MICLOTTE Frderic AL-SUWAIDI Khalid CLARKE Marshall FUCHS Nicholas MUSSANO Fernando FABRE Michel VILMOT Maxime REEVES Brendan GELSOMINO Rhianon QUINN Nathan CALDER David BATES Harry MCCARTHY John SMART Ryan ALLEN John TAYLOR Molly HAYES William MARKOVIC Brad MACNEALL Glenn COPPIN Adrian KELLY Erin KING Dylan NICOLI Daymon HATTON Justin TIERNEY Lee SULLENS Tony NEWELL Kaylie MASUMURA Atsushi AKIKO Nakagawa PENNY Andrew LLEWELLYN Rhys RAYMOND Stephen RAYMOND Glen CLARKE Tom PRESTON Ryan STILLING John STEPHENS David DUNN Peter NEAGLE Dennis BEARD Mark GLEESON Jim RYAN Thomas RYAN Nicholas PINTER Rhys HALL Phil

Nat

Car

Class

Pri.

Elig.

FRA FRA FIN FIN BEL BEL NZL NZL NOR NOR FRA FRA NOR NOR EST EST ESP ESP ITA ITA FIN FIN CZE CZE POL POL GRC BEL QAT GBR PER ARG FRA FRA AUS AUS AUS NZL AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS JPN JPN AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS NZL AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS GBR

VOLKSWAGEN Polo R WRC VOLKSWAGEN Polo R WRC HYUNDAI New i20 WRC HYUNDAI New i20 WRC FORD Fiesta RS WRC FORD Fiesta RS WRC VOLKSWAGEN Polo R WRC FORD Fiesta RS WRC HYUNDAI New i20 WRC FORD Fiesta RS WRC SKODA Fabia R5 SKODA Fabia R5 PEUGEOT 208 T16 CITROËN DS3 R5 SKODA Fabia R5 SKODA Fabia R5 CITROËN DS3 R3T SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX TOYOTA Corolla S2000 MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti TOYOTA Corolla S2000 SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX CITROËN DS3 MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo X SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti FORD Fiesta R2 MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti SUBARU Impreza RS MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VII FORD Fiesta R2

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

T

RC1

1

T

RC1

1

T

RC1

1

RC2

2

WRC2

RC2

2

WRC2

RC2

2

WRC2

RC2

2

WRC2

RC2

2

WRC2

RC2

2

WRC2

RC3

3

WRC3

ASN ASN ASN ASN RC2 ASN ASN ASN ASN ASN RC2 ASN RC4 ASN ASN RC2 ASN ASN RC4

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 69

RALLY AUSTRALIA - ARC ENTRY LIST

Car Competitor (Entrant) / No. Sponsor

Vehicle Driver Make Co-Driver State Model KUMHO TYRE AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP®

ϴϮ

d^ ZĂĐŝŶŐ &ƵĞůƐ

ϴϯ

ZĞƉĐŽ ZĂůůLJ dĞĂŵ

ϴϰ

WĞĚĚĞƌƐ ^ƵƐƉĞŶƐŝŽŶ

ϴϱ

sͲ^ƉŽƌƚ ĂŶďĞƌƌĂ

ϴϲ

dŝŐĞƌ ZŝƐŬ WĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ

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,ŝŐŚ ŽƵŶƚƌLJ DŽƚŽƌƐƉŽƌƚƐ

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'͘<͘ ĞŶŶĞLJ dLJƌĞƐ

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tĂLJŶĞ ,ŽLJ

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ϵϭ

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WdZ &ĂďƌŝĐĂƚŝŽŶƐ

ϵϱ

DZ DŽƚŽƌƐƉŽƌƚ

ϵϲ

ZĞƉĐŽ ZĂůůLJ dĞĂŵ

ϵϳ

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ϵϴ

ƌŝĂŶ ,ŝůƚŽŶ DŽƚŽƌƐƉŽƌƚ

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2 4 ARC Group W W Reg Class D D

Ύ

Wϱ WϱW

Ύ

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ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ ZĂůůLJ ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉΠ Θ E^tZ KĨĨŝĐŝĂů ŶƚƌLJ >ŝƐƚ ϮϬϭϲ

Vehicle Car Competitor (Entrant) / Driver Make No. Sponsor Co-Driver State Model Crews entered in the WRC who are also eligible for ARC Awards & NSWRC where shown.

ϲϰ

ŽĨĨƐ ŽĂƐƚ ZĂůůLJ dĞĂŵ

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dŽLJŽƚĂ 'ĞŶƵŝŶĞ WĂƌƚƐ

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ϳϱ

ZĂLJŵŽŶĚ WĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ ĐĐŽƵŶƚĂŶƚƐ

ϳϲ

tŚŝƚĞ ZŽůĨ ZĂĐŝŶŐ

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W tŽŽůŐŽŽůŐĂ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞ ĞŶƚƌĞ Θ ^ƵďǁĂLJ ƌĞĚŝďůĞ ƵŝůĚŝŶŐ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ

ϴϭ

D ^ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĞƐ ZĂůůLJ dĞĂŵ

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E^t E > d Y> Y> Y> E^t t t t d Y> t t E^t /d E^t E^t s/ s/ E^t Y> E^t E^t E^t Y> E^t E^t E^t E^t d ' Z

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E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t Y> E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t Ed E^t E^t E^t E^t E^t

DŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ >ĂŶĐĞƌ ǀŽ s/ EŝƐƐĂŶ ^ŝůǀŝĂ ^ϭϱ DŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ >ĂŶĐĞƌ ǀŽ s// DŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ >ĂŶĐĞƌ ǀŽ s/ ^ƵďĂƌƵ /ŵƉƌĞnjĂ tZy ,ŽůĚĞŶ 'ĞŵŝŶŝ Z^ dŽLJŽƚĂ ŽƌŽůůĂ &ŽƌĚ ƐĐŽƌƚ DŬ // dŽLJŽƚĂ ĞůŝĐĂ 'dͲ&ŽƵƌ ĂƚƐƵŶ ϭϲϬϬ ,LJƵŶĚĂŝ džĐĞů ,LJƵŶĚĂŝ džĐĞů

NSWRC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (SAT ONLY) & NSW (SAT & SUN)

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/Ŷǀŝƚ с /ŶǀŝƚĂƚŝŽŶĂů

E^t E^t

2 4 ARC Group W W Reg Class D D

Wϱ *

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RALLY AUSTRALIA - NSWRC ENTRY LIST

E^tZ

^ϮϬϬϬ WϱW

*

Eϰ

*

WϱW

*

^ϮϬϬϬ

E^tZ

WϱW WϱW

E^tZ

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Wϱ Eϰ

E^tZ

Wϱ

E^tZ

WϱW ZϮ WϱW

E^tZ

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E^tZ Ϯ ĂLJ E^tZ Ϯ ĂLJ

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WϮ

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Full details soon atϮ ĂLJ rallysportmag.com.au ^h Zh WϱW E^tZ /ŵƉƌĞnjĂ tZy ^ƚŝ

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 71 E^tZ с EĞǁ ^ŽƵƚŚ tĂůĞƐ ZĂůůLJ ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŝƉ Ϯ ĂLJ с E^t ŽŵƉĞƚŝŶŐ ŽŶ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ

RALLY AUSTRALIA MEMORIES

LIQUORICE ALL SORTS

You name it, Rally Australia has seen it ...

By PETER WHITTEN

REMEMBERING RODGER

Rally Australia has always been the best week of the year for Aussie rally fans, but September in 1993 will go down as one of the darkest days in not only the event’s history, but also the sport’s.

Rodger Freeth had a Ph.D in physics, but rally fans knew him as Possum Bourne’s jovial co-driver, and a great guy to be around.

So, when Possum’s Subaru Legacy left the road near Mundaring on the first morning of the 1993 event, killing

Rodger, the sport went into mourning.

The Langley Park Super Special Stage held later that night had lost all its spark, and while the rally continued, those who knew the likeable Kiwi were left heartbroken and bewildered that an accident like this could happen.

Possum would bounce back to win many more titles, but rallying had lost one of the great ones.

MIKKO’S UNEXPECTED WIN

2009 was the only year Rally Australia was held at Kingscliff, near the NSW and Queensland borders, and was duly won by the incomparable Sebastien Loeb and his Citroen.

Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen took second, and hit the post-event after party with gusto to celebrate a successful weekend.

But late on the Sunday night Hirvonen’s weekend got better still, when news filtered through that Loeb’s Citroen had been excluded for a technical infringement.

Fateful day: RSM’s Peter Whitten Ford’s media team gets Francois Delecour’s signature, with Rodger Freeth went searching in the background. for the Finn, as TV

72 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

Carlos Sainz’s battered Toyota.

Photos: Stuart Bowes

crews wanted an interview to get his thoughts on his unexpected win. The only problem was, Mikko was, by this stage, a little too under the weather for a serious discussion with the world’s media ……

SHERATON AFTER PARTIES

The after parties at WRC rounds always seem to take on legendary status, particularly as the years go on.

Back in the early days of Rally Australia the parties were held at the Sheraton Hotel, just a stone’s thrown from Langley Park, and in the late 80s and early 90s the stars of the WRC used to really let their hair down.

Parties went well into the early hours of the morning, and many a local girl is said to have been propositioned by some of the sport’s biggest names – multiple world champions included.

CARLOS IS ON A ROLL

Along with vision of the Bunnings jumps and watersplash, perhaps the most iconic of all Rally Australia footage is the shot of Carlos Sainz barrel-rolling his Toyota Celica multiple times in the Bunnings plantation in 1991.

But this wasn’t the first time Sainz rolled that year. In fact, it was the third occasion in which El Matador had inverted his Celica.

Locked in a tight title battle with Juha Kankkunen, the Spaniard was on maximum attack, but an early roll on a night-time tarmac stage at Curtin University cost him valuable seconds.

A second roll on the infamous ‘Rollercoaster’ stage the next morning saw his Celica’s wheel spinning almost before they’d landed back on the ground, while the third happened when he cut a corner and tripped over a rock, sending the Celica into a violent series of rolls.

Both the car, and Carlos’ championship hopes, were done.

UNWANTED PROTESTORS

Things got ugly at Rally Australia in 2009 when protestors became angry and took matters into their own hands in protest of the event on the NSW-QLD border.

Along with placards along the route and “no rally” slogans painted on roads leading to and from the stages, those against the event even blocked roads and threatened some of the competitors as they toured between stages.

Thankfully nothing more came of the protests, but this was the only time the event visited the region, so perhaps the protestors won after all …

LANGLEY PARK EXCITEMENT

Named the best event in the WRC several times, Rally Australia has always set standards that other events have tried (and usually failed) to better.

The Super Special Stage at Langley Park on the banks of Perth’s Swan River is an example in point. A two-at-a-time stage that included a jump, a tunnel, sweeping turns and long straights, the stage never failed to produce exciting rallying and incredible TV footage.

As the opening stage of the rally, I remember vividly Brett Middleton tearing down the tarmac of Riverside Drive, and keeping right onto the gravel surface in his Daihatsu Charade.

The problem was that Brett failed to negotiate the corner at speed, sliding off the road and into a big tree that wrote off the little Charade.

Another year, it rained so heavily that Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima’s

Protestors at Rally Australia in 2009.

factory backed Suzuki Swift slid off on one of the tighter corners and became bogged. And there were also numerous rolls when the stage condition deteriorated and ruts developed on the tight corners.

But of all the memories, perhaps the most incredible is from 1995, when the speed of Toyota’s works Celicas off the start line was so impressive that it prompted an FIA investigation.

That investigation uncovered that TTE had been using an illegally modified turbo restrictor, after which the factory team were unprecedentedly banned from rallying for 12 months.

AT YOUR SERVICE

In the early days of Rally Australia there were no clover-leaf event formats or single service parks. As the rally moved from location to location, the service crews did likewise, packing up their gear and moving from place to place.

This meant that even the biggest WRC teams could be seen servicing on the side of the road in the WA bush, with rented trucks and vans parked among the trees on roads between the stages.

It all added to the glamour of the event, and gave everyone the chance to get up close to the cars and the drivers.

But it didn’t always go to plan.

In 1989, one of Rod Millen’s service guys lost control of his van on one of the slippery ball-bearing covered roads, hitting a bank and rolling the vehicle.

When the RallySport Mag crew passed by several minutes later, the team members had been picked up by another service crew, leaving the van on its side in the middle of the road.

A makeshift sign that read “Don’t smoke – petrol” was further evidence of their near miss, and subsequent quick getaway.

BOGGED DOWN ON DEBUT Neal Bates’ debut in Rally Australia was in the 1989 event – the first time Australia hosted a WRC round.

In the early days of his career, Bates was behind the wheel of a front-wheel drive Celica and had done okay, until the final spectator stage at Whiteman Park, near Perth.

Running down the field on roads that were quickly deteriorating, Bates’ Celica became bogged in sand on the 32nd stage of the four-day event.

Thankfully for the future Australian Champion, his future attempts at Rally Australia were in four-wheel drive Toyotas.

Mikko Hirvonen’s 2009 victory even came as a shock to the Finn, who was partying hard.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 73

FEATURE: SEBASTIEN OGIER

SUPER SEBASTIEN’S FOUR PEAT Behind the scenes with newly crowned four-time champion Sébastien Ogier.

M

artin Hassenpflug stood in front of Sébastien Ogier’s Volkswagen Polo R WRC. He’s the only man who can stop the now four-time World Rally Champion.

It’s his job. Hassenpflug is the Frenchman’s car controller; when Ogier arrives in service, it’s him who guides him and his number one machine to a halt.

That happens hundreds of times in a season, but this time – at the titleclinching finish of the Rally of Spain in Salou – it’s just that bit more special.

Just for a moment, there’s a look between the pair. The look’s all it takes.

Ogier beams through the windscreen, Hassenpflug grins back. They’ve done that world champion thing again.

For the fourth time the superstar from Gap has demolished all before him and clinched the FIA World Rally Championship for drivers with two rounds remaining.

“He’s incredible,” says Hassenpflug, quietly, but full of admiration. “I have known him since he came to the team, since he started with us at the end of 2011. I’m the only person who has done every rally with him.

“When we started competing in the 2012 season, Séb was driving a Skoda [Fabia S2000]. Our Polo was not ready, so this was like our training year. I got to know him well then, there was not so much press, not so many media, more time than we have now. We became quite good friends. I learned how he works.”

And how he works is very straight, very focused and very, very straightforward. “He’s like Carlos [Sainz] says Hassenpflug. “We have the Sébastien before the rally, during rally and after rally. During the rally, he is so focused, there’s no mistakes. This is what is so fantastic about him.”

That focus theme comes up time and again from the team behind Ogier.

Gerard Jan de Jongh is chief engineer on his car – between them, they make good, great and the best even better.

“Seb’s a very determined, very professional and very precise driver,” says de Jongh. “And he has the ability

74 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

to know what is important to him at any one time and if it’s not important at that time, then it’s discarded. He simply won’t be distracted. That focus really is incredible.”

Unfortunately for Ingo Roersch, his public relations man, among the first things to be jettisoned at moments of increased intensity are any outstanding

“He simply won’t be distracted.

That focus really is incredible.”

media commitments.

Roersch smiles: “He’ll say to me: ‘Let’s skip this…’ But, you know, sometimes he gets out of the car and he’s full of emotion. I’m kind of the first person who gets that emotion. Sometimes, leave it for five minutes, come back for a second lap and it won’t be a problem.

“One thing which really impresses me about Sébastien though is how he can take the pressure and deal with it.

“When he goes to the press conference at the end of the day, he’s regularly doing 100 selfies or autographs with people. If there’s time, he’s always happy to share it with fans.

“If you see him out of the rally car, you see a completely normal person; totally rounded and down to earth.

Sometimes we go to the restaurant for

an interview and I will try to make sure we get the good table, maybe a table in the window. But he’s not interested in that. To him, it doesn’t matter. It’s a table. He’s not interested in the superstar thing.

“When you are out with him, you would not think you were out with the best driver in the world. It’s crazy how good he is and, in the team, you can see he’s an inspiration for those around him.” nd an inspiration to the sport at large. “Watch him on the Power Stages,” says de Jongh, “you can watch his lines from the helicopter. He doesn’t go deep into the cut of a corner; he doesn’t let the car run wide to outside on the exit. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, he doesn’t drive the car sideways. He looks after the car and he looks after the tyres. He has a feeling for the tyres and for the grip, which you don’t see in all drivers.

“I’ll be honest, I think I have one of the easiest jobs in the service park. I trust Sebastien in his feedback – I know that he knows how to make the car fast.

When he’s happy and confident, my work is done.”

Hassenpflug agrees completely, “We all work for him.”

A

Francois-Xavier Demaison is Volkswagen’s technical director and a like-minded countryman to Ogier. “I think he and I are a little bit the same,” says Demaison.

“We are both mountain men, so we have a little bit the same attitude.

Nothing was given for Ogier, he has had to fight for everything and now he’s there, he won’t settle for anything less than 100 per cent.

“He works all of the time and he

demands everybody do absolutely their best for him – because that’s what he does for them and for the team. He never gives anything less. He’s a special guy.”

And in Spain, he became a little bit more special again. Before the finish, there were three drivers, three heroes of world rallying who had won four or more titles: Sébastien Loeb, Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen.

Today, there are four.

“When he’s happy and confident, my work is done.”

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 75

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NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 77

INTERVIEW: JARI-MATTI LATVALA

LATVALA TALKS TEAM-MATES A The day before the start of Wales Rally GB, Volkswagen team driver Jari-Matti Latvala was talking about his rally life at VW, unaware of the shock withdrawal announcement that his team would make after the event was over.

Clearly this had been an already difficult season for Jari-Matti up to then, and it was suddenly going to get very much worse. First of all, JM told us about his season leading up to Wales Rally GB. JML: It hasn’t just been an unlucky year. It is a combination of many different things going wrong for me this year.

It already started wrong going off the road in Monte Carlo, and then I had some technical problems in Sweden. I tried to fight back in Mexico, but it was looking good in Argentina. We were leading the rally, but then a damper came through the bonnet and we crashed, and so on.

It was turning into a “good rally-bad rally” season and when all the time it is like that you cannot create consistency.

It started to get really frustrating after Germany when I had a gearbox problem. My motivation was down.

Then I didn’t get my longed-for good performance in Corsica. I can tell you that this year more things have been happening than ever in my season.

MH: Working as teammate with Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen has provided a unique

VW’s withdrawal from the WRC came as a shock to everyone even team mechanics.

78 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

By MARTIN HOLMES

close-up glimpse of two other great drivers in action. What makes four times World Champion Sebastien so special?

JML: Sebastien really wants to win, he has a big passion for winning. He is very motivated to win rallies. Then there is his ability to save the tyres, he is very easy on the tyres. His driving style is very straight line, which also reduces risks of hitting things.

He is very, very talented driver, and I think his success is just many, many little things coming together - there are so many little things where he is very good. But tyre management is one of those things, but it is not telling the whole story.

I think another big thing is his ability to feel in the changing conditions. He can adapt to changing conditions very well.

different because in a way they will be a small step back to the old days where you must be more aggressive with the car. You will have to play with the car more to get the most out of them.

MH: And Andreas, what do you think is his great skill?

JML: I think Andreas physically is the fittest driver in the whole rally championship. It is a very good help for him. He is very good in the fast special stages and soft surfaces.

On rallies like Poland he is extremely good. There are still maybe a couple of events like Rally Finland that have been difficult for him. If you want to win the title you have to be able to perform well on all the surfaces and that is the same with me. There are a few rallies where I need to improve.

MH: Tyre management has been one of the main rallying characteristics for many years now.

What is the trick in good tyre management?

MH: Even though you are only 31 years old, you are the most experienced driver currently in the WRC. The required driving styles have changed a lot since you started. Is extensive experience an advantage, or a confusion having to keep changing your way of driving?

JML: To succeed in tyre management I think the trick starts with braking.

You must ensure you are gentle, that you don’t brake too aggressively. I think that is where the most benefit is coming from.

On the other hand you must also control the acceleration coming out from the corner, reducing spinning the wheels with your throttle. See if you can start to accelerate earlier. And I have always been quite hard on the braking.

I think next year the cars will be

MH: Will the new cars be easier for more experienced drivers or for younger drivers to adapt to?

JML: For sure I have a lot of experience in rallying, it is not a bad thing, it is not a disadvantage. For sure there are some bad habits that you have to keep unlearning.

One of the things that has been difficult for me is when I had to unlearn driving the cars sideways. They were difficult days trying to learn straight line driving.

JML: I think experience with the old World Rally Cars, the 2-litre turbo cars, will help. The feeling with the 2017 cars is similar to what we had with those cars. I think if you jump only from a 1.6-litre WRC to next year the step will be even bigger.

- The devastating announcement about Volkswagen’s rallying future has put Latvala’s expectations for 2017 on ice, but it was interesting to hear what he had been expecting from the 2017 cars. JML: Managing tyres will be more difficult next year. With more power you always have more tyre wear.

When we increase the power it will be necessary to increase the number of tyres we are allowed to use. We will have 60 or so horsepower more to handle, so we will have more tyre wear.

AND 2017

MH: How does driving the 2017 car compare with the existing car?

JML: The new car will have more power. I mean the car is accelerating quicker so you have to also think about new braking points.

In the new car everything is happening quicker. The central differential gives a bit easier turning-in for the car on the “technical” (twistier)

sections, but on the other hand the car is also wider. It is wider than the existing car, so means that in some narrow roads it also can be more difficult to drive.

MH: And how easy will it be to adjust to the increased speed? Will new pacenotes be necessary next year?

JML: I think the characteristics of the pacenotes will be the same, the corner

angles and everything, but it is just you have to think about the points where you start braking, so I think the notes must now focus on those elements. * With the announcement from VW, nobody yet knows if Sebastien, JariMatti or Andreas will be able to put their theories about the 2017 rally cars into practice.

For the moment, all we can do is wish them good luck in their rallying!

All the testing on the 2017 cars seems to have been for nothing.

NOVEMBER 2016 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 79

FEATURE: CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN

MAXIMUM EXPOSURE

R

ally Australia has been a part of the WRC for nearly 30 years and uniquely in the WRC calendar, it has literally migrated from one side of the country to the other.

Other WRC rounds tend to stay relatively focussed in one geographical area, but by comparison Australia is a massive nation and, state politics aside, communities with quality rally roads are readily found – and each with their own style and nature.

The Australian WRC round is also well recognised for a wide array of TV footage capturing once-in-a-lifetime rally incidents, ensuring its legendary status.

Who can forget Colin McRae’s Subaru WRC at maximum attack over the downhill jumps at the Bunnings Forest complex stages, or Carlos Sainz’s frightening multiple rollover in his Toyota Celica GT4 with a world championship title in sight?

Langley Park introduced the rally world to a purpose-built Super Special Stage in the middle of a capital city, and the stage provided great side-by-side two car competition, along with crashes and rollovers along the way, in front of a huge local audience.

One of the most loved helicopter shots must surely be Ross Dunkerton and Steve McKimmie’s factory Mitsubishi Galant VR4 sideways through a grid on the Muresk stage, and the incar footage of Dunko completely revved up by the experience!

Along with the dangerous and spectacular, there has also been the entertaining.

Twenty-five years ago, at the 1990 Commonwealth Bank Rally Australia, one of the most unusual and memorable events unfolded.

Popular Queensland rally driver, George Kahler, was a regular competitor at state and national levels in the late 80s and 90s, and in 1990 took his Duckhams Oil VR4 to Perth.

His regular co-driver at the time was Kenyan rally legend and new Australian resident, Lofty Drews, famous for his expertise at WRC level with factory teams, and especially in the East African Safari.

As a true privateer effort, the Christian Autosports entry was competitive in the Group N category, but on the televised special stage it all came undone in view of the watching world.

After a relatively ordinary water splash and within sight of the flying

80 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2016

By TOM SMITH finish, the car faltered and almost came to a halt with no engine power.

While the heavy VR4 still had momentum, Kahler and Drews jumped from the vehicle and, in true ‘never-saydie’ fashion, used manpower to push the car towards the flying finish.

With the television cameras capturing every moment from at least two angles, George (whose driving suit preference of the day was a two-piece set) unfortunately showed more than he intended when his pants began to fall to his knees.

First images from the front of the car showed both crew members pushing on open doors, with legendary Channel 9 commentator, Darryl Eastlake, commenting on a smile which emerged on the face of the Kahler, knowns as the “Faster Pastor”.

He wasn’t aware at that early stage that George already knew his predicament was ‘unfolding’..... continue to push the car or use both hands to protect his modesty!!

While neither of the crew were ‘young’ men, they showed willpower - and first managed to get to the yellow flying finish, before continuing to push the big Mitsubishi onto the red flag end of stage.

In the control zone they still managed to stay out of the way of the following car, Bob Nicoli in his Daihatsu Charade GTti, who had caught the big 4WD at the end of stage.

With the relieved crew at least recording a finish in a safe place, George was finally able to dress himself again and regain his dignity.

Interestingly, television footage also reflects the safety standards of the day with both George and Lofty resplendent in matching short-sleeved polo shirts and, in the case of Lofty Drews, jeans and running shoes! Not a racing suit, nor HANS device to be seen.

While the assumption at the time was that the car must have suffered wet electrics from the water splash, the story emerged afterwards that the bumps caused the fuel pump switch to flick off, and the car simply ran dry of fuel.

With the immediate panic over and with time to investigate, George quickly found the problem and the crew was able to continue without further delays.

A large personality, George unfortunately passed away in 1999.

George Kahler and Lofty Drews push the heavy VR4.

The ‘Faster Pastor’ loses his modesty on live TV.

Kahler tries his best to get the stubborn VR4 started.

Photos: Channel Nine TV footage from 1990.