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Experts
Cup 2005 |
| For event
information please visit www.wacarclub.com.au |
| Live results are now
available at www.duetime.com.au |
| Photos from the 2005 Experts Cup |
| Review
After two all daylight rounds of the West
Australian State Rally Championship (WARC), round three was going to change things
considerably for teams. Run on July 2nd around Wellington Dam in Collie, the Experts Cup
Rally had eight special stages of 130 competitive km to challenge teams. The first four
special stages were due to run in daylight and the last four in the dark. The Experts Cup
rally was also the first WARC round this year where competitors were not able to write
pace notes and had to utilise the organiser’s road book.
Whilst rain was not forecast, the
temperature was certainly cool. The clay based roads around the dam had also compacted
well with recent rains, making the stages fast once the looser surface gravel had been
swept off the racing lines.
Alex Stone/Dianna Madlener (WRX) had
been drawn number one out of the hat and started the rally as scheduled at 2:00 PM.
Special Stages 1 and 2 were only
short and gave crews a good start to the rally. Many found that despite the dry
conditions, the loose clay was slippery in places. The husband and wife team of Dennis
& Jackie Dunlop won SS1 with Stone/Madlener 4 seconds behind in second. The
Silverstone Tyres sponsored Lancer Evo 3 of Craig Bignell and Joan Percival won SS2 and
Dunlop/Dunlop were second. Whilst it may have been a short pair of stages to start the
rally, The Deep Creek Lancer Evo 4 of Chris Anderson/Joel Lithgo didn’t get far.
Within 100m of the start of SS1, the pair lost a wheel and damaged the suspension, ending
their rally early. Mark Cameron/Adam Pearson (Linde Materials Handling) didn’t go as
far as they’d liked either, the Suzuki Swift suffered some engine/drivetrain problems
in SS1 and they were forced to retire. The normally quick Network IT Datsun 1200 of Julian
Wright/Jeff Huggins had a rally they’d rather forget when their head gasket expired
after SS1 and were also forced to retire.
After a short service, competitors
were out to tackle the two longest stages of the event in quick succession. Stone/Madlener
charged hard through special stages 3 and 4, and were rewarded with wins on both. Not to
be out done by Stone/Madlener, Dunlop/Dunlop posted second fastest times through both
stages. Special Stage 4 at 26 km had claimed a few scalps. During the stage, The Subaru
Genuine Parts WRX of Ross Mackenzie/Paul Vandermey suffered a blown front diff, whilst the
Automotive Action WRX of Shane Eather/David Burton blew fifth gear and retired the pair.
For Eather/Burton it has been a battle with mechanical dramas this year, the WRX is
already on it’s third engine! Warren Phillip-Clarke/Chris Kostopolous (Swan Auto
Subaru Parts) Subaru Legacy RS blew a turbo and was forced to retire. The Filters
Plus/Fuchs Lubricants Charade of Jack Thornley/Hanna Drury also retired after SS4 with
engine troubles.
Armed with spotlights, teams headed
out to tackle special stages 5 and 6 in the dark. Whilst competitors may had done them
earlier in daylight, the darkness can often change the complete character of the stage.
Stone/Madlener took two more stage wins, Dunlop/Dunlop were second for SS5 and Rob
Herridge/Lisa Dunkerton in their Maximum Motorsport WRX posted a good time in SS6 to be
second. Running a little off the pair’s usual pace, the CDM Australia Lancer Evo 3 of
Matthew Knox/Elio Della Madalena retired with problems in SS5. Bignell/Percival lost a
wheel in SS5 and ended their rally prematurely after a promising start.
A little further back in the field
some were finding the rally tough. The Maitland Fabrication Mazda Familia of Steve
Maitland/Richard Harris had brake troubles early in the day which cost them a lot of time.
Adam Maguire/Rob Stuart (Maximum Motorsport Hyundai Coupe) had miss-firing problems. The
pair also over shot a corner at one point on a stage and struggled to restart the engine.
In the hurry to get back into the rally, the bonnet pins were left undone and the pair
then also needed to add a new bonnet to their list of woes. Karl Drummond/Trevor Brewer
(WRX) were having an interesting rally too, the pair had to do the entire event without a
trip computer. In the end the team finished the rally in twelfth place.
Stages 7 and 8 were also a repeat of
early stages. The stage starts on both had become quite rough and rutted although most of
the rest of the roads seemed to have held up well. Dunlop/Dunlop won both special stages
on spotlights, with John "Chucky" Macara/Lee Tierney in second for both in their
Wheels On Yirrigan WRX. On the last stage of the rally and well on their way to a good
result, James Anderson/Todd Payne in their 2WD Deep Creek Nissan Sunny, put the car off
into a ditch and ended what had been an encouraging performance.
From results supplied by series
supporter Duetime.com.au:
Despite earlier over heating
problems, Doug Tostevin/Alan Cook brought their Opposite Lock 4WD Accessories, Legacy RS
to a respectable tenth place. Ninth went to Toby Heyring/Peter Turner (Maximum Motorsport
WRX), in eighth was Warren Tuckett/Stuart Percival (Lancer Evo 7), and breaking up the 4WD
field was Blair Pugh/Glenn Martinovich, seventh in their lightening fast Ford Escort
sponsored by Ranger Auto Electrics. Graham Furness/Peter Lindsay pulled their Laser Sight
Centres WRX into sixth and Stone/Madlener collecting more valuable championship points,
made the finish in fifth. The Lancer Evo 6 (needing more attention from Panel Worx) of
Michael Anderson/Gray Marshall had a good run to finish the Experts in fourth, third went
to Herridge/Dunkerton a good result for them, and neatly slotted into second was
Chucky/Tierney.
After the last two rounds of the
WARC, the Dunlops finally had to have some good luck. For the team the drought finally
broke with an outright first place in this year’s Experts Cup.
Thanks must be given to Jeremy Savage as Clerk of Course and his team of dedicated
officials. Competitors, crews and spectators owe much to the people who give up their time
and are willing to brave the elements, in this case the cold, for the love of the sport.
Without them, WA would not have such thriving rally championships. Thanks also to the WA
Car Club and especially to the Town of Collie.
For info on all rounds of the WARC and Clubman Cup, photos, results and contact details go
to: www.duetime.com.au www.rallywa.com www.lightcarclub.com.au or www.wacarclub.com.au
Karl Drummond |
| The West Australian Car
Club is making final preparations on round 3 of the West Australian State Rally
Championship. The Experts Cup Rally will be once again hosted in the mining town of
Collie. Conducted on roads around Wellington Dam, the event will take place on Saturday
the 2nd of July.
This round of the Championship is only the second of two stand alone
state rallies that do not share with the WA Clubman Cup Series.
The fast stages around Wellington Dam will use similar roads to 2004
with a little over 130km of competitive sections to test the skill of teams. A dry event
in 2004, competitors may not be so lucky this year, which will test driver's ability on
the spectacular and sometimes slippery stages.
After 2 all daylight rounds so far in the championship, competitors
will need the assistance of lights on the 2005 Experts Cup. Several special stages will
run into the dark that adds a very different dimension to rallying through the forest.
Rally headquarters will be based out of the Premier Hotel and up to
date results will be provided by Duetime Results throughout the event. For those who chose
to follow the rally online www.duetime.com.au
will also contain real time results during the rally as well. The Start, regroup and
finish will be conducted in Harvey Street, next to Rally HQ.
The first car is due to start at approximately 2:00PM and finish
around 8:50 PM.
Spectators will also be able to see rally cars competing in the
forest as well as in service between competitive stages. It's an opportunity to see the
team working furiously to check, adjust and repair cars under tight time frames. Many
rallies have been won and lost in the service area and on the abilities of the service
crews. During the course of the rally, cars will be serviced three times. The Service Park
will also be located in town along side the railway line on Forest Street. Spectating on
the Experts Cup is free. Please obey spectator instructions and rally officials. Please do
not bring pets to the event to spectate. Animals and motorsport do not mix. Spectator
guides will be available from Rally HQ on the day of the event.
The WACC is seeking officials to assist on the Experts Cup. If you'd
like an exclusive spectator point, just metres from the rally action or can assist in
anyway, please contact Ann Skipworth on: 9455 7284 or via e-mail: fskippy@bigpond.com.
Supplementary regulations, service crew and spectator information
will soon be available. For results, pictures, videos/DVD's and information on all rallies
in the WARC and WA Clubman Championship see: www.rallywa.com www.lightcarclub.com.au www.wacarclub.com.au
Karl Drummond |
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