Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

PICTURE PERFECT: Marcus Gronholm heads for second place and the new Peugeot 307’s first podium place in Sweden.

9 771328 924002

ISSN 1328-9241

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● Mt Buller Sprint ● Monte Carlo Rally ● Nissan 200SX test ● Chris Atkinson interview ● Swedish Rally ● How to fit a tripmeter

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Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

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Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Heli smash claims Kiwi drivers

The close-knit New Zealand rallying community is in mourning again after two former frontline drivers – Chris Barns and Kim Austin – were killed in a helicopter crash at the weekend.

The pair were flying in Barns’ Robinson R22 helicopter when in went missing in the Central North Island on Saturday morning, but the crash site – a vegetable paddock about 10km from their take-off point - was not discovered until Monday morning.

Barns, a 50 year old businessman and experienced pilot, was a former regional and national rally campaigner who in recent years had gained further motor sport distinction by winning the national jetsprint championships. Last year he scared the living daylights out of world rally championship star, Freddy Loix, by taking him for a ride in his 1100bhp jet sprint boat.

Possessed of huge natural talent behind the wheel and an enthusiasm for the sport to match, Austin, 45, was a sprint and hillclimb specialist whose major achievements included multiple victories at the Ashley Forest rallysprint (for which he still holds the course record).

He also showed he had the ability to adapt to the longer form of the sport when, in 1993, he scored an excellent 13th place overall on Rally New Zealand.

ROCK BOTTOM: Markko Martin had a Swedish Rally victory in the bag, but hit a rock and eventually finished seventh.

New tarmac rally has ARC possibilities

- DAVID THOMSON

Evans gets Toyota chance

As announced in ARN two months ago, Simon Evans has finally signed to drive for Toyota Team Racing in the 2004 Globalstar Australian Rally Championship.

Evans and wife Sue, who has been his co-driver for six years, will crew a factory-backed TTR Toyota Corolla Sportivo in all six rounds of the national title beginning in Perth on March 27-28.

Team leader Neal Bates and Coral Taylor will again head the TTR attack as they seek to win a fourth national title together.

It is something of a homecoming for 31 year-old Evans, who first made his mark on the sport in the 1995 Corolla Cup, a series designed by Toyota to unearth young talent.

After winning the series two years in succession, Toyota Australia rewarded Evans with a drive in a Group A Corolla prepared in Canberra by Neal

Bates Motorsport.

Evans' raw speed and flamboyant driving style have won him many fans all around the country. The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport recently named him the 2003 Motorsport Personality of the Year.

He has been the outstanding privateer in Australian rallying in recent years and last year broke through for his first ARC round win, but Evans said it was essential to score a factory team drive.

"My ambition has always been to win the Australian Rally Championship and to do that you have to be in a works team, so this is a great opportunity for me and I'm extremely pleased," said Evans. Toyota is a fantastic company to be associated with and they share my determination to win the championship.

"When I tested the Corolla Sportivo last month, it felt really well balanced

and I could definitely feel the potential. I feel very comfortable in the car and with the team.”

TTR's Corolla Sportivos were the first cars in the world built to the Group N (Prototype) regulations and were improved progressively throughout the 2003 season.

Bates placed eighth in the ARC last year but is confident that off-season improvements to the Corollas will enable them to challenge for the title in 2004.

"I think Simon is the fastest driver in the country - aside from me, of course!" said Bates, tongue in cheek.

"It should be a good challenge, but if he is faster than me and wins rallies, then that would be great for Toyota and for Neal Bates Motorsport.

"Simon and Sue have been great friends since we worked together back in 1997 and their return will allow us to take our program to the next level.”

OTAGO RALLY TOUR

A new tarmac special stage rally to be run by Rally Tasmania clerk of course, Tony Wright, could be a candidate for ARC status, should the Australian Rally Commission (ARCom) consider a tarmac round for the future of our national championship.

Rally Burnie, which will run in the north east of Tasmania on the weekend of July 10 and 11, has not been designed with ARC status in mind, but Tony Wright certainly hasn’t ruled out the chance.

“To be honest, I have no aspirations of making the event a round of the ARC Super Series,” Wright told ARN.”“A few people have mentioned that the event format is very similar to that of an ARC round, but it’s certainly not in my mind.”

The two-day event will use stages in the Savage River area on Saturday, and in the Hellyer Gorge region on Sunday. The roads, which are popular Targa Tasmania tests, will be broken up into a number of different stages and run several times on each day, possibly in both directions.

“The event will involve one central service park and reconnaissance will be able to be carried out

By Peter Whitten on the Friday afternoon,””Wright added, highlighting even further the similarities between that event and the current ARC rounds.

But ARCom chairman, Garry Connelly, said that it isn’t a simple as adding another round into the ARC if the interest was there. He said all current rounds are in the process of signing long-term agreements to remain in the championship, and that unless one of the current events falls over or there is demand for a seventh round, then the Burnie event could not come into the ARC immediately.

“But in the long term, why not?”

Connelly said. “It would depend on whether there is demand for a tarmac round (I think there would be) and of course, if the event was well enough organised. But again, which event would we take out?”

Like his current event, Rally Tasmania, Wright expects to have a host of top quality tarmac cars entered for Rally Burnie. No further details are available on the event yet, but tentative entries have already started rolling in.

Phone the ARN office for a full brochure and further details Your last chance to book and see (03) 5722 1250 Classic rallying at its best!!

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Rally Rallying - broadening the term

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

P.O. Box 784, WANGARATTA, Vic 3676 Ph: (03) 57221250, Fax (03) 57215590 E-mail: editorial@rallysportnews.com.au OFFICE HOURS 8.00am - 4.30pm Mon - Fri MANAGING EDITOR Jeff Whitten jeff@rallysportnews.com.au EDITOR Peter Whitten peter@rallysportnews.com.au ACCOUNTS MANAGER Carolyn Schonafinger subscriptions@rallysportnews.com.au PHOTOGRAPHERS Martin Holmes, Maurice Selden, Neil Blackbourn, Troy Amos, Andy Kerr, Forest Fotos, Robyn Feaver, Paul Kane, CMW Photographic, Golly Photographix.

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Cover photos:

Peter Whitten / Peugeot

Rallying in Australia is undergoing major changes at all levels, and unless you’ve got an interest in all aspects, facets and levels of the sport, you’re probably unaware of the changes taking place.

To Joe Average, the rally fan who has a passing interest and watches coverage of the world and national championship rounds on television, ‘rallying’ is conducted over timed special stages in multi-million dollar state-of-the-art cars that none of us are ever likely to be able to afford. The excitement is in the speed, the sound and the exhilaration.

That’s all good and well, but the reality is that there are too few people who can realistically become involved in the competitive side of such a show.

And as a result, enthusiasts are, more than ever, looking at alternative forms of rallying to whet their appetite or satisfy their need for speed.

These days, targas, sprints, touring road events and, believe it or not, touring assemblies, are all attracting increasing numbers of competitors.

Some like the pedal-to-the-metal challenge, others a short blast, and others a combination of driving on challenging roads and traditional navigation.

Rallying then, is perhaps a term that is not specific enough. Going in a ‘rally’ can mean anything from spending $25,000 to get your Impreza WRX or Lancer Evo 7 ready for the first ARC round of the year, to fitting an old mechanical Halda and buying a rally romer to enter your local car club’s touring assembly.

But is rallying as we know it changing, or is it simply returning to its roots?

It’s probably a bit of both. Events are more expensive, faster, and the safety aspects more important than they’ve ever been, but the direction in which the sport is expanding is changing rapidly.

Toyota, Subaru and Mitsubishi continue to spend millions on their campaigns in the Australian Rally Championship, but aside from the ‘big three’ and a few well heeled privateers, special stage gravel rallying doesn’t seem to be progressing in great strides. ARC rounds struggle to attract 50 car fields as a rule, and only the emergence of Subaru’s new one make rally challenge seems likely to increase those numbers.

The majority of the problem is, without doubt, financial. Look at any state championship level event and you’ll generally see a host of fast up and coming young drivers, but in the main it’s

S tage S

pecial

by Peter Whitten

Lowndes holds out hope

BACK TO BASICS: Rallying has returned to its roots recently, offering a greater level of competitive options to lovers of the sport.

the guys in their 40’s and 50’s that are winning the events and the championships. These are the competitors who often have their own (successful) business and can afford a good 4WD turbo car, and often they have a mature age family.

The bulk dollar value of the sport usually means that young drivers simply can’t maintain the cash flow required to continually compete at the top level. Nothing comes cheap, and as a result state (and ARC) field numbers are dwindling.

On the other hand, non-championship one-off events are blossoming at an astronomical rate. Events such as this month’s Rally Tasmania (which has attracted 141 entries) not only offer a full special stage format on brilliant tarmac roads, but allow almost any type of vehicle to compete. With freer regulations, the range of competitors opens right up.

Then there’s the less competitive type events - touring road events and touring assemblies specifically. These events sometimes have speed events

Next month in ARN

● Part 2 of our technical feature on fitting a tripmeter.

such as sprints and motorkhanas included, but more often than not they are primarily navigation events where not only is outright driver or car speed not the determining factor, but entry prices and the modifications required to the cars are minimal.

Consequently these events are open to a wider range of competitor and entry numbers are increasing. Socially the events are great fun and financially they are a lot easier on the pocket.

This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those wanting to be involved in the sport it does offer more and more opportunities to compete and that’s got to be a good thing.

Rallying is, after all, a global sport involving a number of disciplines. It would be wrong, therefore, to put across the image that unless you had the talent of a Marcus Gronholm or the budget of a Les Walkden, then rallying was out of your league.

There are many other forms of rallying that offer many of the thrills and excitement without the million dollar expenditure.

Ousted Mitsubishi Ralliart driver, Spencer Lowndes, is still hopeful of taking part in this year’s Australian Rally Championship, despite the factory team running cars for Ed Ordynski and Juha Kangas in 2004.

Although Mitsubishi have still not announced their plans for this season, it is expected that Les Walkden will run the factory cars from his Tasmanian base.

Lowndes told ARN this week that he has a contract with Mitsubishi for the 2004 season and was waiting on legal advice to see what his plans were for this season.

“Mitsubishi have made an offer to me to run a car privately this year, but that would mean I’m still about $400,000 short on the budget needed to campaign the car successfully,” Lowndes said.

The deal is believed to be supplying a Lancer Evo 7 and a substantial engine, gearbox and parts deal, but Lowndes wasn’t confident of heading down that path.

“To run a program like Simon Evans did last year would cost around $400,000 - without costing the car into that - so I think that’s pretty unlikely,” he added.

Lowndes also has the possibility of some overseas drives in 2004, but wouldn’t elaborate on the details any further.

It is not know when an official announcement on Mitsubishi’s factory program will be made.

- PETER WHITTEN

● ● Mini Mini Cooper Cooper ‘S’ ‘S’ We We test test and and reflect reflect on on aa rallying rallying legend legend

● Eight pages of classic cars, news and reports including Rally Tasmania and the Grand Prix Rally. ● Rallying’s rocky road we look at the problems facing grass roots rallying and ask what can be done to fix them. ● 2004 Australian Rally Championship preview who’s doing what.

Plus: Classifieds, State columns, Latest news & Event reports

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Interview: Chris Atkinson

On the road to stardom Surf-loving Queenslander, Chris Atkinson, is the closest thing Australia has to a fully fledged World Rally Championship driver. Yet outside the hardcore rallying circles, Atkinson is as unknown as young Chris Guccione to non-tennis followers.

At just 24 years of age, Atkinson may only have three full seasons of rallying under his belt, but already he has achieved more than most rally drivers do in a lifetime of competition.

The 2002 Australian Privateers’ Champion, and now the 2003 Asia Pacific Super 1600 Rally Champion, Atkinson has the world at his feet. The lead driver in Suzuki’s assault on the 2003 and 2004 Asia Pacific Rally Championships, he has quietly gone about his business as he concentrates 100% on making the next step ––to the lucrative World Championship.

In 2004 Atkinson will be joined in the Suzuki team by none other than Vesa Mikkola, son of the legendary 1983 World Champion Hannu, not only adding to Suzuki’s strength in the regional championship, but enabling Atkinson to pit his skills against a driver many already regard as world class - despite being only 20.

Peter Whitten spoke to Atkinson about the 2003 season in review, about his plans for 2004 and beyond, and what makes him think he has what it takes to make it to the top of his chosen sport.

Your first event for Suzuki was the Rally of Canberra in May. How difficult was it to get used to the left-hand drive car?

It wasn’t so much the driving of the car and the gearshift that took time to get used to - it was all pretty easy as it’s sequential - but when you’re at high speed your’car placement is so important, so I found I was a little bit cautious to start with. It took a couple of events to get use to it. Canberra was a great event to start with because we’d done it twice before and the roads aren’t’really that narrow, so I knew I could get through it if I took it reasonably easy and didn’t take too many risks. Tenth was a good result.

You’re driving for a Japanese team. Was that difficult to get used to?

The team are fantastic and the guys are really good to work with. Working for a factory team and with factory engineers they tell you whatever you want to know, and it’s great to be a part of it.

Round two in New Zealand saw you have an off on the first day which must have been disappointing.

I guess that was down to the left hand drive thing again. It was a narrow road and I really didn’t think I was going to hit the rock on the inside, but it put us onto two wheels and off the road. We’d done about 100km of testing in New Zealand which was helpful, but I guess there’s nothing like actual racing to get the experience.

You were able to restart on days two and three and get more miles under your belt though.

Yes, it

Atkinson gained valuable experience in New Zealand, despite a first day crash. (Macspeed Photography)

By Peter Whitten

was a good opportunity for us for the next two days to go for it. The car was already damaged so the guys just said “do what you want”. I got my feeling back on the first few stages on the second day, and on the last day we went as fast as we could and were pretty happy with the times we set.

Another top 10 result in Japan saw you as the third APRC car.

Did that add to your confidence?

I’m happy with how we went there, but just disappointed with some of the circumstances. We were against our team-mate, Daniel Carlsson, who is probably one of the top 10 drivers in the world, and to have a puncture on the second stage after beating him on the first was disappointing. All that the Europeans see is the result at the end of the day, not the stage times in between, so I think we lost a good opportunity there. We only beat him on that one stage, but over the whole of the second day we were only 10 seconds behind him.

How difficult is it going to foreign countries like Japan, where you haven’t competed before and you have to get used to the way of life and the different language, as well as a new rally?

It’s not so bad because usually the events are so well organised that it’s not really a problem. I quite enjoy Japanese food and enjoy learning about different cultures, so it was an easy event to get used to. The people were really friendly and because they were after a WRC round there were people on the sides of the road cheering and the support was amazing. It’s also great to experience different roads and challenging conditions.

Was Thailand just as easy? You were the first Super 1600 car home, but the conditions were hot, fast and dusty.

It was a

“We spent a lot of time sitting on the rev limiter in sixth gear!” good event, but unfortunately we only had a close ratio gearbox and the roads suited a car that would do 200km/h not 160. We spent a lot of time sitting on the rev limiter in sixth gear! But again we achieved a finish and built on our experience. By that stage of the year we were pretty much up to speed with the car, but the difficult aspect came with not competing against guys in similar cars.

You have to pick your

own pace ––either to try and keep up with the guys in the turbo 4WD cars, or get to the finish in the points ––it wasn’t always easy.

India followed, and presumably your sixth outright ––although a great result – –wasn’t against quality opposition in the Super 1600 category?

It was probably the rally that least suited our car because it was a really loose surface event with slow corners turning uphill all the time. We got five punctures during the event and had to stop and change all of them, so we lost a fair bit of time, but it was important to get the result. Karamjit Singh reckoned the rocks there were bigger than in Cyprus, and I certainly reckon they were bigger than on the Acropolis, having done the recce there last year. It really was diabolical.

What sort of standard was the Indian event?

It wasn’t bad, but I think it’s a difficult country to hold an event like that, just because of the sheer population and the lack of knowledge and understanding of basic things like road rules. It was quite dangerous driving around the roads just to get to stages on time, but it was an interesting experience just the same.

The championship was reduced to five events after the cancellation of New Caledonia and China. That must have made it a drawn out year for you.

When you’ve got two months between events and you’re trying to keep a rythmn going it’s quite hard.

www.rallyscene.com - 7

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Interview: Chris Atkinson we do it’s hard to hold down another job and to find the time to train and get a good fitness level to compete at a high level.

Certainly doing more events would have helped.

In 2004 you’ll continue to drive the twodoor Ignis, whereas the WRC team will use the four-door car. What’s the reason behind this?

It’s all down to marketing reasons. The twodoor Ignis is sold in Australia and Japan, but the four-door M6, as it’s known, is sold in Europe. This year, though, I’ll have Vesa Mikkola as my team-mate for the whole season.

Fitness obviously plays a large part in the success of a driver. What does your training involve?

I usually run 10km five times a week, and I do gym sessions ––some–with a personal trainer, some without ––maybe three or four times a week. I also play other sports like touch football and tennis, so it’s pretty fullon. Usually when I’m away I try to keep up the running as well.

Having the son of an ex-World Champion alongside you must be a challenge you’re looking forward to then?

Yes, I’m sure that he’s a very talented driver and he’ll create a lot of interest. He’s a great guy and I’m really looking forward to driving alongside him.

In 2003 you did the reconnaissance for some of the WRC rounds. Which events did you do, and which did you find the most difficult?

We went to Finland, Germany, Sanremo, Corsica, Catalunya and Greece. I think some of the stages in Germany were quite challenging. They’re narrow vineyard roads and you definitely don’t want to make a mistake there. Also Corsica because it’s quite narrow and quite fast. It blew me away how many crests there are in Finland, and I learnt a lot from talking to the Finnish guys about how they write their notes. It’s important to get your

Have you been to a dietician to fine tune your eating habits as well?

I’ve always watched what I’ve eaten anyway,’but I went to the Australian Institute of Sport ‘Camp of Champions’ and they give you a lot of information on your diet and looking after your body. As long as you follow those guidelines you should be in a pretty good condition ––you don’t need to be like an extreme athlete, but to be very fit is helpful when you go to events like India and Greece where it’s very hot. You see some of the other guys struggling and we’re hardly breaking a sweat, so it gives you an advantage.

AN ASIAN OCCASION: Mastering the narrow and slippery Hokkaido roads was a challenge, but Atkinson impressed yet again. (Photos: Macspeed Photography)

It’s a big investment I guess, but having been a part of the factory team last year and not running a team ourselves it’s enabled us to regather a bit. The most likely scenario for the overseas events will be to drive a worksspec Suzuki funded by our own team, but that hasn’t been sorted out yet. For the local WRC rounds and the ARC events we’ll look at something like a Lancer Evo 7 or Evo 8, but we haven’t ruled out a Subaru either –– they’ve won the PWRC and the ARC, so they’re a quick car.

ANOTHER VICTORY: The fast roads in Thailand didn’t really suit the Ignis, but Atkinson was first Super 1600 car home just the same.

You’re doing the recce for the Monte Carlo Rally (a week after this interview), what’s coming up after that?

If we get a car in time we’d like to do Rally Tasmania to get some more tarmac experience, and then we’ll probably look at doing the first round of the ARC in Western Australia to get some time in a Group N car before going to New Zealand in April. It looks like being a busier start to the year than last year, where we didn’t do an event until May.

line right from the bottom of the crest to the top of the crest, in order to get your line right for the next crest! But when you drive over the stage you can note the crest, but you aren’t sure what to write until you get to the top and see what’s on the other side. It’s quite difficult to write notes for it and experience is a big advantage. I think the roads in Finland would suit an Australian driver pretty well though.

Given that Japan is also a round of the WRC this year, that must give you some confidence for that event too.

It will be an advantage, but unfortunately it’s not a round of the Junior World Rally Championship, so there won’t be that many Super 1600 cars there. It’ll be good to try and do well and try and impress some of the WRC team managers ––particularly if there’s some other S1600 cars there as well.

Can you see light at the end of the tunnel in terms of making it onto the WRC scene as a factory driver?

I still think the opportunity is there and I don’t we’ve done anything wrong to do our chances any harm, but I think we’re lacking - as most Australians are - European experience. I don’t think anyone in Europe thinks anyone from our part of the world can be a good rally driver, so you’ve really got to go to their part of the world and beat them on their home turf. I’ve had three years rallying now and have been getting better and better, so 2004 is the year to get out there and have a really big go and take the risks. Whether it comes off or not remains to be seen, but we’ll give it a go.

What’s your job description now ––is there enough money coming in to call yourself a professional driver?

Basically it’s a full time job now. With what

Does the busy schedule and the constant travelling put girlfriends out of the picture?

I guess so ––there’s’been a few fall by the wayside! Rallying definitely comes first and you don’t want to be distracted and thinking you’d rather be somewhere else when you’re away. As far as I’m concerned it’s not even an issue at the moment because I’m 110% committed to rallying.

Is the end goal to win the World Championship, or do you have more immediate goals to overcome first?

I’d like to take it step by step, but I think, given the opportunity, I’m capable of winning the Junior World Championship, and that would put me in a good position. You’ve got to be pretty realistic and at the moment there’s not too many drives available in the outright WRC and there’s a lot of good young drivers out there. But we have an opportunity and we just have to make every post a winner from here on in.

Is being only 24 years old still an advantage?

It is, but I don’t want to waste too many more years because Vesa’s just turned 20 and there’s a lot of other guys like him in Europe.

Obviously people are obviously going to take notice of a Mikkola before they are of an Atkinson! Having said that, I’m really looking forward to 2004 - it should be a fantastic year.

OH BROTHER: Chris and Ben enjoy their Super 1600 win in Japan.

Financially it’ll be a big burden if you plan to do some overseas WRC rounds, as well as Rally Australia, Rally New Zealand and some ARC events.

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8 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Title favourite starts the year in style

Loeb’s Monte double

I

t looked so easy. Sebastien Loeb may seem a straightfor ward guy, the Xsara World Rally Car a straightforward car, but put them together and they are unbeatable these days at Monte Carlo. For the third year running Loeb was the fastest driver on the wintry, mountainous special stages in the south east of France and now for the second time he had won.

Run partially under the new regulations, this was the first rally in which only two drivers were eligible to score points for their team and with only five teams registered, the rally seemed a little bare. This was even more evident when the treacherous conditions caused 23 retirements from the 43 starters, notwithstanding the increased importance for the teams to bring their drivers to the finish.

The rally had become a tactical game.

Ford brought their cars home in second and third places, winning more points than the overall winner Citroen.

Peugeot were the only other team to do this with their new 307 WRC, which led initially but was delayed by gear selection troubles.

Most of the new FIA changes for 2004 were in operation. For world championship points, teams could only nominate two drivers, still with two cars scoring points. With points going down to eighth place and only ten eligible cars able to start each event, there was quite a disincentive for drivers to take risks!

This was the debut event for the new FIA Privateers' Trophy for drivers with their WRC2 cars, but nobody had entered. The FIA changes in format (1000 Pistes or “2+3"), bringing with it the flexi service idea are still to come, but one novelty which had particular relevance on this event concerned the rule limiting the total number of tyres available for each competing car - a total of 90 on this occasion.

At Monte Carlo, because of the wide variety of possible conditions no fewer than four basic tread patterns and sizes are allowed, compared with the usual two, but the total limit was just the same. Later in the season a system of "bar-coding" tyres which cars could use will come into effect.

Another novelty for 2004, due to take effect in New Zealand, round 4, will mean that no last minute change in available numbers of tyres can be made.

Once again Group N cars were banned, to help limit the total number of cars to 60. For the rally route there

By Martin Holmes was a general similarity to previous years. This year at the far north end of the route, there were no stages north of the Durance River, but there was a return to stages west of the River Buech (the Sisteron valley). Further south the well established Aiglun and Toudon stages were run in the opposite direction, ending with an ascent of the north face of the Col de Bleyne.

T

he 2004 season took a long time getting off the ground.

There were long delays from the FIA announcing lists of championship competitors and publishing the rule changes. The regulations for the Monte Carlo Rally were finally issued after entries closed. Information availability from the FIA was increasingly restricted.

The e-mail system of making contact with the FIA for individual enquiries was officially closed, the monthly information bulletins were reduced to quarterly publication, the FIA's official photographic trouble-shooting media delegate was ordered to stay away from the event. For enthusiasts wanting to follow the sport, this had been a bad winter.

All this was a pity, for despite the reduction in numbers of top competitors the interest among the fans was undiminished as the long queues leading into the mountain town of Sospel before the start of Shakedown bore testament.

Thursday morning was the first time no fewer than three new types of rally car were to be seen in public. At the pre-event press conference, Peugeot's team director Corrado Provera said the conversion of the standard 307CC cabriolet into a World Rally Car had proved to be a far harder job than originally envisaged. And a surprise - the engine of the new 307 WRC was exactly the same as the engine used by Citroen in their Xsara WRC! Peugeot had one special trick, however. A four-speed gearbox! Kept secret for a long time, Peugeot had homologated both a four and a five speed unit, and after back-to-back testing decided to start the rally with the four speeder.

Mitsubishi produced the other new World Rally Car, the Lancer WRC04 in absolutely basic technical configuration. It was good to see Mitsubishi back in full world championship com-

petition, if only at a very basic level.

Gilles Panizzi had left Peugeot to head their team, reverting to a big car. "I made my WRC debut in a big car here five years ago, now I am back again!"

The third new car was the Suzuki Ignis four-door, used by four of the five Suzuki drivers in the 2004 Junior World Rally Championship. Suzuki proudly presented themselves before the rally. "In 2002 we started the competition and scored two scratch times in JWRC. In 2003 we scored 56, 6 podium finishes and two category wins. We have high hopes for our drivers in 2004.”

Five teams had registered for the championship: Hyundai was out, Mitsubishi replaced Skoda. Not so many drivers made changes. Mikko Hirvonen went to Subaru, Gilles Panizzi and Gianluigi Galli to Mitsubishi - and that was all. More noticeable was the absence of many former world champions. Didier Auriol, Colin McRae, Tommi Makinen, Juha Kankkunen and Richard Burns - all sadly missing from the entry list.

This was to be the final appearance for the Citroen Saxo and the Ford Puma in the JWRC category, before respectively the C2 and the Fiesta come on stream in time for the second round, Acropolis in June, but Citroen have now decided to give the Saxo two more rallies.

FLYING START: Mitsubishi started the year with sixth place, better than even Gilles Panizzi expected. (Photo: Maurice Selden)

Proudly co-driving the Saxo of Christian Chicherit was Michel Perin, recently manager for the Citroen WRC team, who had co-driven Patrick Magaud on the WRC debut for the Saxo back in 1997.

Stories abounded in the campus.

Armin Schwarz, dropped by Skoda after the end of the 2001 season, had been taken back for a two-year contract restarting at the Acropolis. Gravel note crews had been allowed to work at this event, one of few which the FIA allowed.

Once again things were hard work for all concerned. Crews found they could hardly cover the reconnaissance within

the time allowance, heartily thankful that the weather had been pretty kind.

As the start loomed closer so the weather became all the more fickle. It was freezing in Gap, it was raining in other areas, the weather men found it difficult to be precise about when and where bad weather might arrive. Another classic Monte was about to start.

Leg 1 Shakedown times told few lies. After the first stage was cancelled, because of excessive spectator positioning alongside the stages, Gronholm won stage two, the first to be held, and was leading the event ahead of Markko SLIP SLIDING: Francois Duvals third place made it two podium places for Ford.

www.rallyscene.com - 9

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Martin, Sebastien Loeb, Francois Duval and Petter Solberg, the top five drivers the day before.

Solberg spun and stalled and arrived back at service 16.5 seconds behind the leader, furthermore both he and Carlos Sainz (who was lying seventh) had chosen narrow studded tyres which were not as fast as the wider studded versions.

"It was incredibly slippery,” Gronholm explained. "The track was too narrow to be able to throw the new big Peugeot around, and I felt sure our wider tyres were the wrong choice, but they weren't!" Gronholm's teammate Freddy Loix was less impressed. "The differential set-up was bad, there was too much understeer," and he was tenth, nearly a minute slower than the Finn.

An impressive sixth was the Hyundai of Roman Kresta, while the new Mitsubishi of Gianluigi Galli was going well, despite a spin and a stall.

Teammate Gilles Panizzi was cautious and was a half minute behind Galli.

Off the rally went again, to make another lap of the first two stages, this time being run without interruption. It was obvious which problem caused stage one to be cancelled, the huge concentration of spectators at a place where it was critically slippery.

Gronholm held on to his lead, but it was touch and go. Three kilometres before the end of stage four the gearbox stuck in third, and Marcus had to cut a corner, glancing a blow off a tree to slow the car down to stay on the road, and then finding the car stuck in fourth gear on the ensuing road section. His lead at the second Service Park was down to 8.1 seconds.

Three stages run, a different fastest driver in three different types of car on each (Gronholm, Martin and now Loeb). Loeb rose up to second, Fords were fourth and fifth, and Kresta was still sixth in his private Hyundai.

When mechanics started to work on Gronholm's car, more drivers arrived at the Service Park at Tallard airfield,

all with stories to tell. Panizzi claimed his Mitsubishi was unstable, undriveable. Galli, meanwhile, had another spin and stalled the engine again (same stage, different corner) and was now 100 seconds in front of the unhappy Panizzi. Hirvonen had started carefully on his Subaru debut and was gradually gaining confidence.

Peugeot's mechanics changed Gronholm's gearbox and fitted again a four-speed unit. They examined the broken unit and found the problems were with the selection and this was easily rectified ready for refitting later in the event if necessary. Solberg passed Kresta into sixth place and the Czech then fell back when his engine lost power. "I hope it is only an electronic problem, I just don't know.”

The main story was the loss of a half minute for Gronholm on the final stage of the day. He lost the lead for a variety of reasons, mainly an undergearing on the fast stretches on stage six which dropped him to third and let Loeb in front. "We were driving on the rev limiter on a stage that was completely clear of bad weather, and I did not feel confident with the handling of the car in these conditions."

Martin rose to second, despite brake trouble. His co-driver was unnerved at the Estonian's speed. "We had a lot of trouble with the brakes. Markko spent all the stage pumping up the brakes with the handbrake, and we only lost a quarter minute to Loeb!"

Panizzi was not much happier.

"Maybe it is the differential, I cannot tell". His pressure was eased when his teammate Galli went off the road, the only top driver to abandon.

Miguel Campos, in the B-team Peugeot, on the final stage of the day, touched a rock but drove on despite a vibration in the tyre. The brakes were failing and then he came to a bridge with his name written on it. The Portuguese confirmed this was his first ever rally on ice. Riccardo Errani retired his Skoda Octavia with engine

FINE START: Marcus Gronholm drove the new Peugeot 307 to an impressive fourth.

ONE DOWN: Mikko Hirvonen crashed on his first event for Subaru, but World Champion Petter Solberg was sixth.

failure.

Last year's winner Loeb led as the rally left the Gap region for Monte Carlo by 18.3 seconds.

In the JWRC, Suzukis got off to a flying start holding the top three places (Per-Gunnar Andersson, then privateer Urmo Aava, in his 2003 car, and Kosti Katajamaki). Jari-Matti Latvala was stuck for nearly 20 minutes on the first stage, Luca Cecchiniti went off the road for two minutes. Most drivers seemed to have been unhappy with their tyre choices, whichever choices they made!

After the second lap Andersson still led but now second was Nicolas Bernardi in a Renault, who had made a slow start. Conrad Rautenbach, the Puma man who had never rallied on snow before, crashed into a bridge.

Driving closely behind and hoping to overtake him was the Italian Luca Betti, whose Fiat followed the Ford to destruction and retirement.

Natalie Barratt retired when she went off the road, reporting that the wheel studs had sheared. Another Fiat driver, Alan Scorcioni, retired after the end of stage four when a gearbox mounting failed.

On stage five Andersson slid off the road, "We were only one metre off the road, but the car was ensnared in a fence. The fence wire wrapped itself round the driveshaft and it took us a quarter hour to get free." This let Aava in the 2003 Suzuki into the lead but on stage six his brakes began to overheat again as they had done on stage three and he finished the day ten seconds behind the new leader, Suzuki

Roman Kresta impressed in a private Hyundai, but eventually crashed out in tricky conditions. (Photo: Maurice Selden)

teammate Katajamaki. Five stages, three different Suzuki leaders.

Punctures were the talk of the afternoon, mostly caused on the clearer stretches where the World Rally Cars had thrown rocks on the road from the corners which they had cut. Kris Meeke had two, Mirco Baldacci had two, as well as a broken exhaust.

Bernardi had one on the more wintry stage five which caused him to tackle stage six with an unbalanced tyre layout. Cecchittini had one, as did Mathieu Biasion.

Guerlain Chicherit again had misfiring which caused bad understeering, so instead of lying second as in the early stages he was now ninth. Guy Wilks slid off the road and retired, as did Abdo Feghali, who hit a wall and pulled off a wheel. Chicherit abandoned after the final stage, his misfir-

ing traced to ineffective pick-up pipe in the fuel tank. The team wanted to change the fuel tank at the long service but there was a problem. The refuelling facility had by this time left and set up on the route back to Monte Carlo. Officials allowed a small amount to be added to the new tank, but not enough to keep going, so he was out.

Leg 2 The second leg started badly. In the foothills to the south of the Col du Turini, Vouilloz, the VTT champion who had been lying 10th overnight crashed towards the end of the stage.

Yellow flags came out all over the place and drivers slowed down, some stopping to check that the crew were safe, which they were.

Many crews reported, curiously, that

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Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

On the only stage to be run on the final loop of two stages, Katajamaki, when lying third, and the English privateer Oliver Marshall, when lying next to last, went off the road so only ten JWRC cars were left running.

The JWRC cars had a lot of trouble after stage ten was cancelled. In one village barriers were put across the road, to let spectators get out, even though the rally cars were passing in transit, and the wing mirrors were wrenched off the car of Aava. There was then a major rush as the cars came to Monte Carlo, delayed by traffic, which did not help the cause of Meeke who arrived with no clutch working. Bernardi was 24 seconds in front of Aava who was driving the old model Ignis.

TOP TENNER: Nicolas Bernardi not only won Super 1600, but finished in tenth place. (Photo: Maurice Selden)

nearly 45 seconds faster than the next Super 1600.

Meeke was upset at the start of the abandoned stage seven, when the timekeepers warned all the French drivers that the stage was to be cancelled, leaving the foreign drivers to wonder why so many rivals appeared to be going unnecessarily slowly on the stage. The spirit of old days at Monte Carlo continue!

Monte Carlo Rally - WRC1

the French drivers were told at the start line that the stage would be stopped, the Citroen team also told their drivers by radio to slow down. Hopes for the Stewards to award mid-stage interval times were therefore immediately dashed.

The rally then proceeded westwards to the other side of the River Var for a repeat of two classic stages, but this time run in the opposite direction to usual. On the first there was fog and a lot of drivers went off the road. Loeb dramatically increased his lead, in two stages his lead increased by more than a minute. Second placed Martin eased off considerably, unsettled by the fog and by a big scare on an unexpected patch of ice.

Gronholm slid wide and reversed out, but then could not disengage reverse gear, losing well over a half minute, dropping from second to fourth.

Gradually Panizzi was getting the hang of the Lancer, making fifth and sixth best times, despite complaining about the reaction of the mechanical components of the car that would have been more easily handled if they were active units.

Loix continued still finding the handling giving unintentional understeer.

Duval was going well despite a spin and a stall, Solberg slid into a wall and had to reverse away, while both Sainz and Hirvonen had gone. The Spaniard had torn a wheel off his Citroen, the Finn had a spin and went off the road. Kresta was also out with transmission failure, but Loeb went through it all without trouble. Local knowledge?

"No, not at all. This time we drove the stages in the opposite direction to what I knew well."

Josef Beres, proudly driving his Hyundai and being the first Slovakian driver to run in a top ten WRC placing, had a misfire which caused engine overheating, but he reached service where the problem was rectified.

Stage ten was abandoned because of the volume of spectators so only one stage remained to run. Loeb pulled out another ten seconds advantage on the stage where he made such a good time in the 2002 Monte Carlo Rally, but that was in the usual opposite direction.

Stages nine and 11 finished with the uphill passage over Col de Bleyne, which Bernardi's codriver Denis Giraudet said had not been used since 1981. The bad fog which had plagued stage seven (which became nine) then shifted up stage 11 (which had been 8) and was just as nasty as before.

In the JWRC there were two immediate changes.

On the first stage Katajamaki decided to go carefully in the fog and dropped 42 seconds to the fastest driver Meeke, when on stage nine Bernardi, who lives at Sospel, did an extraordinary time

Overall Results 1. Sebastien Loeb 2. Markko Martin 3. Francois Duval 4. Marcus Gronholm 5. Freddy Loix 6. Gilles Panizzi 7. Petter Solberg 8. Oliver Burr 9. Josef Beres 10. Nicolas Bernardi

LEADING RETIREMENTS 2. Mikko Hirvonen / Jarmo Lehtinen 4. Carlos Sainz / Marc Marti 10. Gianluigi Galli / Guido d’Amore 11. Antony Warmbold / Gemma Price

Alex Broccoli had tyres which were too wide, Baldacci had a puncture and had to stop to change the wheel, as did PG Andersson, Latvala had power steering trouble with his Puma, Xavier Pons went off the road. Larry Cols had power steering problems which contributed to him going straight off the road, but he continued with a badly damaged front end of the car.

Citroen Xsara WRC 4h12m03.2s Ford Focus RS WRC +1m12.6s Ford Focus RS WRC +1m19.6s Peugeot 307 WRC +1m26.8s Peugeot 307 WRC +8m16.9s Mitsubishi Lancer WRC+10m11.6s Subaru Impreza WRC +10m42.2s Subaru Impreza WRC +17m49.1s Hyundai Accent WRC +19m43.1s Renault Clio S1600 +23m38.1s Subaru Impreza WRC Citroen Xsara WRC Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Ford Focus RS WRC

Accident Accident Accident Accident

Leg 3 Clear conditions were a disappointment for the fans who thronged the Turini on the final day, and had hoped for fun with cars on the snow. The rally made two laps of firstly Turini (1607 metres high) then the lower level Col de St Roch stages and apart from Freddy Loix, who was ordered by Peugeot's management to take a lightly studded mixed weather tyre, all the other drivers set off on their clear asphalt tyres.

There wasn't much fighting for position. Solberg made a big attack to see whether he was capable in his car of making a good time, which he was.

Gronholm went carefully to secure points for the team with the new car, Duval stalled at a hairpin turn. On the final pair of stages Antony Warmbold skidded on an unexpected patch of gravel and went off the road, while Solberg had a broken driveshaft which dropped him from fifth to seventh.

Team orders told Duval to ease up and let Martin pass him into second place. On the final stage Loix had his Peugeot's gearbox blocked in gear, a similar problem to Gronholm's earlier experiences.

The team were worried he would have problems to complete the road section to the finish, but happily he did.

In JWRC Aava had a puncture and drove to the finish of stage 12 on a flat tyre, Latvala hit a barrier and deranged the front suspension. Andersson (the original JWRC leader who was now, thanks to Latvala, in last place on the rally) hit a rock and damaged the rear suspension.

Mathieu Biasion who had struggled all Saturday with damaged suspension now had his car in good condition but then lost time off the road and was lucky to finish, albeit ninth in JWRC and last on the rally.

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Full details including itinerary and prices are now available, so register your interest now. Places are strictly limited – all our previous tours have been fully booked and many of our tour participants travel with us each year. You’ll find that these tours are great value, fully escorted and visit as many spectator areas and service parks as we can fit in. You’ll travel by luxury mini coaches right to the heart of the action with minimal walking, and avoid New Zealand’s notorious rally traffic jams.

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www.rallyscene.com - 11

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

WRC2 - Swedish Rally

Loeb again!

An immaculate, error free drive from Sebastien Loeb rewrote the record books of Scandinavian rallying when he won the Swedish Rally.

Scandinavian drivers have never been beaten before - others have threatened, notably Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae who both have a number of podium places, but Loeb is the first to break the mould.

“For us it was OK,” the 29 year old Frenchman understated. “Markko Martin was very fast but we had to keep some pressure on and then he made a mistake. For us the week was perfect.”

The difference between the Frenchman and second placed Marcus Gronholm and the rest of the top drivers was that he made no mistakes, and had an entirely trouble free rally with the Citroen Xsara. Loeb won four stages to Gronholm’s eight. But double victor Gronholm lost time with power steering problems early on the

first day so was always playing catchup, first to Markko Martin and then to Loeb.

“We had a problem fighting back, I was trying maybe a little bit too hard but second is a good result,” said Gronholm. “The car is competitive but we still have to work at it, that’s sure.”

Martin looked the likely victor on the second leg, seemingly in control and under no great pressure. But one mistake is enough here and he made it, sliding into a rock-filled snowbank and taking a wheel off the Focus. He admitted it was entirely a driver error and he could rue that mistake late in the season.

“We’ll see how many days it is before I can sleep,” said Martin at the end, “It seems Sweden has some surprises for me. I can drive fast here but I can’t put it together somehow. I think for us it was a bit cruel.”

Petter Solberg came to Sweden with

GOOD FORM: Marcus Gronholm scored the 307’s first podium place.

Swedish Rally WRC 2

HOW SWEDE: Petter Solberg was third for Subaru, kick starting his campaign.

Overall Results 1. Sebastien Loeb 2. Marcus Gronholm 3. Petter Solberg 4. Janne Tuohino 5. Carlos Sainz 6. Henning Solberg 7. Markko Martin 8. Daniel Carlsson 9. Mikko Hirvonen 10. Andreas Eriksson

Citroen Xsara WRC Peugeot 307 WRC Subaru Impreza WRC Ford Focus RS WRC Citroen Xsara WRC Peugeot 206 WRC Ford Focus RS WRC Peugeot 206 WRC Subaru Impreza WRC Ford Focus RS WRC

CHAMPION ELECT: Sebastien Loeb is odds on favourite for the 2004 World title.

great hope but little expectation as he hasn’t a strong record here. Third was a good reward for a drive which was hampered by a number of car problems during the first two legs. “I’m very happy. It’s been an incredible weekend,” said the World Champion. “It was very hard yesterday but overall I’m very pleased. It’s a good result at the start of the season.”

The battle for the minor placings between Carlos Sainz and Janne Tuohino went down to the wire. Sainz had been strong in the early phases but in the end lost out to Ford’s Finn when the Citroen overheated and lost oil pressure over the last two stages. He had been off and blocked the radiators leading to overheating on the second leg, but had battled hard for fourth before the mechanical gremlins intervened today.

After the last stage he was concerned that the car might not last to the finish in Karlstad. “Everything was absolutely fine until suddenly the engine started to go on three cylinders and nothing you can do,” he said. “You just try to finish but I’ve been feeling much happier in this car than last year.”

Janne Tuohino salvaged some points for Ford and confirmed the judgement in nominating him. “I’m happy. It was a good result and today we have a lot of good times,” said the Finn. “Now hopefully as soon as possible we can drive for a factory team (regularly).”

Henning Solberg (Petter’s brother) did a fine job with the private Peugeot to finish sixth after an impeccable drive, leading home Markko Martin.

Daniel Carlsson took the last point with Subaru’s Mikko Hirvonen taking Makes points for Subaru.

3h26m17.7s +46.4s +1m21.5s +1m42.1s +2m17.0s +4m17.6s +5m38.3s +5m50.4s +9m18.2s +12m37.4s

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS Drivers: S. Loeb 20, M. Gronholm 13, M. Martin 10, P. Solberg 8, F. Duval 6, J. Tuohino 5, F. Loix 4, C. Sainz 4, G. Panizzi 3, H. Solberg 3.

Manufacturers: Citroen 24, Ford 22, Peugeot 17, Subaru 10, Mitsubishi 3.

For Martin Holmes’ full report and more of Maurice Selden’s photos from the Swedish Rally, log on to www.rallyscene.com

It has been a dream start to the season for both Sebastien Loeb and Citroen. Loeb has victories on ice covered tarmac and snow this year and has proved his pace on gravel. The Xsara / Loeb combination is the one to beat this year.

First Group N car home was driven

by Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom, the DTM Audi driver for whom this is relaxation. Having dominated proceedings it nearly went wrong near the end when the centre diff failed and it was touch and go whether the car would make it to the end. “I’m very happy to be here and we managed to survive,” said the 25 year-old racer. “I’m surprised I was beating the rally drivers and for such a long time.”

Jani Paasonen, who took the points in the Production Car Championship, was over two minutes adrift of Ekstrom, but 63 seconds ahead of second placed Alister McRae, making his return to World Class rallying after the demise of the Hyundai team late last year.

POINT OF IMPACT: Markko Martin’s victory hopes were dashed.

WINTER WONDERLAND: Alister McRae (below) was second in the Production Car WRC. (Maurice Selden)

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12 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Fitting a

r e t e m p Tri Jeff Whitten investigates the best way to go about fitting an essential piece of rallying equipment, a Tripmeter.

B

esides an engine, wheels and tyres and a gearbox, (oh, and a bodyshell!), one of the most important additions to a rally car is some form of distance measuring device.

You can get away without full race seats, make do with ordinary steel wheels instead of Compomotives and even get by on secondhand tyres. But you’re not really going anywhere (certainly not with any confidence) unless you have a properly-calibrated tripmeter.

Not familiar with the term “tripmeter”? Perhaps you would feel more at home with the term “Halda” or “Terratrip” instead of tripmeter as these two brand names have become synonymous with distance measuring devices in Australia.

That’s not to say that they’re the only two brands of rally-designed tripmeters on the market: there are other units such as Rallytrip, Brantz, Coralba, and others which are regularly fitted to rally and classic rally cars. Interestingly, only one, the Philtronics Rallytrip, is designed and made in Australia, the others being manufactured in Europe.

So, if you want to avoid taking the wrong roads, prevent coming up with readings that don’t match the route chart or your pace notes, then the purchase and installation of a tripmeter is a must.

But having established what an tripmeter is, we should explain that most tripmeters have one basic function – to record distance as accurately as possible down to distances as small as 1 metre however 10 metre resolution is used in motorsport competition. Some units such as the Philtronics Rallytrip and certain Terratrip models will display

1 metre increments for use generally in road measuring and survey work.

While most motorists can get away with a standard speedomounted odometer that reads to tenths of a kilometre, rallying demands much more accurate distance recording devices. And this is where purpose-built tripmeters such as Haldas and Terratrips et cetera come in.

Of course the functions that a tripmeter provides depends entirely on the unit you buy and the price you pay. Cheaper units usually have two scales, one for recording total distance and the other for recording intermediate distance (eg: the distance between one point and another).

Dearer units have other functions–– freeze, split time, average speed and so on, while top-of-therange models include speed and fuel consumption facilities and so on.

However, no matter which type you decide to buy, the fitting of a tripmeter is the same in all cases.

The only variation is between a mechanical unit (eg: a Halda, although Halda did produce an electronic version) or an LCD version.

The beauty of using an electronic tripmeter as opposed to a mechanical one is that calibration (setting up the unit so that it measures distances accurately) is a breeze, usually requiring only one pass over a measured distance to be calibrated.

Mechanical units operate on a system of gears that are more difficult to calibrate and require the purchase of additional gears to get the readings spot on. Most people these days opt for an electronic model because of their accuracy

BRACKET CREEP: This aluminium mounting bracket was custom made to hold a Brantz and a Halda. You can easily make one to fit your particular vehicle.

and ease of calibration but some classic and historic events only allow the use of mechanically-driven types, such as a Halda.

So let’s look at the ways of wiring these electronic units up, mounting the unit and calibrating it to record the correct distance.

SENSOR INSTALLATION: There are four types of sensors that can be used to send a pulse to the unit: 1. ELECTRONICALLY DRIVEN The easiest connection is found in modern vehicles where you can fit a small interface (obtainable from the tripmeter manufacturer or reseller) to the back of the speedo so that it picks up the same pulse that drives the speedo. This wire from the interface leads to the appropriate terminal on the back of the particular unit and is calibrated normally.

One disadvantage of this connection is that the odometer is still subject to incorrect readings being recorded, thanks to wheelspin. Being driven through the car’s gearbox and thus its driven wheels, slippery

PERFECT PROBE: Fitting a probe to the front wheel requires much trial and error to mount it in the correct location. This one is fitted to a Datsun 260Z.

ble screws on.

The cable is then screwed onto the sensor and the speedo cable reconnected. This fitting is quite similar to the second method and is often used on Japanese vehicles.

Many modern vehicles use an electronic sensor unit mounted on their

VARIATIONS ON A THEME: A speedo cable-mounted sensor is easy to fit inside the engine compartment and gives reasonably accurate readings.

conditions will cause the wheels to spin more and give innacurate readings.

But as far as ease of installation is concerned, an electronicallydriven sensor is by far the easiest to wire up, requires no messing around with front hub or strut brackets and is easily removed or disconnected at a later date.

2. SPEEDO CABLE DRIVEN This problem also applies to speedometer cable-driven sensors – wheel spin affects the readings.

However for most purposes this sensor system is quite acceptable and is probably the next most easy installation. Some units come with a sensor assembly that fits into the speedo cable and is therefore driven through the car’s speedo cable.

Fitted usually under the bonnet, installation consists of cutting out an appropriate length of the speedo cable outer cover so that the sensor attachment can be fitted into its place. This is then tightened with clamps and the speedo inner cable threaded through the assembly and into the gearbox.

The odometer wires are then connected to the sensor’s terminals and the whole lot is almost ready to run. Both the electronicallydriven and the speedo cable-driven units will be the easiest to fit on 4WD cars – trying to fit a normal probe to a 4WD car with its driveshaft doughnuts, brakes and so on in the way is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible.

3. GEARBOX PROBE A similar speedo cable sensor is available to fit at the gearbox end of the speedo cable. The sensor, which is threaded to match the speedo cable thread, is attached to the gearbox where the normal ca-

somewhere on the front wheel hub so that it can pick up a signal from the bolts that hold the brake disc on, but there is no reason why it couldn’t be fitted on the rear hub in the case of a front wheel drive or 4WD vehicle. The probe can be mounted on a bracket attached to the suspension strut, through a hole in the brake backing plate, or by some other convenient method.

The probe needs to be mounted so that its face is approximately 1– 2mm away from the hub-to-disc bolt heads. This sounds easy enough in practice but because these bolts are often recessed well inside the hub, adjustment to get the right clearance is sometimes a matter of trial and error.

What you need to do in situations like this is to adjust the probe until it just touches the head of the hub bolts then back it off a turn or two so that there is the required clearance when the hub spins.

Once you have established the correct distance, simply lock the unit in place with the pair of nuts provided so that it maintains its correct location. Connect the probe wires to the unit and spin the disc,

OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY: Some classic events specify the use of mechanical tripmeters like this period Halda, but modern electronic units are much more user-friendly.

gearboxes which produce an electric pulse which is sent to the car’s speedo on the dash.

Generally an electronic tripmeter can be fitted and a pulse taken from this existing OEM speedo sensor and from there the electronic tripmeter can be calibrated to show the distances. This is by far the easiest method as you can use the existing speedo pulses. However some technical know-how should be sought to assure you connect your tripmeter to the correct wire in your vehicle.

3. PROBE DRIVEN By far the most accurate readings that can be obtained can be had by installing a small probe on the front hub. These probes (see picture) are about 30mm long, are threaded along the length of their body and have the appropriate wiring attached for connection to the unit.

The probe is usually mounted

watching to see if the numbers on the tripmeter come up as you spin.

If not, readjust the probe until the correct clearance is obtained.

However, in difficult situations like this, there is no reason why the probe can’t be fitted to the rear wheel of a front wheel drive or 4WD car. The end result will be the same but remember to place the probe on the wheel or wheels that are least likely to spin and give inaccurate readings.

One important thing to check after this installation is that your car’s wheelbearings are not sloppy as you may find once you load up the wheel with extreme cornering that the 1 to 2mm sensing distance from the wheel probe to the hub bolt may vary and either hit the end of the sensor and destroy it or move beyond the tolerance and therefore mis-count, causing inaccuracies with your tripmeter readouts.

NEXT MONTH: How to wire up, fit and calibrate your tripmeter.

www.rallyscene.com - 13

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Series gets better

The Subaru Rally Challenge, already the richest rally competition in Australia with $100,000 in prize money, just got even better with the news that the top three drivers will receive a special incentive to compete in Telstra Rally Australia as well.

The series winner will receive free entry to the World Rally Championship round and airfares to the value of $1500 and accommodation to the value of $1000.

The series second placegetter will be offered a 50% discounted entry in addition to airfares and accommodation support, each to the value of $1000.

The third placed driver will be offered a 50% discount on entry plus $1000 in airfares.

The experience that the top three winners of the Impreza RS one-make championship will gain at Telstra Rally Australia, competing alongside the world’s best rally drivers, will be invaluable.

Telstra Rally Australia is the second international event to back the Subaru Rally Challenge.

The six-event series starts with the Subaru Rally of Canberra in May, a round of the Asia-Pacific Championship.

Canberra organisers have declared that the one-make series will have its own designated service area and that entry fees have been reduced to $1000 for the Impreza RS series competitors.

Subaru Rally Challenge patron, reigning Australian Rally Champion Cody Crocker, says the opportunity to compete at international events is a huge plus for the series participants.

"Subaru Rally of Canberra will be a great experience for the competitors to start and now there is the lure to compete in a world championship round for the top three at the end of the year,"

Darren Windus is expected to be a frontrunner in the Subaru Challenge.

(Forest Fotos)

Crocker said.

"It is fantastic that Telstra Rally Australia has seen the value in the Subaru Rally Challenge and got behind it in such a meaningful way.

"The opportunity to compete in a WRC round with the best drivers from around the world present is the dream of most rally drivers."

John Berne, from New South Wales, has joined Ben Tirant, Eli Evans, Mark Beard, Steve Glenney, Trent Brand, Matt Van Tuinen, Darren Windus, Andrew Pannam, Ian Plenderleith and Gavin Mosher as confirmed starters.A further six cars are under construction ready for sale to competitors.

It is anticipated that at least 15 cars will start the series at the Subaru Rally of Canberra on May 8. Orders for further cars are still being considered by Subaru Australia. Prospective competitors should call Monica Zeaiter at Subaru on (02) 9828 9227.

Champions together

Michael Schumacher was given a lesson in high speed winter rally car driving recently by Petter Solberg. Media persons were kept well away!

Mosley explains Guiding philosophy behind Decisions: To create a balance between costs incurred and media coverage which can be gained through World Championship rallying. A need to convince manufacturers of the sport’s cost effectiveness. Companies only participate in motor sport if it helps them sell more cars. “Rallying must compete on cost with other available systems of selling cars.”

Problems of Wales Rally GB (the position of this event in the 2004 rally calendar is still suspended, pending enquiries into recent traffic problems): “There is a most unpleasant attitude from the Police. They give the impression they do not want the rally and this is worrying. It was bad enough with the speeding problems in 2002. In 2003 the police were becoming even more intimidating. Police guidelines require that speed cameras are only put in areas which have proved to have fatal accident histories. So if the Police were following their instructions there were so many cameras in and around the rally route, it seems the Wales Rally GB is being run in an area that is especially dangerous for traffic” Reason for the rush to introduce Rally Japan into the series: Rally Japan is in the championship to give justification for Eastern manufacturers to be involved in the sport. “As for the rush, we might as well implement our policies without delay. It is part of the FIA’s policy of relaunching the championship. Pottering around in Europe is not the way to have a successful world championship.”

Common components concept: The policy is to help to bring costs down. If costs are reduced there will be more manufacturers and therefore more drivers.

Future policies: To have a greater global spread of rallies, achievable in the short term by increasing the number of events. Should individual promoters feel that does not become viable then maybe existing events would disappear, but it is not the FIA’s policy to throw out existing events.

The increase in organisers’ registration fees to the FIA (four times in 2004 compared with 2003) should not force the issue.

“On average the increase is only some 2% of the organisers’ total budget. The FIA wants rallies in all areas of the world. Mexico helps in having a rally in North America, but

FIA President Max Mosley held a briefing during the Monte Carlo Rally to explain the FIA’s policies behind the decisions made at the January 14 extraordinary World Rally Championship Commission meeting and on other recent occasions.

Max Mosley there is still no event in Africa. The future opportunities for restarting the Safari Rally is questionable.”

Control tyre concepts: There are three objectives - reduce costs, make for fairer competition (to reduce distortion of the event through drivers making tyre choice errors) and make the sport safer, by reducing performance by controlling the design of the tyres. The use of single supplier control tyres is not firm FIA policy. The tyre companies have been asked to submit alternative ideas, in keeping with these three defined objectives.

48 qualifying rounds in 2005: Basic aim is to allow retired cars to reenter events. Also, to give a bonus for drivers who do well during the event.

The two existing Superally systems (Australia and APRC ) were both considered to be flawed, so a third system (three rallies per event) was introduced.

The overall event winner will not receive points except for daily performances, only champagne otherwise!

Ten manufacturers nominated drivers and eight of them to score makes’ points: No problem even if not perfect. Always the top teams will at-

tract all the attention.

The end of the 1000 Pistes concept: Other subsequent rule changes (notably all day rallying without service and all day rallying without tyre changes) have achieved everything the 1000 Pistes was intended.

The absence of recce cars and overall time limit of events is achieved through the alternative “2+3” systems.

Keeping individuality among competing cars. “I am in favour of cars looking like individual road cars.” (Mosley recently criticised F1 cars by being only recognisable by their colour schemes.)

Why has the FIA dismissed safety fears from top drivers about cancelling gravel crews?: “I actually believe gravel crews are a performance factor rather than a safety factor. I think top drivers used to drive just as well without gravel note crews before they came up to the top level.”

Won’t reduced servicing involve avoidable levels of retirements?

Will it really reduce costs?: While it is true that it might involve more testing, at least durability testing saves the money otherwise spent on forever changing parts.

Live TV: The sooner live TV happens regularly the better. One of the disappointments of not requiring 1000 Pistes, it would have gained more TV experience of majoring on afternoon live TV. “There will never be a successful world championship unless there is live TV. Hopefully live TV will grow from being just a single-shot Sunday program to programs on each of the three days.”

Rally cars for recce: “In two or three months time, everyone will be used to the idea. This idea is fundamental to the policy of reducing costs.”

Hasn’t the recent spate of changes further destabilised the sport?: Rallying needs stability. Ten years ago we made a lot of far reaching changes which were criticised at first but they were the right thing to do. Hopefully the latest ideas will further stabilise the wish for the present manufacturers to continue in the sport. We should have tackled these latest issues two years ago.

The basic philosophy for 400km stage/three days competition/two recce passes - all these measures are considered to be secure for the foreseeable future.

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14 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

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www.rallyscene.com - 15

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Classic

E N E C S RALLY

NEWS - FEATURE CARS - REPORTS - COMING EVENTS

T

hough not strictly a rally car in the true sense of the word, bigengined Capris are neverthe less great classic rally cars.

Even though the late, great Roger Clark used a 4WD prototype Capri in a rallycross event in the 1970s, Ford Capris have been pretty much neglected until recently, when the classic rally movement started to gain strength.

Everyone is well aware of the Capri Perana that Stig Blomquist used in the London-Sydney Marathon re-run a few years ago, the car prepared and built by Ben Rainsford in South Australia. Another famous Capri Perana is the silver grey version rallied most successfully by David McDonough in events such as Classic Adelaide and Rally Tasmania.

So Capris are not entirely ignored by people who want something different in the way of a sporting classic rally car.

What all this is leading to is the fact that there are some excellent Capris still out there just waiting to be restored, just as there are many other types of cars in similar situations - it's just a matter of keeping your eyes and ears open.

Just recently I happened to be driving around the backblocks of Melbourne looking for some parts for a car (not a Capri) that I'm restoring. The search led me down a narrow country road to a farm property hidden away from pretty much everyone's view. As I drove down the long drive, I could see a couple of cars sitting out in the open amongst the old shipping containers, racks of old car doors and panels, and the odd car body.

Closer inspection revealed that the two most interesting cars were RS3100 Capris, a model that was used extensively in touring car racing in Europe. Not just a normal 1600cc Kent-engined Capri as most were, the RS3100 had the German Cologneengined V6 as its motive of power and was one of Ford's most successful touring cars, competing against the might of BMW’s best.

These cars are pretty rare in Australia and to see two sitting out in the open in a damaged condition, obviously road accident victims, was a bit of an eye-opener. There was nobody home at the property when I called so I was unable to find out if the cars were for sale or not, so their future is unknown.

It would be a shame if cars like this were

Classic Comments

by Jeff Whitten

left out in the open to rust away and there must be thousands more similarly-interesting vehicles all around the country in a similar predicament.

T

he recent Porsche Mt Buller Sprint was an interesting new Classic event that has heaps of potential.

Although it was not well supported (only 38 cars started), the concept was one which will hopefully bring competitors back in droves in following years.

Using the 16 kilometres of bitumen road that leads from Mirrimbah at the base of the mountain, the fastest cars covered the twisting course to the Mt Buller village at the top in just over 9 minutes, an average speed of around 105kmh.

The range of cars contesting the Australia Day long weekend event was as exciting as seeing the cars in action. Entries ranged from a Mk.1 Austin Healey Sprite right through to a GT3 Porsche, while in between there was a great range of other vehicles - Mustangs, Austin Healeys, an RS1800 Escort, Torana XU1, Evo Lancers, a WRX, a Renault 5 Turbo and many more.

Seeing the cars race through the mountain village streets, between the chalets and lodges, reminded me of events like the Monte Carlo Rally where rallying is an accepted form of annual excitement.

A

s I make my way around the country, I never cease to be amazed at the amount of classic cars that are being restored or the replica versions that are being built.

Over the past few weeks I have heard of at least six BDA Escort replicas under construction, including one which is being built to faithfully replicate Ari Vatanen's 1981 World Championship-winning Escort.

The owner of this car has gone to great lengths to ensure its authenticity, even so far

Garwood’s new GT3

Launceston’s Greg Garwood has an upgraded Porsche for his bid to improve one position on his 2003 Targa Tasmania result and secure his first podium finish in the tarmac rally this year.

Garwood, who was fourth in 2003 and the leading Tasmanian competitor, has taken delivery of a 2002 Porsche GT3 for this year’s rally from April 24-May 2. The car replaces the 1995 turbo 911he drove in 2003 when he finished 2-mins 31-secs behind the winner and seven-times Targa champion Jim Richards, also driving a Porsche.

“I got the new car soon after Targa last year and it’s a much better package with newgeneration technology and adjustable suspension,” said Garwood.

“It’s lighter, with more precise steering and better balance. Jim (Richards) is still the one to beat, but with this car I think we can take the next step and hopefully get on the podium.”

Garwood’s rear-drive GT3 generates approximately 365-horsepower from a 3.6-litre normally-aspirated six-cylinder engine, and weighs about 1290kg. The four-wheeldrive Porsche he drove in Targa in 2003 produced 380-horsepower, but was substantially heavier at 1,650kg.

as talking to Vatanen himself and the original car's builder, David Sutton. Can't wait to see it in the flesh.

Of course ARN will bring you some stunning photos of the car in an upcoming issue.

Not only do Escorts abound, there are Datsun 1600s, Monaros and several other models under construction. Fiats haven't missed out either - there is a company in Canberra replicating Greg Carr's ARC Fiat 131 Abarth.

There's no argument that the classic rally scene is on a roll.

C

ampbell Andrea, CAMS Rally Man ager, was expressing concern the other day about the number of new road events that are already being run and new ones being applied for.

It poses a bit of a quandry for Campbell and it's not that CAMS don't want more events, it's simply finding room in the calendar for them. Most classic events are held when there's a chance of better weather, eg: summer, autumn and spring, but the calendar is already so busy at those times that the inclusion of new events obviously ends up resulting in a clash of some sort.

Good news for competitors, of course, as it offers a big variety of events from which to choose.

LOVE THE FLARES! This immaculate Mk1 Escort (above) was a crowd favourite.

EXTRA GRUNT : Zetec engines and turbocharged 2-litres were rife at the Ford RS Owners’ Day.

I

had the opportunity to visit the RS Own ers Club's "Small Ford Sunday" in Mel bourne recently and what a mouth-watering array of cars were on display!

There were over 100 cars there on the day, with the emphasis being on the Mk.2 Escort RS2000 which turns 25 in Australia this year. Row after row of immaculate RS2000s mixed with Mk.1 Escorts, Cortina, Capris, Sierras, Kas and Anglias really drew the crowds who spent the day drooling over the lovingly-restored cars.

Congratulations to Derek Wickett and his team for putting on another great day.

16 - www.rallyscene.com

Classic

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

S W E N RALLY

NEWS - FEATURE CARS - REPORTS - COMING EVENTS

Davison wins at Mt Buller

TO GOOD: Alex Davison and Paul Flintoft were never headed all weekend, taking their Porsche GT3 to first outright in the inaugural Porsche Mt Buller Sprint.

Alex Davison and Paul Flintoft took out the inaugural Porsche Mt Buller Sprint, held on the Australia Day long weekend, in their Porsche GT3. They headed a small but classy field of Classic and modern cars and were fastest on all four runs that decided the event.

Their fastest run was a time of 9m03.15s, an average speed of 106.3km/h, over the tight and twisting 16 kilometre ascent of Mt Buller in North Eastern Victoria.

In second place were touring car legend Peter Brock and co-driver Ann Gigney, recording a fastest run of 9 minutes, 12.67 seconds in their V8 Monaro, and just displacing Rex Broadbent/Chris Randell (Daytona Coupe) who held second place for most of the weekend.

Jeff Beaumont and Jenny Cole led the 4WD contingent home, filling fourth spot in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6, just ahead of Doug Lehmann/Andrew Booker in a similar car.

The event was not without its dramas ––several crews overdid things and damaged their cars, the earliest being Paul and Christine Freestone who put their Monaro over the edge on the first familiarisation run.

Also in trouble were John Beasley/ Henry Lawson who collected a water

Final Results Porsche Mt Buller Sprint 1. Alex Davison / Paul Flintoft 2. Peter Brock / Anne Gigney 3. Rex Broadbent/Chris Randell 4. Jeff Beaumont/Jenny Cole 5. Doug Lehmann/Doug Booker 6. Simon Froude/James England 7. Gary Tierney/Mark Tierney 8. Greg Muller/Doug Fernie 9. Len Catlin/Gayle Catlin 10. Brett & Scott Middleton

Porsche GT3 Holden Monaro Daytona Coupe Mitsubishi Evo 6 Mitsubishi Evo 6 Porsche GT3 Porsche 996 Turbo Porsche GT3 Ford Mustang Subaru Impreza

36m43.02s 37:15.10 37:43.19 38:15.68 38:22.96 38:23.70 38:37.77 38:45.91 38:49.23 38:55.60

TOP FOUR: Jeff Beaumont and Jenny Cole stamped their authority on the battle of the Lancer Evos, their Evo 6 coming home in fourth spot.

Photos by Peter Whitten

VERY SPRITELY: Peter Smith and John Cooper drove the Austin Healey Sprite on the limit, despite it being the smallest car in the event.

barrier, breaking their XU1 Torana’s tie rod, and Brian Canny/Graeme Block who put their Porsche into the wall with expensive results.

Despite some desperate driving, Brett Middleton and brother Scott, only managed 10th In their Subaru Impreza, falling victims to the lack of tarmac experience.

Competitors were full of praise for the event’s concept’and, with a bit of fine tuning, the Porsche Mt Buller Sprint could become one of the’“mustdo” events of the year.

MUSTANG SALLY: The family battle of the Mustangs was waged between the Swans (pictured) and the Catlins, the latter coming out on top.

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www.rallyscene.com - 17

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Classic

S W E N RALLY

NEWS - FEATURE CARS - REPORTS - COMING EVENTS Classic NSW Last chance rally series

The Deepwater Sporting Car Cub have announced a new Classic Rally series based on rounds of the NSW Rally Championship.

The new series will cater for 2WD cars produced before January 1, 1983 (or run-on models) and cars must comply with Schedule R of the CAMS Manual "Requirements for Rally Cars."

Events so far confirmed for the DSCC Classic Challenge are Wyong (March 20 & 21), Bathurst (May 1), Bega (June 13), Batemans Bay (July 24), Premier State Rally (August 28 & 29), Port Macquarie (October 16) and the NatCap Rally on November 6.

Several other events have also expressed interest in being part of the Challenge. Further details can be obtained from Gerald Schofield at: geralds@bigpond.net.au

Southern Cross finally gets underway

The resurrected Southern Cross Rally has already started to attract entries despite Supplementary Regulations only recently being approved. According to Clerk of Course, Dan

White, everything is now in place for a great event on the weekend of March 11-14.

"Entries are now coming in and we are confident that we'll have a good field by the time entries close," he said. "Most of the groundwork and the mountains of paperwork has now been completed, but it's been a long haul to get the event off the ground," he added.

Activities over the weekend include two actual events - the first being a Touring Road Event comprising average speed and transport sections over some great roads at a leisurely pace on Thursday, March 11, and the Southern Cross Road Rally Revival from Friday, March 12 to Sunday, March 14. This event covers around 550km of competitive sections on roads made famous by the Southern Cross Rally in earlier times.

Entry fees are $275 for the 250km TRE and $1375 for the revival event.

Further details are available from: thecross@bigpond.net.au or check their website: southerncrossrally.com

New class mooted

Organisers of Classic Adelaide are looking seriously at adding an extra category to this year's event - Category 7 for vehicles built between 1982 and 1990.

The intention of the new category is to exclude turbocharged 4WDs, thereby eliminating the powerful Nissan Skylines and Toyota Celica GT4s as well as a host of other vehicles.

It is proposed that category 7 vehicles will not use the same modifications as are permitted for

Categories 1 to 6. Instead they may only be modified to Levels 1, 2 and 3 as adopted by Targa Tasmania.

These regulations severely limit an increase in power and grip compared to the earlier classic cars.

Rally Walhalla planned for ‘05 Well-known Targa Tasmania competitor and Sydneysider, Ray Dean, has announced plans for a bold new targa-style event to be held in Victoria's Gippsland region in 2005.

Making use of the fabulous roads in the Gippsland area, and with enthusiastic support from the local Baw Baw Shire, Dean hopes to gain CAMS approval for the event in the near future.

The event will most likely run over two days in September 2005 and is targeted at competitors who like the idea of targa-style events but cannot afford the time to compete in longer four and five day tarmac rallies.

Fifteen stages are planned, based on the facilities at Larndner Park. With a long lead time, Dean hopes to provide an event that will appeal to a wide variety of competitors and cars.

Got some classic rally news or an idea for a story? Then contact us on (03) 5722 1250, or email: jeff@rallysportnews.com.au

If you've ever thought about entering the Grand Prix Rally, but have never done anything about it, then now is your last chance to get your entry in for the 2004 event as entries close on Friday, February 20.

The rally starts on Saturday, February 28 in Shepparton and makes its way through some of Victoria's most stunning country and seaside towns, including Bright, Lakes Entrance, Traralgon and Phillip Island, before winding its way back to Melbourne, and finishing at the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit on Wednesday, March 3.

It is a 'must do' event for anyone interested in testing their driving, and social skills - not to mention the opportunity to put the foot down at some great race tracks!

Open to all vehicles, drivers should hold a current Australian driver's licence and a CAMS Level 2S licence, and should be a member of a CAMS-affiliated car club.

Aside from passing a roadworthy check, vehicles will only need a CAMS-approved fire extinguisher, a helmet for the driver and a first-aid kit fitted. No roll cages or driving suits are required.

For all entry details and event information on the 2004 Grand Prix Rally please contact Julie Maher at Octagon on (03) 9685 3500.

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18 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Road Test: Nissan 200SX Brian Semmens’ victory in the 2003 Alpine Rally proved he’d made the right choice.

Has he built ...

The ultimate RWD rally car?

F

or some years, Bendigo’s Brian Semmens has been Victoria’s leading twowheel driver rally competitor, picking up a number of impressive results along the way.

Having used a Toyota Corolla for many seasons, Semmens was keen to make the change not only to a newer car, but one that offered the opportunity for more power than his current Corolla. The Corolla had served him well ––in both 1600cc and 2.0 litre versions ––but with the advancements in technology and the appearance of more and more four-wheel drive cars in state championship events, results such as his third outright in the 1997 WIN TV Rally in the Valley were becoming harder and harder to obtain.

Although Semmens knew that top three results in a two-wheel drive car were now out of reach except under extraordinary circumstances, the four-wheel drive route didn’t interest him, so his search began for something to replace the muchloved Corolla.

After much consideration, it was decided that Nissan’s 200SX RVS12 offered the best possibilities. The V6-engined, 2960cc car had won the Ivory Coast Rally in the late eighties, as well as twice finishing second in the gruelling Safari Rally, but it had never really made its mark outside the WRC. Semmens sourced a car, but was told that unless he obtained one of the special hard-to-get inlet manifolds, he was wasting his time. Only

By Peter Whitten 5083 of the special manifolds were ever made, and none of them were fitted to cars in Japan ––most–went to the USA. Hours of scouring the internet finally tracked a manifold down in New Zealand, and the project got underway.

A 200SX, which is for all intents and purposes a Nissan Gazelle with the bulge in a bonnet, was purchased from Stewart Wilkins in Sydney, and Semmens set to work building what is possibly the ultimate rear-wheel drive rally car.

The car’s debut was at the Mildura round of the Victorian Rally Championship in 2002, and the fast roads and the 4.4:1 diff ratio had the Nissan topping 240km/h along the straights. Realising that the event was not representative of most events that he was going to be competing in, Semmens changed to diff ratio to 4.6:1, with immediate benefits.

Over the next few months the car was continually tinkered with to try and get the best suspension set up, but just when he had the car pretty much how he wanted it, Semmens was forced to take 12 months off from the sport after a serious neck injury required surgery and months of recuperation.

He returned to rallying late in 2003, eager to contest the seasonending Alpine Rally –a 500km epic for two-wheel drive cars only. Starting the event driv-

REAR ENTRY: The fuel tank is big, but the spare is a little difficult to remove.

Brian Semmens ing at 11/10ths, Semmens quickly set up a lead that was unassailable, and he took the most impressive victory of his career, rewarding his choice of vehicle and the hundreds of hours he’d spent preparing it over the previous two years.

“It really is easy to drive,” he admits. “It’s got a really flat torque curve and actually feels lazy to drive, but it pulls in every gear and it’s the only car I’ve ever driven where you have to brake hard for corners when you’re going uphill.”

A neutral handling car (the weight distribution is around 50/50), Semmens says the fitting of the 4.6 diff and putting different ratio first and second gears in the gearbox really made the car.

“It’s everything you want in a rally car,” he says. “It’s reliable, easy to maintain and does everything it should. It probably uses too many tyres for my liking, but that’s the disadvantage of having 260 brake horsepower!”

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS Although I didn’t get to drive the car on gravel, a quick blast around some hilly, twisty, bitumen roads gave me an indication of the’car’s capabilities. Having driven a 2-litre Escort in the Alpine Rally (the event Semmens won), it quickly became evident why he’d done so well and set such blistering stage times.

At 6000rpm the V6 200SX engine produces 130kW at the wheels –– that’s about 260-270 brake horse-

WHOA BACK! The Nissan engine and radiator sit a long way back, distributing the weight evenly.

ROOM FOR TWO: The cabin is very roomy, despite the short wheelbase.

GETTING THE POWER DOWN: The rear diff and suspension are built to last.

www.rallyscene.com - 19

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Road Test: Nissan 200SX

WELL BUILT: The comprehensive roll cage was built by Fabraications in Melbourne.

power at the engine), which is around 70-80 bhp more than the standard 200SX engine.

The 200SX engine is actually taken from a Nissan 2-tonne delivery van, but seems of much more use in a rally car. Induction is via a Motec M48 fuel injection system and the car literally goes like a rocket.

The gentle idle from under the bonnet and the smooth operation of the button clutch and the close ratio gearbox tell nothing of the fire within. Taking off from a standing start the Nissan is quickly up and running. In seemingly no time at all, we’re in fifth gear and despite the hilly terrain, the car shows no signs of lagging or slowing down.

As Semmens pointed out, the speed which the car is travelling at is really hard to comprehend. Driving at 5000rpm in fifth gear doesn’t feel that fast, but when he tells you you’re doing around 170km/h, you quickly’back off. In fact even with the 4.6 diff, he says the car will do 234km/h at 7500 revs it top gear.

The vented disc brakes (Z32 Skylines on the front and Series 4 Mazda RX7s on the rear) stop the car as well as you’d expect, although for general road use there isn’t much feel to the pedal and you

WORK CENTRE: Semmens says the 200SX is everything he wanted in a rally car.

“It’s reliable, easy to maintain and does everything it should.” have to apply plenty of pressure with your foot to get the car to slow down.

As mentioned, the test drive was not on gravel so it’s hard to comment on the suspension set up, but Semmens’ results prove that it’s set up pretty well.

The size of the 200SX is another thing that’s quite deceptive’too. Sitting in the cabin the car feels big, and indeed it looks big from the outside, but the wheelbase is almost identical to that of a Mk2 Escort and a Datsun 1600 or 260Z. The bulkiness comes from the one metre of overhang forward of the front wheels, and the metre and a half overhang at the rear. But it is a rally

CLASSY: Pop-up headlights make the 200SX stand out from the crowd.

POWER ON TAP: With 130kW at the rear wheels, horsepower isn’t an issue.

car though, and bumper bars are replaceable!

HOW MUCH? Putting a price on what a car of this kind is worth on the used rally car market is a bit like trying to pick next week’s winning lotto numbers.

While the car cost around $25,000 to build from the ground up, that doesn’t include labour costs.

One has to also remember that a competitor wanting to buy a car like the 200SX obviously doesn’t want to go down the 4WD turbo route, so comparing prices is unrealistic.

Is it worth $30,000 on the used rally car market? Probably ––but Semmens isn’t in a hurry to get rid of it. He’s already planning the addition of more light weight parts for the car, and freely admits that he can’t see himself not being involved in rallying in the next five or 10 years “I love the sport and enjoy the competitive environment. The car is everything I had hoped for and it’s great fun to drive,” he says.

That, more than anything else, is why there are likely to be more and more 200SXs appearing on the rally stages in the coming years. As an Escort driver, I can see why the popular Mk2 is no longer competitive ––now where can I get one of those inlet manifolds?

TECH SPEC 1987 Nissan 200SX RVS12

ENGINE Type: In-line V6 Capacity: 2960cc Bore/Stroke: 87mm x 83mm Compression ratio: 9.8:1 Maximum power: 130kW at 6000 rpm Induction: Sequential fire Motec M48 fuel injection Camshafts: One cam per bank Fuel: Premium unleaded petrol TRANSMISSION Clutch: Solid centre button clutch Gearbox: Double synchro SR20 gear set with Albins first and second gears. 5-speed overdrive Manufacturer: Nissan/Albins Differential: Nismo R200 with 4.6:1 ratio BRAKES Front: Z32 Skyline 4-pots. 11.5” vented discs Rear: Series 4 Mazda RX7 4-pots. 11” vented discs SUSPENSION Front: Peter Davis, non-adjustable. 1””shafts.

Rear: Porsche front struts (2 feet long!) with Koni adjustable valving.

Tyres: Yokohama 195/65/15 Wheels: 6.5” rims, coverted to 5 stud pattern using Toyota Soarer wheels.

DIMENSIONS Length: 4460mm Width: 1670mm Wheelbase: 2425mm Weight: 1150kg

Nissan 200SX

2960cc V6 engine 270bhp

4 wheel discs

C/R 5-speed box

4.6:1 LSD

20 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

London-Sydney in June

The original London-Sydney Marathon in 1968 made history and captured the imagination of the nation. In 1968 it was won by Andrew Cowan in a Hillman Hunter, in 1993 Francis Tuthill won in a Porsche 911 and in 2000, Swedish legend Stig Blomqvist took honours in a Capri V8 Perana.

Now it's back again in June this year when over 60 competitors from 9 countries tackle the gruelling 15,000 km, 30-day challenge. The rally starts in London on June 5.

The European leg takes in Alpine passes and some of the great legendary special stages that have been used on European events for the past 30 years. Competitors then face a tough challenge in India on roads 7,000 feet above sea level and through the daunting narrow roads amongst the tea plantations where roaming elephants are a regular road hazard and monkeys remove windscreen wiper blades.

Following the competition in Europe and Africa the entire event will be airlifted into Alice Springs on June 24. The NT Government has given Alice Springs airport full International status for one day so that the world's largest cargo plane – a Russian Antonov 124, a cargo 747 and a charter passenger 747 can bring the entire event directly into the rally starting point in Australia.

Event Director, Nick Brittan, who was a competitor on the original 1968 event said, “The Northern Territory Government have been enormously helpful in making this possible and I

think it will cause a bit of buzz in Alice on the day."

The competitors, in a selection of classic and modern rally cars, will then face a testing 10 days across Australia, the ultimate goal being to get to the Opera House on Sunday July 4.

The 10 day route across Australia includes 22 special stages totalling over 600 competitive kilometres timed to the second. Brittan says one of the great things about bringing the event into Australia is that it’s part of motoring folklore here and everybody is so keen to help.

“Property owners in the Territory and South Australia have contacted me and asked if I'd bring the rally onto their property.”

The route has been chosen to show the overseas drivers, and many of the Australians too, parts of the remote Outback they normally would never see.

June 25 June 26 June 27 June 28 June 29 June 30 July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4

Rally schedule:

Rest day in Alice Springs Alice to Ayres Rock Ayers Rock to Coober Pedy Coober Pedy to Mungerannie Mungerannie to Windorah Windorah to Roma Roma to Noosa Noosa to Glen Innes Glen Innes to Port Macquarie Port Macquarie to Sydney.

Goldsbrough upgrades WRX Leading NSW privateer, Brad Goldsbrough, has recently landed in Australia Possum Bourne’s Group N Subaru Impreza which he used in Sweden last year, prior to his death.

Goldsbrough’s ‘Dimension 1’ team are

now busily preparing the car for an attack on this year’s Australian Rally Championship.

Expect to see the team pushing hard for some excellent Privateer placings as the year unwinds.

Seemore gets the good oil

A newcomer to the motorsport equipment business, Seemore Australia, reports strong sales over the summer and has announced an expansion of its product range for the New Year, including the Penrite Oil Company's '10Tenths' range of racing oils, brake fluid and coolant.

Based in Ballarat and specialising in mail order, the company was established with a specific market in mind - the budget conscious Clubman competitor who demands top quality, affordable products.

"We are very pleased to be selling the Penrite 10-Tenths racing range, having used these products ourselves in the past year. We know they will be very well received," said Seemore's Ian Crook.

"We are also launching a new range of rally floors and navigator's footrests, with adjustability for reach and 'wings' that provide a side brace for feet.

"In addition, we are now offering a full range of rally suspension, struts, shocks, eccentric and concentric strut tops, fuel header tanks, fuel manifolds and brake bias bars."

Seemore will have stocks of 10-Tenths oils, brake fluid and coolant at each event in the VCRS and VRC calendar, including: * 15W/40 and 25W/60 synthetic oil * Competition diff oil, a synthetic, especially suited to limited slip applications and to high temperatures * Gear/transmission oil - an API GL-4 fortified synthetic in 10W/30 grade * 10-Tenths Racing Brake Fluid - a DOT 4 fluid with a typical boiling point in excess of 300oC * Coolant for high performance engines.

"In addition to Penrite products at each event, we will have samples and stocks of harnesses, seat mounts and other items," Crook says.

Seemore says that sales of both the Club and Pro versions of its new hydraulic handbrakes, advertised first in ARN only a few months ago, have been very encouraging.

"We've been very pleased with sales so far, which confirm the many unsatisfied demands in the rally community.

New floors and adjustable footrest from Seemore Motorsport Equipment.

"Sales of the SAAS 5-point, SFI 16.1 harness have been outstanding as callers have discovered the almost unbelievable difference between our prices and other harnesses for the Clubman competitor.

"We are now launching the SAAS latch link harness, giving competitors who don't need a rotary buckle a low cost $149 entry point."

According to Crook, sales of seats, harnesses and handbrakes in December extended beyond the rally community to other categories of motorsport, with many callers wanting equipment for clubman race cars.

"Later this year we anticipate the introduction of a totally new brand of FIA approved seats, and FIA approved harnesses to augment the current products."

Seemore can be contacted on 0419 538707 or ian@seemore.com.au

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www.rallyscene.com - 21

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Rally NZ sticks with Mille Pistes

ELIGIBILITY REGS UNDER REVIEW Victoria’s Historic Rally Association will be holding an open meeting on Tuesday February 24 to discuss the Historic Rally Car regulations which are in the current CAMS Manual.

Anyone who has any suggestions, comments or opinions on the current regulations is welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in the CAMS meeting room, Dandenong Road, Malvern, from 8pm. Non-HRA members are most welcome to attend.

NEW EVO 8 ON WAY Mitsubishi have announced the impending release of the new Lancer Evo 8 (pictured above right) in Australia, but those who want one will have to be quick.

According to Kevin Taylor, Mitsubishi’s National Manager of Special Vehicles, only 100

Stage named in honour of Possum

By Peter Whitten The amalgamated 48.2km test will be named ‘Possum’ in honour of the late Possum Bourne.

Competitors will then make the long trek back to Auckland for two more runs through the Manukau super special.

Four stages, each run twice, are on the program for Saturday. The old 59km Parahi-Ararua test has been chopped, with the 25.2km Parahi section retained as the first stage of the day at 11.25am. Batley, Waipu Gorge and Brooks fol-

low, and the stages will be repeated in the same order later in the day, with Brooks 2 starting just before 5pm.

Paparoa will serve as the Flexi Service centre for both legs.

As expected, a return to Raglan features on Sunday in place of a visit to the Maramarua Forest.

Just three stages - Te Hutewai, Te Papatapu and Whaanga Coast - will be used, in that order, and again repeated twice.

The first stage of the final day will start at 9.54am, the finale through Whaanga Coast 2 is timed to start at 1.19pm, and there will be a cer-

Rally

ws

Ne

ort

Round Up of the latest version will be available here and it’s a case of first in, first served. The car which will be available in Australia should arrive towards the middle of the year and will sell for around $65,000, a figure that Taylor says is not too far off the expected mark.

The Evo 8 will be the European-spec version which offers 195kw of power and a five-speed gearbox. The slight power reduction over previous models is a result of emission regulations but Mitsubishi are working on an after-market upgrade kit for owners who want maximum power from their car.

Special features of the car include full-time 4WD, an active centre differential, Super Active Yaw Control in the rear differential, Brembo brakes front and rear with Sports ABS

Possum Bourne will be remembered at Rally New Zealand through the naming of a new special stage in his honour.

Known simply as “Possum,” the 48km test will run on the afternoon of Friday 16 April in the Kaipara district north of Auckland. It is amalgam of two shorter stages - Cassidy and Bull - which will be used that morning.

“Possum was synonomous with the event and we wanted to remember him in some way during the rally,” said event chairman Morrie Chandler on announcing the stage.

“This will be the signature stage of the first day. It’s a long stage that may prove quite critical to the overall rally, and will demand skill, speed and concentration - all of the traits that made Possum so special.”

Organisers had originally hoped to run the new stage as a 56km test, which replaces the discontinued marathon 59km Parahi/ Ararua stage used in previous years as the longest of the rally. However, the FIA asked the length to be reduced to 48km due to concerns over tyre wear. a range of other benefits.

Funeral expenses have also been increased from $3,000 to $5,000. Full details of the new cover is available from the CAMS office - their website is www.cams.com.au

Sp

RACETECH BACK 2004 VRC RACEtech Steel will back the 2004 Victorian Rally Championship, renewing their support of the series which commenced in 2003.

RACEtech is the brand name of British International Trading who have been generous supporters of rallying for several years.

emonial finish on the Auckland waterfront later in the afternoon. Flexi Servicing will be based in Raglan. Special stage distance will total 410km.

Competitors are in for some early mornings, with 5.30am departures for the top seed on the Friday and Saturday and an even earlier 5.00am commencement on Sunday.

THEY’RE BACK: The popular stages on the Whaanga Coast will return to Rally NZ this April.

Australian

April’s Rally New Zealand could enter the record books as the only world championship event ever to use the controversial Mille Pistes system.

Event organisers confirmed that the 2004 event would run in Mille Pistes mode, despite recent FIA back-tracking on the controversial system. Rally officials admit that their planning for this year’s event included contingencies to operate under both the conventional and Mille Pistes systems, but say that they reached the conclusion that the new system was the best option.

“We are very keen to test the 1000 Pistes system to give rally organisers, the FIA and the teams first-hand experience of the format,” says Propecia Rally NZ chairman and FIA Rally Commission member Morrie Chandler.

“In our view it offers real benefits in reducing costs, especially for privateer teams with a shorter event and that they can complete both reconnaissance and racing in their rally cars.

We are very confident that we will deliver an event that will be well accepted by the World Rally Championship community.”

Despite running to Mille Pistes, which see the final reconnaissance pass for each leg carried during the morning before the stages, the event will still feature 23 special stages, and the highspeed action will commence before 10am on two of the three main days.

The 2004 event will open on the evening of Thursday, April 15 with two runs through the Manukau super special. As was the case in 2003, Friday and Saturday’s legs will then take the rally north of Auckland into the Kaipara district.

Friday’s action will start at 10.13am, with the first three stages being Wairere, Cassidy and Bull. Waiwere will be repeated in the afternoon.

Cassidy and Bull will then be combined to start at 1.46pm to run as the final stage of the day.

and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, plus 17" x 8" alloy wheels and 235/45R17 high-performance tyres.

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CAMS SECURES IMPROVED COVER CAMS has secured significantly improved Personal Accident Insurance cover for CAMS members at no extra cost.

The new cover, which remains valid until December 31 this year, includes an increase in cover for death and total permanent disablement from $30,000 to $65,000 for licensed drivers and codrivers, crew members and pit/service crews, and

WhereiS JOINS ARC SPONSORSHIP Electronics company whereiS has joined Globalstar as a sponsor of the Australian Rally Championship.

WhereiS markets a database for vehicle navigation that allows drivers to navigate their way to any destination in Australia, claimed to be one of the most navigable road databases in the world. WhereiS joins Globalstar, ELF Fuels and Network Ten as sponsors of the ARC. NEW 2003 ARC VIDEO Chevron have just released a 90 minute video covering the 2003 Australian Rally Championship. Priced at $29.95, the video will be available through Kmart and Target stores, other video outlets and from the Chevron website www.chevron.com.au Of the usual high quality Chevron standard, the video covers highlights from all six rounds of the championship. It’s available on video or DVD.

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22 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Letters to the Editor

I

Send your letters to: Australian Rallysport News, P.O. Box 784, Wangaratta VIC 3676

n an effort to encourage our readers to put pen to paper (or fingers to mouse!) to tell us what their thoughts are on the many issues facing rallying, for the next few months we will be offering a prize for the best letter of the month.

Thanks to our good friends at FilterMAG, there’s a great-looking FilterMAG polo shirt going begging each month to the person who we judge as having written the best letter of no more than 150 words, on any rallying subject you wish.

Just email, fax or post your letters to us at the addresses listed in the front of the magazine and we’ll get our judging panel organised to find a winner. As well as getting your name in print, you could also be zooming around in a designer polo shirt from FilterMAG. At the end of six months, if your letter is judged to be the best, you’ll win a FilterMAG for your vehicle, not only making you a winner, but protecting your car’s engine as well! So go to it.

Our mail bag has been overflowing this month with letters from Datsun 1600 owners. There’s little doubt that the 1600 is one of Australia’s favourite rally cars.

Ron King wins our award this month for the best letter and he’ll shortly be receiving a great FilterMag polo shirt in the mail from our friends at FilterMag.

Good memories Thanks for the Datsun 1600 feature, it’s been worth waiting for and glad to see you corrected the National championship matter, which was won by the 1600 in 1982.

When I read last month's feature I knew the 1600 had won the ARC but my records could not prove it, so it was with much relief that the record was set straight in the article on the ‘Grunter’.

Just one last chapter I would like to see added to the 1600 story - the Dazda. The Dazda was the ultimate form of the Datsun 1600 - it was so successful CAMS banned it in the late 80’s.

The chapter could start with Barry Lowe's Dazda from SA, which I think was the first, then Hugh Bell’s Masport Dazda. Doug Fernie had a quick example, and of course John Brann campaigned his Dazda successfully for many years.

work with ARN. Wayne Parsons, By email.

First timer I was absolutely rapt with your article on the mighty Datsun 1600, but unfortunately haven’t collected any previous copies of your magazine. How many years has ARN been going?

As I will be keeping an eye out for any future issues with Datsun 1600s in them, I wonder if you can tell me if I can purchase any back issues that feature this great car?

Keith Worsley, By email.

Keith, we ran a series of articles on 1600s way back in May 1991, including a great article by tuning guru Arthur Jackson on building a PRC 1600. We also featured Glenn Bakker’s “Grunter””replica in October 2002 and April 2003.

Back issues are sold out but we can provide photocopies of the articles for $5 each including postage.

Ah, we must be making the questions too easy! Lots of correct answers to last month's quiz in which we asked you to identify the three crew members in the wildly-gyrating Monaro in the 1970 Ampol Trial, but alas, only one winner.

Of all the entries we received, every one correctly identified Colin Bond, Tony Roberts and Brian Hope, but Ann Mulholland (better known as navigator Ann Heaney from the 1970s and 80s) was the first name drawn out of the barrel.

As well as getting it right, she also told us that the trio finished third outright and first in Class E, but no bonus points for that!

A free video is on the way to Ann as we speak.

Thanks to everyone who entered -

maybe you might be a little luckier this month.

The year is 1986 and 25 of the new Subaru RX Turbos have just been released onto the Australian market.

They are quickly snapped up by eager rally competitors, including this particular one seen here competing in a rallysprint.

We want you to tell us who the driver is. That’s all! Easy isn’t it? The first correct entry opened will win a copy of the new Chevron video “Rally” which covers highlights of the 2003 Australian Rally Championship, so get your entries in now.

Just write your answer on the back of an envelope and post it to: ARN Competition, Australian Rallysport News, P.O. Box 784, Wangaratta 3676. Entries close Friday March 1st.

What about 83?

Now a Queenslander, I am heartened to see a new breed of young 1600 enthusiasts, some in their early 20’s who are campaigning these cars with much gusto.

You know, the 2002 QRC was almost won by Wayne Johnston in his 1600, John Spencer won the Classic Adelaide Rally and is one of the most exciting 1600 punters on dirt I have seen. Then there is John Siddons right here on the Gold Coast who won his class in Targa Tassie for the umpteenth time. Queensland is a great place for 1600 enthusiasts.

Cheers, Ron King.

(Thanks, Ron, we’ll se if we can do a follow up story on the Dazda (for those younger readers, a Dazda was a Mazda-engined Datsun 1600). In the right hands, these cars were certainly spectacular and unmistakable in the forests.)

In 1983 Ross Dunkerton won his 5th Australian title in a Datsun 1600. Ask him! I can’t believe you haven’t got a list of Australian Championship winners and their cars.

Doug Thompson, Perth.

Absolutely right, Doug, but don’t forget that Dunko used three different cars (Datsun 1600, Datsun Stanza and Holden Commodore) as well as two navigators to help him win the title. As Dunk said at the time “I sleazed it in!”

Incidentally, there were four rounds of the ARC in 1983 ––The Sunday Times Safari (WA), the James Hardie National Rally in Queensland, the Dunlop 2GO on the NSW central coast, and the Alpine Rally at Bright.

Dunkerton won’t mind us saying this but he won just one round, the James Hardie in Dave Kortlang’s Stanza.

Congratulations on the new look Australian Rallysport News! The use of colour photos makes it look so much better and I can’t wait for my copy to arrive each month.

While I would love to be able to afford to rally a WRX or an Evo, my budget only runs to a 2WD car, so the stories on classic cars such as Datsun 1600s, Escorts and so on keep me interested in the sport. Keep up the good

Thanks for the article on that horny-looking 1600 in the last issue.

There’s no doubt in my mind, the 1600 was the best car ever for rallying and even after all these years it’s still competitive.’

Hope the one that I’m building turns out half as good as that.

Ian Glashen, By email.

A good look

ARN competition

Horny beast

“As you were” on fees

CAMS have reacted positively to the storm caused by the increase of Touring Road Event permit fees by 310% (as disclosed in last month’s ARN) by issuing a bulletin confirming that fees for 2004 TRE’s will remain as before.

A number of organisers have lobbied CAMS since the increase, pointing out that the increases would have spelled the end of many TREs or forced them

to run as untimed Touring Assemblies.

According to CAMS Rally Manager, Campbell Andrea, the increases were designed to target TREs that ran for more than three days, but “the subject was attacked by a sledgehammer when a mallet would have done the job”.

The per car, per day permit fees for non-speed TREs now range from $38 for events of 3 days or less, to $66 for events five days and over.

Plenderleith goes RS Bathurst up-and-comer, Ian Plenderlieth, is the latest NSW rally driver to commit himself to the Subaru Rally Challenge, investing in a new Impreza RS which he will campaign in the 2004 ARC. The talented young driver will step out of his Toyota Levin into the RS for the first round of the ARC in Western Australia next month. Plenderlieth says

he is totally committed to making a name for himself in Australian rallying and has invested heavily in the car and its preparation.

“I intend to give it everything I’ve got to get to the top and I’m sure the Subaru Challenge is the way to go,” he told ARN. He will be co-driven by his mother, Stella, this season.

24 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

SA Snippets

SDCC have their hands full

The Southern Districts Car Club have their hands full with the first rounds of both the Autosport SA Clubman Series and the South Australian Rally Championship fast approaching.

Round 1 of the Clubman Series will be held at Lanac Park, Munetta Rd, Mt Compass on Saturday March 13. This is a new day/night speed event that will make use of the existing track.

A standing start will be followed by a flying finish on lap 2, covering a distance of approximately 1.8km. Each car will be started when the previous competitors reach the halfway point on lap 2. This will ensure that the event will run quickly and efficiently with the maximum of 50 entries each getting 5 or 6 runs.

A short break for officials will allow crews to fit lights etc for the night stages. The current

D

ue to this year’s ‘Anzac Day Show and Shine’ coinciding with Round 1 of the SARC season, it has been brought forward one month and will now be held in conjunction with The Pedare Christian College’s (four yearly) Fair.

Given the popularity that these two events have just on their own, this will be a huge day.

To be held on Saturday March 27 at the College (2-30 Surrey Farm Drive Golden Grove), the fair will be the result of three year’s planning and organization. There will be something

record, as held by Darren Masters in his Mazda Familia GTR, stands at 82.6 seconds, but with some past and present champions already set to compete, and a long list of serious contenders it may not stand for much longer!

In any case the season opener should be an exciting one. Spectators will be asked for a gold coin donation upon entry, parking on the grounds will be provided and the event will be fully catered - BBQ and soft drinks etc. No alcohol please as it is all on private property. The deadline for entries is March 5.

The Fowles Auction Group are once again major naming rights sponsors for the first round of the 2004 South Australian Rally Championship.

To be held on April 25, the popular 'Southern Rally' will this year have it's headquarters at the Memorial Oval, Yankalilla.

Fully pacenoted for the first time, the rally will begin down in the Second Valley Forest then, via Lanac Park, to Kuitpo Forest. Special Stage 9 will make use of the track at Lanac Park (be sure to check out the new facilities) with Kuitpo getting the last four (night/twilight) stages.

A number of exciting new spectator points have been arranged at both forests and spectator guides will soon be available from the website (www.sdcc.com.au) or on the day at HQ. For competitors, the supp regs are also available from the website.

Those interested in helping out or officiating at either event (or both) can contact Pat Dorshorst on 83262091 or Marc Tillett on 82705573.

Events like these rely heavily on volunteers so don't be shy. Training is provided, and newcomers are most welcome - it really is a lot of fun.

for everyone, including helicopter rides, live bands, kids entertainment, catering, displays, stalls and of course the’‘Show and Shine’.

It will be open to all areas of motor sport (bikes and boats included) and, as with previous years, public voting will determine the winners. Rally competitors and teams are most welcome to display, promote and even fund raise for the coming season.

This is a great opportunity, but be quick as entries close on Friday March 12. For further details, contact Mark Povey on 82655388, 0409288380 or at povey@tpgi.com.au.

NEWS WANTED

All feedback and suggestions for this column can be sent to kristian@sportpix.biz.

By Kristian McMahon

Promotion calendar

Keep an eye out for this year's SA Rally promotional poster/calendar.

Featuring all the 2003 award winners from each class, the poster will be available free (yes, that's right) from all associated car clubs and other yetto-be named outlets. Expect them to be available later this month, but in limited numbers only! For the benefit of all fans and enthusiasts (and the clubs themselves) the club website addresses are as follows: Southern Districts Car Club: www.sdcc.asn.au Barrier Sporting Car Club: www.bsccrally.biz Walkerville All Cars Club: www.wacc.asn.au Rally Sport Club of South Australia: www.rallysport.asn.au Contact and event details as well as photos, news and results can all be found on these sites - well worth a look.

Lake in unchartered waters

Fans of the Lake Brothers (there are a few!) and their V8 Commodore will be disappointed to learn that they will most likely not be competing this year.

The slim possibility of an event ‘here and there’ is all that we can hope for from the boys in the blue beast. It is clear though that their heart is in the sport, but to come back after such a successful year without a major sponsor would mean a monstrous effort from the team.

2003 saw them finish with a P4 title and third outright, all in a 20 year-old Commodore (of hardly any rally pedigree), eclipsing many top class outfits armed with more modern equipment of the EVO and WRX kind.

With the dominance of 4WD vehicles in all levels of the sport, the skill and flair with which this powerful 308 VH Commodore is piloted along a dirt road is certainly a sight to behold.

For those that have witnessed this weapon be-

ing hammered around the forests and countryside of SA, it would be of no surprise to learn that they always carry two spares. Its tyre shredding is just incredible, most not lasting more than 25km before exploding!

“I trust Jeremy completely and have never been scared in any way with him driving,” co-driver Tony told me once last year. This is indicative of a deep understanding and relationship between driver and co-driver that only two brothers could have. Either that or they are both as insane as each other!

“Jeremy built the car himself, including the awesome V8 engine. It is tough, obviously very fast and he knows how to drive the tyres off it – literally,” he added.

A healthy history of rallying spanning the eighties and nineties (Mazda RX2 and RX3 style) right through until today would suggest that we haven’t seen the last of these guys.

The Lake brothers are likely to sit out most of 2004 - to the disappointment of fans.

BUSSELTON - FRIDAY NIGHT Get ready for the big-time action at the Busselton Toyota Super Stage when the rally cars hit the tar and race around the clock. This is the start of the 2004 Globalstar Australian Rally Championship. There is not just plenty of rally action, there is sideshow alley, a live band, family entertainment, autograph sessions and food and drink stands, it is just a great night out. The rally action starts from 5.45pm and ends with fireworks at 9.30pm

BUSSELTON - SATURDAY

ENTRIES Competitors wishing to enter the Respect Yourself Forest Rally should go to www.rally.com.au to find all the Regulations and Entry Forms.

SPECTATOR TICKETS Tickets are just $10 per day or $25 for the weekend and kids under 15 are Free.

Tickets are available from The Pitstop Bookshop on 08 9322 5544, Busselton & Nannup Tourist Bureau's or Hillzeez surfshops. Spectator information will be in The West Australian newspaper on Saturday 20th March.

March 26-28

The rally action heads to Nannup but there is still plenty happening in Busselton. From 11.00am the hottest street and race cars hit the Busselton Toyota Super Stage, WA's best skateboarders contest the Hillzeez skateboarding competition, car and bike displays and the sideshow and food and drinks stands go all day. The Rally Cars return at 7.00pm to contest the Busselton Toyota Super Stage a second time.

NANNUP - SATURDAY & SUNDAY The Respect Yourself Forest Rally heads into the forest around Nannup and the dirt really starts to fly. Australia's best rally drivers in the fastest cars put on plenty of side ways action at great spectator points. When you are not watching the action come into Nannup and see the mechanics repair the cars in the Service Park on the main street before they go out into the bush again. And while in Nannup enjoy some of the great cafes and shops.

CLASSIC CARS

See the pre-1986 classic cars compete in the Forest Rally Classic. Ross Dunkerton in his Mitsubishi Lancer will be up against Adrian Stafford in a Datsun 240Z and plenty of others. They will bring back plenty of memories from the past.

www.rallyscene.com - 25

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Queensland news

ARN brings memories flooding back

As a child of the sixties (now that is hard to admit to), last month's issue of Australian Rallysport News took me back to my teenage years in the late seventies and the cars which I owned at various times.

I am happy to admit my allegiance to the small Ford family with a number of sporting Escorts under my wings, but on the flip side you were no-one if you didn't own a Datsun 1600 or two.

My first Datsun was, in fact, a rally car which I owned in partnership with my brother.

It had been owned by a plucky lady who rallied in Brisbane at the time when ladies were not usually seen behind the wheel of a car.

Ruth Tindal was the driver and her husband Laurie fettled the thing as chief mechanic. Having sold the 1600 to the Smith boys, Laurie built Ruth a Datsun 120Y with a big engine, back when even they were quite rare.

My brother and I had some fun with the Datto, but it was 'basic' with upgraded motor-bike fork oil in the front struts, and Torana SLR5000 Koni shocks in the bum end.

Later, in my more mature years, I picked up two road-going Datsuns at different times - both of

Tom Smith driving a genuine Twin Cam Escort on a lap day at Lakeside (back when you could pay $10 and drive all day).

By Tom Smith

New Gemini series sponsor

which were sound but neglected. They cleaned up pretty well, and the second one had that most rare collectors' item, the rear internal louvre.

When the eighteen year-olds of today are thinking about their first cars in twenty year's time, I

Subaru Challenge update

As expected last month's issue outlined progress to date in the Subaru Challenge, and listed the national competitors who have emerged as definite starters in the 2004 onemake series.

Despite the rumours and innuendo, there is only one Queenslander, Matt van Tuinen, who has confirmed his intentions.

Matt has shown enormous promise in his current Subaru WRX, with a couple of local wins and seriously good placings, along with some sound performances at a range of ARC Super Series rounds both here in Queensland and interstate.

At just 23, and for someone who has only been competing for a relatively short period of time, he shows good speed and a balanced approach to his driving, listening to advice and constantly looking for improvements.

Taking a break

At the end of each calendar year, the state Advisory Panels take to the vote to consider their make-up for the following year (no, not mascara, you fool).

Sometimes the panels do not change a great deal, and sometimes they lose very familiar faces.

For the Queensland Rally Advisory Panel, one very familiar face has decided to take a small break from the rigours of rally administration.

Barry Neuendorff, who has chaired the panel for many years and acted in a range of capacities, has elected to take a rest. He will not be on the panel this year, instead deciding to spend time with his wife and dedicate some of the working day to his business. Thanks for your efforts, Barry.

He is ably followed into the Chairman’s role

by Paul Henningsen. The rest of the panel comprises Errol Bailey, Nikki Doyle, Dave Grundy, Sheridan Hetherman, Margot Knowles, Ian Menzies and George Shepheard.

As is usually the case, the panel is always willing to listen to input from competitors so feel free to contact any of the panel members or seek permission to attend a regular monthly

2004 QRC

I apologise for the lateness of this information, and in fact many people may already be aware that for the 2004 Hella Lights Queensland Rally Championship, the series will consist of six rounds.

As indicated in the last issue, those events are QRC1 Cooloola Classic, QRC2&3 Rally Queensland (2 heats), QRC 4 Rydges Oasis Rally Yeppoon, QRC 5 Bailey Powerlines Rally and QRC 6 is the Keema Classic rally at Gallangowan.

The best five (5) rounds of the series will count towards the championship, so this provides for the possibility of one ‘DNF' or an event in which minimal points are scored.

Having co-driven for Matt in the last round of the QRC last year (where we finished third outright), Matt has asked me to co-drive for him in the Subaru Challenge and I look forward to a successful year.

The rally car has arrived from Subaru in Melbourne and has gone to the BRD workshops on the Gold Coast for the initial once-over.

By the time this magazine hits the newsagents, we should have contested the first round of the KCF series as a sorting session.

The car will then be essentially stripped for further refined and specific preparation prior to the first round of the Challenge.

We are aware of the likely high level of competition from some of the interstate crews, but are confident of a good showing.

More news on the team and supporters will be forthcoming in the near future.

am not sure if Hyundais and Daewoos will hold the same fond memories.

Congratulations to Editor Jeff, for featuring the cars which, for many of us, were why we started rallying in the first place.

Queensland Rally Dinner April 3rd

Yes, like a stuck record I am here again to remind all readers of the Rally Dinner on Saturday April 3.

The venue is the Ballymore Rugby Club in suburban Herston, and this will be a small change from the last couple of successful outings at the Bronco's Club in Red Hill.

Berenice Stratton can be contacted for bookings on 3209 2073 (home) or 0414 733 614 (mobile).

Remember that the invitation is open to all, so take this opportunity to bring along supporters, sponsors and even your mum.

Where are they all?

As I was reading last month's short piece on the 25 th anniversary of the Escort RS2000, I came to thinking about just where some of those cars end up.

Not everything which started out 25 years ago ends up as scrap.

One of the first of the batch of 25 German RS2000s which came to Australia ended up in the hands of Fred Thompson up here in Queensland.

Fred ran a Torana prior to that, and was a well-known rally personality. He was also the Director of some of the Warana Rallies in the late seventies.

Fred ran his RS in relatively unmodified form, until the early eighties when it was purchased by Glen Sommerville.

Glen was in the Escort crowd I hung around with in those days, and I saw the vehicle undertake a transformation into a Group 4 version, with five-link rear end, forest flares and a complete rebuild.

Cooloola Classic

With the opening round of the KCF Rallysport Short-Course series on February 7, the next major event is the Cooloola Classic Rally on Saturday March 13.

That's it for this month. Please send me your snippets and news items, along with any other leads on major stories to: tom.smith@rallysportnews.com.au

That car subsequently went through a few hands and was owned by Paul Waller of the Gold Coast club for many years.

It was only at the Queensland ARC round last year when I was recceing with Steve Wall in an old rally Escort that I looked around me and realised what I was sitting in.

Steve had bought the thing from Paul and I happily recounted a number of memories and identifying features. Steve Wall now has a genuine German RS2000 in his collection.

There you go!

It would appear the relatively long, and strong link to Falken tyres is over for the time being at least.

For 2004, Silverstone Tyres will be the series sponsor and tyre provider, although I am yet to see a calendar of the contributing Gemini events.

Thanks have to go to George Shepheard and GSA Wholesale Suspensions for their past sponsorship of the series.

It will be interesting to see if the Geminis are any less spectacular on the Silverstone rubber.

I, for one, think the series will be as hard-fought as ever.

Champ rests up After spending a stack of time and money to win the 2003 Queensland Rally Championship, I believe that Paul Andrews will probably take a break in 2004, with his Lancer Evo. 1 possibly for sale.

This will not be the first time that an aspiring young driver has suffered financially to achieve the success he desires, and I hope that the break is only temporary.

Paul's performance last year was mature and consistent, and he is a worthy front-runner in any field.

I am not sure if co-driver Ashley Bolt will take a holiday or be inundated with offers of a lefthand seat.

Triumph success Once again, without my nose to the wheel, I was unaware of some of the success stories of our Queensland crews at the recent Alpine Rally in Victoria.

One of those crews, who reported so well in a recent edition of the Brisbane Sporting car Club monthly magazine, ‘Brisport’, was the Triumphmounted pair of Brian Falloon and Ben van Wegen.

These boys rally a Triumph 2.5 PI, at an insanely fast pace and have been rewarded on a couple of occasions with very good outright QRC results.

At the Alpine Rally, after a whopping 450kms of competitive driving, Brian and Ben brought home 11th outright, fifth in their driver grading and second in class.

Not a bad show for what some will consider an unlikely rally car.

Well done lads. I wonder if it's still got Lucas electrics??

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26 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Spectators the winners at 2004 Forest Rally

The 2004 Australian Rally Championship will kick off in Western Australia’s south west on March 26-28 with the running of the Respect Yourself Forest Rally.

The event’s route this year will incorporate some of the best rally roads in the championship around the town of Nannup, south of Perth, where the event’s service park will be based. An added bonus for spectators will be Nannup’s traditional cafés, tea houses and eateries which will be open over the weekend to welcome rally service crews, spectators and the media.

Heat One of the Respect Yourself Forest Rally comprises 112km of competitive stages, while Heat Two offers competitors 104km of stages, on similar roads to those used last year.

Ross Tapper, Clerk of Course for the event said “We are excited about 2004. The roads around Nannup are some of the most popular stages of the ARC drivers. I’m really pleased we have been able to put together an event that the drivers will once again enjoy competing in.”

It is not only the competitors at the Respect Yourself Forest Rally that will have a good time, this year there is even more for spectators to see and do. The crowd-pleasing Busselton Toyota Super Special Stage will be run on two nights this year, Friday

and Saturday.

The on-track line up will showcase Australia’s best rally drivers and classic rally cars from around country. Off-track, more entertainment than ever before will get everyone’s hearts pumping.

There will be a sideshow alley, rides for children and adults alike, bands, fireworks, and the Hillzeez Wheels Expo featuring a display by WA’s best skateboarders.

“We have spent a considerable amount of time focussing on spectator enjoyment and we have raised the Busselton Toyota Super Special Stage to another level with enhanced corporate hospitality facilities, entertainment and on-track action,” Tapper said.

Rally fans are not the only ones in for a treat at the Super Special Stage.

On Saturday afternoon the track will become host to an exciting WA Speed event featuring the fastest performance-enhanced cars and race cars in the state.

Tickets are on sale from the Pitstop Bookshop in Perth (08 9322 5544), the Busselton and Nannup Tourist Centres, and Hillzeez Surf Shops for $10 each.

Special weekend rally passes are only $25 and include entry into the Toyota Busselton Super Special Stage on both nights, and entry into the Nannup spectator point.

Round 1 of the 2004 RACETech STEEL Victorian Rally Championships

- 27th March 2004 -

ON THE ATTACK: Scott Pedder will be an Australian Championship contender in 2004

Pedder in Evo 7 for 2004 Scott Pedder will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 for the first time in competition this year when he debuts the ex-Ed Ordynski car at next month’s Forest Rally.

The Melbourne driver, who was a regular pace setter in last year’s Australian Rally Championship, won a Heat of the Rally of Melbourne and is looking for bigger and better things in 2004.

The Pedders camp will run Scott’s Evo 7, a Lancer Evo 6 for brother Mark in all rounds, and a Lancer

∗ 130km of Victorian rallying at its best in the spectacular Morwell-Erica mountain country ∗ Competitors’ cars on display at Mid Valley Shopping Centre Morwell from 9:00am ∗ First competitive stage starting at Morwell Hill Climb track ∗ 4 Spectator points for you to get close to the action

For all event details, news and information go to www.davidnutter.com.au To volunteer as an official contact AJ Dyka on 0413 307 766

MAMMI MOTORS Call Gerald or Chas on (03) 5977 7973 bh

Scott gets ex-Ed Lancer Evo 7 for tilt at 2004 title

Evo 3 for young gun Will Orders from the Queensland round onwards.

According to Pedder, their new deal with Mitsubishi is “heaps better financially than last year” and includes a parts deal with Mitsubishi.

The ex-Ordynski car, which won the NSW and South Australian rounds of the championship last year, arrived in the Pedders workshop last Friday (February 6) and will undergo some dyno work and testing before the Forest Rally at the end of March.

Vic title starts with Morwell based event

The 2004 Victorian Rally Championship gets underway on March 27 with the running of the David Nutter Ford Used Cars Rally.

The event promises to build on CCRMIT’s successful running of VRC events held in the Morwell area in 2002 and 2003.

The rally will start at the Mid Valley Shopping Centre in Morwell, approximately 140 kilometres east of Melbourne, and will be based at the Morewell Hill Climb track.

“This is a great opportunity for us to support an event that promises to kick off the 2004 Victorian Rally Championship in a big way,” event sponsor David Nutter said. “We are pleased to be associated with this very successful and exciting event.”

Competing crews will follow a route taking in 130km of the spectacular mountain country sur-

rounding the Tanjil-Boola district. There will be 13 special stages, commencing at the Morwell Hill Climb track.

This venue will be used twice during the day and will provide a spectacular central location and focus for competing crews, sponsors and spectators.

This year the event has also received principal sponsorship support from Latrobe City and Mid Valley Shopping Centre, and stage sponsors Autobarn Traralgon, Traralgon Suspension/ Pedders, Mammi Motors, Rallycat Motorsport/ KUMHO and Autobarn Narre Warren.

Four easy-to-reach spectator points will be located around the competitive route so the public can get close to the action.

All event information and documentation can be obtained by visiting www.davidnutter.com.au

● Rally Car preparation ● Dyno Tuning ● Mandrel Bent Exhaust Systems ● Hand-made Extractors ● General fabrications

www.rallyscene.com - 27

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Respect Yourself Forest Rally Progress towards the 2004 Respect Yourself Forest Rally is being made at a blistering pace.

Ross Tapper leads the team who are introducing many new variations set to improve the event.

The Busselton Toyota Super Stage will be run four times over the Friday and Saturday evenings and Saturday's runs will actually count towards Heat 2 results.

The plan is to have the Classic cars leap frog the Globalstar Australian Rally Championship field while they service. This will give the crowd a warmup before the bulk of the field hits the track.

Busselton will be alive through Saturday with the Speed Event Series scheduled to run in amongst a wide array of other activities and displays in the ‘Wheels Expo’.

If you are not out assisting, spectating, servicing or competing in the Respect Yourself Forest Rally, Busselton will be the place to be. Ticket prices to see the rally are reasonably priced at $10 a day.

Tickets will be on sale from Busselton and Nannup Tourist Centres, Hillzeez surf shops and the Pitstop Bookshop in Perth.

Another innovation for the Respect Yourself Forest Rally is the competitor and official training program available at: http://www.interactive-knowledge.biz/ busseltontoyotastage.html This interactive program provides an overview of the course complete with cars circulating and then provides a link to how the road card will be completed for the stage. The road card is different because cars start at their gap in the traffic rather than at a predetermined minute. All will become clear after running through the program.

PRC Weights New weights have been approved in a bulletin available on the CAMS web site. Cars to benefit include turbo Charades, V8 Commodores, 1600cc to 1800cc cars and some other cars above the 2000cc mark. Full details are available from the CAMS website: www.cams.com.au Competitors who have suggested and encouraged movement in this direction can be happy with the outcome. CAMS, through Campbell Andrea and Peter Macneall (as ARC Sporting Director) have worked hard to provide CAMS members with a workable solution.

Classics Also announced in a CAMS bulletin are new technical regulations for Classic Cars. Again we see CAMS responding to requests from members.

Ross and Lisa Dunkerton have been heavily in-

Paul's Pacenotes

Positive words Harleigh Uren sent out a note to say he's doing fine. He was hoping the brace could come off early in February so that he could get into rehabilitation.

"I look forward to getting back to the track soon to catch up with everyone again. I’ll be back,” he said.

Licence Renewals There have been good reports about licence turnaround times through Member Services at CAMS. This is the busiest time of the year so here's hoping that all their hard work on improving systems will fall into place for them. I'm looking forward to getting my licence soon.

By Paul van der Mey volved in promoting the Classic class and are very happy with the outcome.

Ross and Lisa would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to breathe life into this new class, especially CAMS themselves and the members of ARCom who especially supported this as a wonderful opportunity to develop a new dimension in entertainment and enjoyment for Australian rallying.

If you're looking to get back into competition and Classic cars are where your heart is, you now have more options. Have a good read of the regulations and talk to event organisers about the likelihood of accepting your car into their events.

company would do well to support not one but a multi-car team with a range of marketing opportunities available.

For further details call Paul van der Mey on 0419 201477.

Thank You Thanks to those who contributed. If you've any rally news or stories please let me know at paul.vandermey@rallysportnews.com.au or by phone (08) 94725885 or 0419 201477.

Autocross Dates The popular Autocross series run by the South West Touring Car Club has the following dates scheduled for the 2004 season: 23 May Round 1 27 June Round 2 25 July Round 3 8 August Round 4 5 September Round 5 23 October Round 6 Twilight meeting All events are scheduled for the Benger course. Strong fields over the last couple of seasons show the support for this level of competition. Looks like it could be a bumper year!

Teams WA Teams WA is a group of Western Australian competitors set to contest this year's Telstra Rally Australia. More than a dozen crews are joining forces to raise funds by promoting our fantastic state.

Terry Mann, with encouragement from Adrian Stafford, Clerk of Course for Telstra Rally Australia, looks set to have the strongest contingent of Western Australian competitors for quite some years. Any self respecting Western Australian

Kia had their first big motorsport win recently when Yvan Muller won the Andros Ice Racing Championship, beating Toyota and former F1 World Champ Alain Prost in the process.

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28 - www.rallyscene.com

By Ray Baker

I

t’s been quite a busy time here in Can berra, plenty happening, with the Rallysprint and ACT Series presentation night and preparations for the first round at Narooma./ With lots of enthusiasm for the new teams competition it looks like there will be quite a few entries.

The teams that we have so far are as follows: Gee/Neale - Evo 3 - GCCasmiri/Pallister Evo 4/ VR4 - GCArnold/Smy - Datsun 1600 Novice Paulie and Mike Marando - Mazda RX5Nathan 'Spac' Senior and Tamsey - Mazda RX7Richard Leitis / Rob Mules - Ford Escort Tony Maxwell/ Anna Ritson - Lancer Mk IRussell Battison/Andrew Buerckner - Lancer Mk IIRussell Winks/Matt Harriott - Overgrown Lancer (a.k.a. Commodore) Brett Wright/John Doble GCRic Cary/ Merryn Handley GCKevin Gavin/TBA GC Some of the team names are still being decided as we go to press.

BMSC Presentation A great night was had this year at the BMSC Presentation night on the 17th of January. This event was held in conjunction with the ACT series presentation at the Hotel Heritage. With over 120 attending it was quite a night.

A few people got up to some tricks and there are quite a lot of incriminating photos that we can't really print here. Plenty of raffle prizes this year with a great effort put in by Peter Kobold to put it all together with the help of the incoming social secretary.

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

going over no less than four times in the bright yellow RX2. I'm sure the whole ACT rally community will get behind Jem to get the car back in action.

First run through and Mitch Heffernan was immediately on the pace with Heimo Ruuskanen in his blue and white 180B not far behind showing up a few of the 4wd competitors. Peter Skinner was a bit rusty after a bit of break from driving.

Richard Hellyer having his first competitive run in Skinner's WRX was finding it hard to come to grips with on his first run.

The Barrett's as usual were straight away on the pace in their 180B with Thomas pipping Michael by 1 sec on the first run. Russell Battison with new co-driver Andrew Buerckner were very quick on their first run in their 26 year old Lancer not far off the 4WD's pace.

Second run through and most times improved markedly, some by nearly 20 secs. One of the big improvers was Bill Hunter in his first ever run in the little Suzuki, also Peter Skinner broke the 7 min barrier in his chase after Mitch Heffernan. The Barrett's also under 7 mins not far behind Skinner.

Richard Hellyer improved on his first run and started to do some impressive times for his first ever run in a rally. Tony Brandon with Shaun Urquhart codriving made a good improvement by 20 secs and was showing what the little Fiat could do.

Third Run, quite a few things happened. Tom Lunney had to pull out with an overheating engine and sticking throttle. Heimo was having terminal engine and gearbox problems which forced him out after this run, Tim Batten after changing his tyres had a much better run beating his last run by 20 secs.

Dave Ferris had a big go at getting under 7 mins for the run but came up one sec short at 7 mins exactly. Ty Hooper and Simon Gibbons were having a great battle, Simon in his new VR4 and Ty in the 180B. Only seconds between them all day.

First run opposite direction, going down the valley was a big change. Still the same people at the front with Heffernan stamping his authority on the event, but with Skinner a lot closer now

Narooma 21st Feb Plenty of ACT teams heading down for Narooma this year. Some changes in co-drivers and cars changing hands as well.

I look forward to catching up with everyone down there. Should be a big field with the amount of people that I know are heading down there.

ACT - Capital Clippings

PODIUM PLACES: Peter Skinner (above) was second at the BMSC Rallysprint in his Impreza, while Michael Barrett (left) grabbed third in his Datsun 180B. (Photos: Epic Sports Photography)

YELLOW PERIL: Doug Wright impressed at the BMSC Rallysprint with some sub-7 minute runs in his Proton Satria.

BMSC Rallysprint Scrutineering was held a Total Traction Services in Belconnen, the business that is owned by the Barrett's (Michael and Thomas). These guys have supported most of the ACT Novice field for the last 12 months and made available their facilities for scrutineering. It was great to be a ble to put the cars up on hoists to inspect them and I think we actually achieved a car cramming record when Tony Brandon's Fiat was being inspected.

With a capacity field and no less than five reserves it turned out to be a bumper day. Started off with some action, 00 Jem Varova and Adrian Dudok having a big roll on their first run through,

that he had blown the cobwebs out from his long break.

The Barretts were still the fastest 2WD but with Doug Wright not far behind for this run. Finally the little Proton was showing what it could do with a couple of sub 7 min runs. Another person to go under 7 mins was Richard Hellyer in Skinner's WRX. Not bad for a Novice in his first ever event.

Second run opposite direction saw Skinner only 8 secs behind Heffernan, this was getting a lot closer and Skinner was driving like he was on a mission. Another hard charger was Tim Batten in the Camira, with regained confidence after a tyre change he was pushing the car harder than it had been pushed before.

The battle between Tim and Kevin Lovatt in the Zebra Gemini was close as it had been all day.

Russell Battison was doing enough in his Lancer to keep Richard Houghton in his WRX at bay, a bit of a David vs Goliath battle here.

Third run opposite direction saw Richard Houghton have a bit of an off, but he still finished albeit a little bit slower. Skinner got with 5 secs of Heffernan which was the closest he had been all day. Doug Wright again under 7 mins and chasing the Barrett's who had only 2 secs between them. Dave Ferris was still consistent with a 7:03 and Simon Gibbons 7:05 equalled Russell Battison also with a 7:05.

Overall Winner was Mitch Heffernan, with Peter Skinner second and Michael Barrett third.

Plenty of action for the first event of the year and bodes well for the first ACT round at Narooma.

Good to see such a bumper field and such an assortment of cars. A great day was had by all and the event was a roaring success. Thanks to Snap On Tools Fyshwick and Total Traction Services for their support. Also to Marty for putting on a great event, not bad for his first event as Director.

If anyone has any news or info give me a call on 0417 057351 or ray@bakermotorsport.net

DMA Motorsport offers for sale the 2003 RACEtech Steel VRC Group N Championship -winning Subaru STi Impreza version 5.

This car was built to FIA spec at the start of 2003 solely for the Victorian Rally Championship. It has competed in 5 rallies only and features:

Call Danny Murphy on 0419 800 684.

● Seam welded shell with fully integrated DMA Motorsport homologated chrome moly multi-point weld in cage ● STi V5 Group N engine, Group N Link ECU with anti-lag, STi clutch, STi 5speed synchro gearbox with variable centre diff with STi ECU, 4.4 final drive ratio. STi front and rear brakes, with STi braided brake line kit. ● STi Suspension bushes, STi engine and gearbox mountings, STi sump, fuel tank and rear diff guards, STi mudflap kit ● DMS struts with STi strut tops, STi roof vent, DMA exhaust system ● Peltor intercom, FIA fire bomb, FIA Velo seats, Takata 3 inch FIA harnesses, 8 Compomotive rims, Light pod with 4Hella Predator Zenon gas discharge lights ● There are some spares including radiator, some lights, alloy bonnet, alternator, new turbo, front and rear STi pads. ● This rally car is part of the Victorian Rally registration scheme and the registration number is ‘0024 RP’

P.O.A.

www.rallyscene.com - 29

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

Tassie Torque

Tassie season almost here

Hi to rally fans far and wide. This is my first true column for 2004 and I trust you all had a very Merry Christmas and a super safe new year. The first rally of the year, Rally Tasmania is just days away as I write this and I look forward to bringing you all the highlights of the event in my next column.

SCAMANDER SHAKEDOWN Calendared for the March long weekend (6,7 & 8), Tasmanians willl see the return of the Suncoast Safari. Many stalwarts will remember this fine weekend of both gravel and water sports spread over the long weekend marking the end of summer.

Held a month before the first TRS, it is a good chance for a run in your gravel beast or simply bring the boat and some skis and spend the weekend in the warm waters of the Upper Scamander River.

The event is to be run by the 500CC and the MSCT combined, but any clubs are welcome. For more info call Graham Malcolm on 0438 728 910.

MUSICAL CHAIRS Safari star Darren Casey has purchased the ex-Craig Sault Datsun 1200 for his assault (no pun intended!) on the 2004 TRS. Looking for something with a little less maintenance than last year’s rotary machine, Darren is said to be very happy with his purchase, and with the addition of a close ratio gearbox and some other gear, he will be surely looking for a P2 class win in 2004.

Toby Allright has purchased Darren Casey's RX2 that he campaigned in 2003. Toby and his dad Dave have been playing around with rotaries for years and with a rebuild and the addition of some other goodies that Dave has lying around, we should see Toby up at the sharp end towards the end of the year.

If anyone needs a good starter car, Toby is also selling his Commodore six pack from last year.

Craig Sault has his new VL Commodore on the road. Built by the 500CC champion Ian Wiggins, the Commodore is made up of bits

from the David Catt machine and some of Mat Shaw's left overs, and is sure to be on the pace of the P4 boys after Craig spends some time getting used to it.

Mathew Wardle has retired the Datsun 180B and purchased the ex-Nick Hays Mazda 323 4WD turbo machine. Looking for a year of experience in the 4WD class, Matt hopes to purchase an ex-Walkden Ralliart car for his attack on the outright placings in the TRS in 2005.

THE RUMOUR MILL The rumour mill has been firing on all eight in the last few weeks. * Firstly, the Ralliart/Walkden scenario. Uncle Les is well into negotiations with Mitsubishi Australia to run their four car team in 2004 - yes that’s four cars, we hope to see two 4 Magnas run by the quickest workshop in Tassie. The rumoured pairing of Les Walkden and Ed Ordynski must be shaking the foundations of the Subaru workshop.

Then throw the Finnish and Australian Privateer's champ in the second car and, hey presto!

Smells like victory to me.

Rumoured to be in the running for the Magna drives are Craig Brooks and David Waldon, with Ben Sheldrick an outside chance! * Mick Sackett has been spotted gathering up some goodies for an Evo Lancer and may be looking for a return to the gravel later in 2004. He’s said to be looking for the fun side of rallying but this will soon change as most men find the competitive edge taking over.

Now I know Craig Brooks is in the running for the Ralliart drive, but he has also been spotted sniffing around the Andrew Wyllie Subaru Impreza. Not rallied for a few years now, the Subaru is said to be ready to rumble. It seems that whatever Brooks does it will be in a 4WD this year. Scary? Nah, really scary!

TOMO FILES Ivan Thompson, son of the Aussie class champ Dave, has spent a few weeks with Mark Taylor fine tuning his 4WD driving skills and looks like he will be competing in the full ARC

Huge field for Tassie

circus this year. Dave tells me there are a few choices on cars but it looks as though they will take the Subaru route.

Best wishes from all, as it's the first time in a while we’ve had the chance to’put our state’s young guns up against the best in the country.

VEE EIGHT SYMPHONY Glen Buckpitt has been busy building a new powerplant for his Commodore in the off season.

A new gearbox has been sourced and we expect the fire breather to be in action at the Huon.

State 2WD champion Tim Rose has also decided to forego the 4WD route for now and 2004 will see the reigning champ back for another crack at the 2WD title. My ears are shaking in anticipation.

NEW ADDITIONS Tim and Lou Gadsby delivered a rally star of the future, Sebastian Archie, who was born on January 30. Jason Milner and Charlene were blessed with the birth of Ryan Daine on the same day while Mark and Evelin Sutcliffe also gave birth a few weeks prior with the arrival of Ella. All the best to the new fam-

By Adrian Morrisby ily additions from the rally fraternity statewide.

KING KILLER WATTS World renowned engine tuning guru, James Laird, recently dropped into the state for some time off and ended up in Big John White’s 4WD dyno house, and it just so happened that Lyn Rattray and Jamie Vandenberg had their cars there ready to run.

From all reports, gains were made across the board, leaving some state competitors wondering how to catch the duo in this year’s TRS. That’s all for now folks. Tune in next month for the latest in news from Rally Tasmania and a preview of the opening round of the TRS.

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NSW: Hi-TEC FUELS AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd A classy field of over 140 crews headed by Jim Richards and Barry Oliver (above), are set to contest this weekend’s “Toll Shipping” Rally Tasmania/Heritage Rally.

The 600 kilometre annual classic has again attracted the cream of Australia’s tarmac rally specialists, and looks like being one of the closestfought for many years. The fastest cars are found in the Post Classic and Modern section where Richards and Oliver have drawn car one and will be hard to beat in their Porsche 911 GT2.

Also Porsche-mounted and offering the strongest possible challenge to the leading duo will be Tony Quinn/Keith Wenn (911 4WD Turbo), Max and Georgia Warwick (911 GT3),Greg Garwood/ Mark Perry (911 GT3) and Peter Bradbury/ Andrew Bullard (911 GT2).

Offering the strongest opposition to the Porsche supremacy will be a brace of 4WD Turbo cars of the Skyline/Lancer/WRX variety.

Locals Jason and John White can be expected to put up a winning performance in their Skyline GTR V-Spec 2 and will be closely hounded by Graham Alexander/David Stewart (Lancer Evo 7), Jamie and Simon Vandenberg (Evo 3) and Brett Middleton/Andrew Benefield, rookies at this event, in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Also in with a chance of victory will be Rex Broadbent/Michael Goedheer in their potent Daytona Coupe.

The Heritage Rally for classic cars built between 1947 and 1981 is headed by South Australians David McDonough and Lynn Wilson in a Capri Perana who will be hard to beat on Tasmanian soil. Seventy seven crews have entered this category, offering spectators in the Burnie area a real motoring treat.

Hot on McDonough’s heels will be long distance specialists Graham Lorimer and Jenny Brittan (Porsche 911 RS Replica), the Zimbabwean driver not to be discounted on bitumen.

Keith and Mary Anne Callinan will bring their fire-breathing Monaro from Queensland and should be spectacular to watch.

V8 Supercar driver Steven Richards, the son of odds-on favourite, Jim), will debut an Escort RS1600 replica with Gerry Bashford co-driving, with John Smallman/Ted Perkins in a similar car.

With a start on Friday February 20, crews will contest several stages before returning to Burnie for the overnight halt. Action starts in earnest on Saturday morning while the last of the 15 special stages will conclude on the Sunday afternoon.

Stages range in length from just 2km to 26km and there will be a total of 165km of stages including the awesome Savage River stage which is contested in both directions.

A full report on the event will appear in the next issue of Australian Rallysport News, on sale March 12th.

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30 - www.rallyscene.com

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

CLASSIFIEDS

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 4 RS. Ralliart-built from new with full FIA cage, LSD’s, viscous coupling, Recaros, DMS struts (60mm front), Ralliart bushes, SPA fire bomb. New motor with HKS cams, Randall Edgell head, vernier cam wheels, forged pistons, HKS gasket, Autronic with anti-lag, Terratrip 303 Plus, light pod complete, approx.

20 Compomotive wheels with tyres - the whole package! Reg. AH1 47K. Driver finally retiring. $49,750. Contact DJ on 0425 353 031.

AUSTRALIA'S RALLY CAR SUPERMARKET

1980 DATSUN SUNNY B310. Fully developed, sorted and proven car which is still fairly new - done just 8 events since being built.

Finished 2nd outright in 2003 Victorian Club Rally Series and dominated Class B. 1587cc Datrally motor with extractors and twin Webers, electronic distributor, Escort ‘Rocket’ competition gearbox with quick shift, slip limiting diff with big axles, big disc brakes all round, fully adjustable front end with Pedders suspension, new button clutch, triple core radiator with thermo fan, Velo seats, 3 inch harnesses, twin electric fuel pumps, intercom and rally tripmeter, Lightforce lights, reverse light, hydraulic handbrake, all navigation equipment etc. Car is road registered, with log book and homologation papers and is ready to go now. Full specs sheet, photos and pricing available for serious enquirers from Steuart Snooks on (03) 8801 1050 or 0413 830 772 or steuart@optusnet.com.au

HALDAS WANTED - dead or alive. Spares, gears, T pieces, servicing, repairs and restoration also available. Phone Mike (02) 6255 8484, 0412 904 638 or email mikemorris@ozemail.com.au.

BRAND NEW MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION 8 RS. Enkei 17" alloy wheels, big Brembos. Never been driven. All import approval and duty paid. Immediate delivery. Vin. JMYSNCT 9A4U000242. $55,000.

Phone Kevin Shaw 0418 280 158. Note: Exact car not shown.

EVO 6 LANCER. Has all underbody protection, 32mm restrictor, Drummond suspension, light pod, computer, roll cage. Log book, rally rego AOH 67R. Used by Mark Thompson as recce car. Very good value at $38,000 firm. Ring Mark Thompson on 0417 487 775 mobile, (02) 4721 4893 (BH) or (02) 4776 1578 (AH).

2003 LANCER EVOLUTION 7 RS. Full FIA Group N. Built from brand new Lancer RS. All body sealant removed, fully seam welded, plated shell. Jack stands mounted on sill, Bond full FIA-spec cage, Proflex 55mm WRC suspension, offset alloy top mounts, all Ralliart hard bushes, engine mounts etc. Ralliart front LSD. Fuel lines, brake lines, power steering all Aeroquip. SPA electric FIA fire system. Driver/ passenger footwell, dash pod, parcel shelf, all door panels, firewall, all carbon kevlar. All underbody carbon. Momo steering wheel, Coralba trip meter, 6-point Sabelt harness, Cobra Suzuka seats. High tensile conrod bolts, Gem ECU engine management, Gem centre diff management, dyno performance over 700NM. Anti-lag, launch control, shift light, Group N exhaust system. This car runs on Elf Turbomax. Only done 4 events. To be sold at a fraction of cost to build. Serious enquiries only. Maintained regardless of cost. Reg. EVO 770. Vin No. JMYSBCT9A1U000977. Contact Kevin Shaw on 0418 280 158.

SUBARU WRX RA. Group N. Full chrome moly cage, Proflex, STi front and rear LSDs, 20kg. centre diff, Autronics, Prodrive light pods, Sparco seats, 6 point harnesses, spares included. Reg. 1ALE 499. $35,000. Phone Peter Shaw 0438 942 973. Also available fully enclosed trailer and Quick Shade both in excellent condition. For more info and photos email shaw2bshaw@optusnet.com.au MAZDA RX2 RALLY CAR. Current CAMS log book, NSW rally rego, 12A bridgeport, 51mm Weber with extended fuel bowl, new exhaust, new suspension, LSD, hydraulic handbrake, bias brake valve, new Sparco seats, 5 speed gearbox, heavy duty clutch, light flywheel, spare RX2 if required. Reg. YOJ 826. $8,500 ONO. Phone Sean 0409 044 161 for photos.

LASER TX3 PRC2/F16 rally car. Steel cage in welded shell, rebuilt Koni suspension, power-assisted quickrack (2.5 turns), twin cam 1600 engine, Wade cams with vernier pulleys, lightweight steel flywheel, new button clutch, custom extractors and mandrel-bent exhaust with stainless mufflers, Motec throttle bodies (45mm x 4), Motec M4 with data logging, full throttle upshift, close ratio dogbox (new), 4.4 LSD, Turbo shafts, 4-spot alloy calipers, hydraulic handbrake, braided lines, adjustable bias, lightweight Odyssey battery, Sparco FIA seats & wheel, 6-point FIA 3 inch belts, Terratrip, Terraphone, lightpod. 12 wheels, 20 tyres (Silverstone 505). Heaps of spares including motor/box. Comes with new custom-made trailer, CAMS log book, Vic. Road reg. QCW 221. Ready to rally. Nothing to spend. $14,900.

Phone Shaun 0417 345 026.

LANCER EVO 3 rally car. Top 3 NSW State events. Excellent state or clubman car. Nine wheels and assorted spares. Light pod. NSW rally rego. AGV 70D. $21,500. Phone Peter Roberts (02) 6556 5158.

SUBARU WRX gearbox complete. $850.

Phone Jeff 0419 874 992

Classics get the Mini’s final fling in Oz nod for ARC

In what’s seen as just a formality, ARCom are soon to put the rubber stamp on draft regulations for a new Classic rally series to be run in conjunction with the Australian Rally Championship.

The new regulations are the result of 18 months of hard work on the part of Ross and Lisa Dunkerton, who have been the driving force behind drafting the regulations and lobbying CAMS to consider them.

In another matter that the multiple Australian Champion has been pushing for, the minimum weights of rally cars have been substantially reduced, while the weights for classic rally cars have been reduced by a further 5%.

The Dunkerton proposal will see between 15 and 20 classic cars competing in each round of this year’s ARC, starting with the Respect Yourself Forest Rally in Western Australia in March.

Although entries are likely to exceed the number of places available, preference will be given to well-presented cars that fit the period and have a very high standard of preparation.

Already there has been interest expressed from a number of New Zealand competitors who are interested in contesting the series. If these eventuate, they would be given priority over local crews. However, Australian competitors who are prepared to commit to contesting every round will automatically gain a start.

The classic cars will start at the rear of the ARC field and in most cases will only contest one day of the weekend event or a reduced number of stages.

The Dunkertons hope that CAMS will permit the class to be fully recognised in 2005.

- JEFF WHITTEN

The famous Mini’s record-breaking run in the World Rally Championship will come to an end on this November’s Telstra Rally Australia - and British crew CBM Motorsport are organising a team to send the world’s best-loved car off in style.

After shooting to prominence in the 1960s - an image enhanced by four Monte Carlo Rally victories and then upstaging Michael Caine in the classic film The Italian Job in 1969 - the car has become a globally-recognised symbol of cult cool.

But, all good things must come to an end and now CBM Motorsport - the squad that captured the public’s imagination last year when it ran ‘Mildred the Mini’ to an emotional class victory on Wales Rally GB - has received an offer to use the last two works-prepared Minis ever built on Telstra Rally Australia.

Team driver Neil Burgess said: “The offer of these cars is fantastic. Our success on Wales Rally GB was incredible and is a huge motivation to make sure we can make it out to Australia to play another part in the Mini’s competition history.

“As ever, we need to raise the sponsorship to compete, but after the media frenzy that surrounded the car in Britain we have no doubts that we can offer team partners unrivalled value for money.

“The support that we received on Wales Rally GB’s goodbye to the Mini and the world’s farewell to the famous single-point injection version was awesome. If we can make it to Australia and enjoy even a tenth of that support from the marshals, spectators, officials and crews then we will be more than happy! It would be an incredible story and we are determined to make it happen.”

The cars, owned and prepared by British rally firm West Pennine Motorsport, have a unique place in history as the last two competition machines to leave the factory when Rover re-homologated the Mini for a limited program of races and rallies in 1997.

As on Wales Rally GB, Burgess will be co-driven on the event by Autosport FINAL FLING: Two Minis are expected to compete in Rally Australia in November.

magazine deputy editor Jim Holder.

The second car will be driven by Brian Cameron, a class winner in a Mini on the Catalonia Rally in 2000.

Brian is the former head of British Motorsport Heritage and oversaw the development and running of the Minis that will be used in Australia when they were originally admitted to the World Rally Championship in 1997.

Adding to the excitement for Australian fans traveling to the Perth-based event, works-prepared Minis have rarely made the journey to Australia, with the last recorded entry to leave the famous Abingdon factory being driven

by Brian Culcheth to fourth overall on the 1970 Rally of the Hills in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

www.rallyscene.com - 31

Australian Rallysport News - March 2004

CLASSIFIEDS

AUSTRALIA'S RALLY CAR SUPERMARKET Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6 RS 4WD Turbo Group N Rally Car

SUZUKI SWIFT Gti. Queensland P1 winner. Proflex, Albins box, LSD, Velo seats, 24 wheels, spares. Very quick car. Reg. (Vic.) 0031RP. $12,000. Phone 0419 397 896 or (03) 5941 2764.

ESCORT MK.2. Fully integrated welded roll cage tower to tower, full Bilstein suspension, 50mm struts, 9" travel, 5 speed Sierra gearbox, heavy duty clutch, Hilux 4.9 LSD fresh, big brakes - 4 spot front, 2 spot rear, Nissan R32 calipers, BMW discs, 2.2 quick-steer rack, pedal box. 5 stud Falcon wheels, fresh 2 litre post-Alpine with new Ford competition head, extractors, twin Webers, competition seats, harnesses, hydraulic handbrake, Terratrip, log book. Fresh white 2pack. 12 x 14" wheels with new Aussport tyres. 12 months club rego, RWC. Reg. CH 6674. $10,500. Phone (03) 9743 0809.

ALFA ROMEO 1300 GT JUNIOR set up for tarmac rallies. Steel cage, Marsh seats, modified suspension, brakes, engine. LSD. Great beginner’s car with great potential. All original parts & trim included .Reg. KUC 461.$12,000. Phone 0412 327 519 (03) 9562 2729.

SUBARU WRX 98 STi RA. Drummond suspension, Velo seats, intercom, Brantz tripmeter, close-ratio gearbox, VF29 turbo, homologated cage, Compomotive wheels, Link ECU, Anti-lag. Regretful sale.

Reg. STI 005. $33,000. Phone Brandon 0411 665 873.

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 7 rally car. Built to FIA specs, Recaro seats, firebomb, kevlar underbody protection. NSW rally registered AMM 42V. $60,000 neg. Phone Frank Neale (02) 9636 6666 or 0429 081 248.

DATSUN 1200 COUPE RALLY CAR. PRC specs. Seats, Halda, intercom, rollcage, Koni suspension, hydraulic handbrake, log book, engineer’s report and heaps of spares. Vin. No. B110 - 914296. Engine A12198802E. $5,000. Phone Chris on 0411 700 768 or (02) 4774 0455.

LANCER EVO 1 - 2 and some 3 parts. Engines, gearboxes, diffs, suspension arms, cross members, drive shafts, tail shafts, body parts, brakes, radiators, intercoolers etc. I have dismantled 6 cars over the last 12 months so I have many bits. Call or email for more information. Phone (03) 5823 1911 BH or email cvapbigpond.com

Register for the ‘SEARCH FOR A RALLY STAR’ The winner receives a WRX or LANCER EVO Rally Car! Plus Expert Rally Tuition Plus Start Money Ever wanted to be a Rally driver but have never had a head start needed to launch a rally career? Well here’s your chance to get a foot in the door and enter the amazing sport of rallying! Those who enter the ‘Search for a Rally Star’ driver program will be assessed on driving capability, enthusiasm, ability to market themselves and their long term plans for future involvement in this exciting form of motor sport. Estimated entry fee is approximately $1950 including GST. Just send your contact details. We will contact you with further information and conditions once finalised. See you there and GOOD LUCK! Search For A Rally Star Pty Ltd PO Box 1405 Mona Vale 1660 Ph: 0411 277 433 Fax: 02 9973 3989 Email: sfars@bigpond.com www.rallystar.com.au In Alliance with Sideways Action www.sidewaysaction.com.au Rules subject to variation. Neither party is bound at this stage

SUBARU WRX STi V. Version 4 STi upgraded to Version V STi. Prodrive 450Nm engine, ECU and Turbo (quick release), 5-speed STi gear box with latest Group N gear ratios, STi front LSD, STi 20kg. centre viscous, R180 rear diff with upgrade kit running 4.4 ratio, chrome moly cage including mounting through dash to towers, full intrusion bars, seam welded, strut tower plating and integrated side dowels for jacking. Proflex 55mm suspension, floating bottom bush, large diameter springs, adjustable bump and rebound, remote canisters, full Group N suspension bush kit.

Special front and rear driveshafts, MRT Group N clutch and plate, FIA FT3-approved bladder tank, carbon fibre surround, firewall and rear parcel shelf, Bosch fuel pump. Kevlar underbody and side skirt protection with rear diff plate, FIA-approved 4 litre fire bomb system, Momo Corse kevlar FIA-approved seats, Sabelt 3 inch 6point harness, Prodrive carbon fibre dash and gauge pod with boost gauge and pyrometer, 40-channel in-dash two-way radio, Coralba trip meter, 5 Compomotive wheels. Reg. AOF 05Q. $57,950. Phone (02) 9712 3177 BH or 0419 712 317 AH.

SELL YOUR CAR THROUGH AUSTRALIAN RALLYSPORT NEWS ☛ 25 cents per word - 1 word per box ☛ Minimum of $10 per ad (+10% GST) ☛ Additional $5 for use of photo in ad

Purchased in 2002 as new. A base RS ready for construction (18Kms) on clock.

All duties and taxes paid. Car then driven to Adelaide to (run in engine) and built by Steve Winwood Motorsport and Racetech Fabrications. Car was constructed to run in the Outright Group N field in the Australian Rally Championship Super Series.

General maintenance, rally fabrications etc, carried out by Steve Winwood Motorsport & Racetech Fabrications, major mechanical maintenance carried out by Les Haldane Mechanical. Car has competed fully in 4 ARC events only. Melb 2002, Tas 2002, QLD 2003 and Coopers 2003. I have managed 3 x 9th outright results, 11th, 12th in the car, still keeping it clean and tidy. The car is very competitive and fresh due to its limited competition use. * FIA approved Chrome moly rollcage * Competition Ralliart front LSD (brand new one installed before Coopers Rally) * Competition Ralliart rear LSD, (new dog clutches replaced before Coopers) * Competition Ralliart/Excedy clutch (new before Coopers) * RS gearbox re-built under maintenance program before Coopers Rally. * New front hubs replaced under maintenance program before Coopers Rally. * All bushes removed and replaced for Ralliart competition bushes throughout. * Engine has original 6000kms, approx. 800 in competition. * Motec M800 system set up with on track testing with latest maps, anti-lag, launch control & intercooler spray system from Europe.

Maps for either ELF Turbo Max, or WRF. * Full Proflex canister suspension system, King springs in front coil overs, Eibach in rear coil overs, fully re-serviced by Murray Coote Automotive before Coopers Rally. * Rosejointed front and rear strut braces. * Ralliart thermostat & radiator cap. * K & N Air filter * NGK Iridium 9 plugs * FIA approved electric fire bomb system * Handheld fire extinguishers * Safety triangles * Tool box in boot * Velo Racing seats * 75mm FIA approved aviation harnesses * Avanti maplight * Terratrip 202 plus remote with shield. * Aviation fuel and brake lines/fittings throughout. * Kevlar moulded underbody protection * Polyethylene sheet protection on all rear arms/bumper (templates to suit) * Polyethylene sheet protection under front arches/bumper (templates to suit) * Black 4mm Urethane mudflaps (templates to suit) * Kevlar rear arm protectors * Sumpguard alloy 5083 H118 * Ralliart disc rotors with Ferodo DS3000 racing pads * Alloy foot plates for driver & co-driver * Sparco pedal grips * VDO fuel pressure & Boost gauges * Momo steering wheel * Alloy bonnet & boot catches * ROH Instinct alloy wheels * Fabricated hi-speed spare wheel mount * Alloy rear diff guard * Full workshop manuals * Painted in PPG paint and will have all signage removed and be touched up, buffed and polished as required when sold.

Price $65,000 plus GST. Technical support and knowledge will be shared with new owner if they wish. Numerous other new Ralliart spares available along with additional wheels & tyres etc.

Call Steve on (08) 8374 1322 or 0417 445 920.

MAZDA 323 FAMILIA 4WD TURBO rally car with good heritage. No expense spared eg: kevlar underbody protection. NSW road registered APT 10G to January 2005. Motec, OMP seats, Schroth belts, bias and boost adjustable, cage and car log booked, fully homologated with documentation, Brantz. Plenty of spares. $13,000. Phone 0419 190 542.

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Drive the Falken Indy Racer Online - www.indy.com.au For details of your nearest Falken dealer call: Brisbane (07) 3848 1800 • Sydney (02) 9725 6280 • Melbourne (03) 9587 4666 Darwin (08) 8932 2626 • South Australia & Tasmania (03) 9587 4666