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Rally
Australia Trial Event 2004 |
Results
Trial
Event - Provisional Results - Updated 20-10-04
Trial
Event - Ineligible Results - Updated 20-10-04
Provisional
Results Amendment - Updated 20-10-04
Results
by Class
Retirements
Penalties |
Documents
2004 Entry
List
2004
Event Regs
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Photos Courtesy of Shane Kinnear |
Event
Review |
As many woke in Perth to another beautiful
Sunday morning, thirty rally teams prepared to do battle against each other, the clock and
the Forest. An army of officials were also on hand on Sunday the 17th of October to run
round four of the WA Clubman Rally Series, the Telstra Rally Australia Trial Event.
Run by Tourism WA, the rally is a chance to train officials and fine tune everything for
Rally Australia, whilst allowing serious competition toward the series points.
Eleven special stages laid ahead of competitors on the gravel roads around Mundaring.
Without the aid of heavy winter rains, the loose surface had become very dusty and only a
slight breeze throughout the day helped to clear the dust.
SS1 and SS2 were in effect, the same section of road. Competitors would complete SS1, then
line up to do it all over again at one minute intervals. The stages were very short with
the quickest crews blasting through the stage in around 50 seconds. Nic Box/Todd Payne
(Toyota Levin) jumped out of the blocks winning SS1. Many other competitors shared the
same time for second place. Ben Searcy/Daniel Smith (Suzuki Swift GTI) won SS2, wrestling
the stage win from Nigel Anderson/Matthew Green (Toyota Corolla FX)
Driving the Swift at 110%, Searcy/Smith won SS3 with James Anderson/Jon Coney (Nissan
Pulsar GTI) in second place. SS; 4,5,6 & 7 saw Box/Payne set a string of fastest stage
times. Anderson/Coney took three second places on the stages with Justin Kinnear/Adam
Pearson (Suzuki Swift GTI) providing a change, taking second on SS7. Searcy/Smith had a
problem in SS5, the pair dropped around 9 minutes in the stage from the leaders. SS5 saw
the retirement of Gary Whittle/Troy Mahony (Datsun 1600) when the pair had an incident
with a tree. Robert C Fisher/Robert L Fisher (Proton Satria) also retired in SS5 with
overheating problems. Wayne & Megan Sleep retired their Nissan Exa in SS7 with
mechanical troubles. Also retiring during the group of stages, Neal Johnson/Mark Stevens
(Datsun 180B SSS) and Greg Miles/Rex Rattenbury (Mazda Astina V6) with mechanical and
overheating difficulties.
Running first on the road didn't seem to suit Leo Iriks/Rhian Glover (Ford Escort) until
SS8. The pair set a blinding fastest stage time. Searcy/Smith recovered slightly to record
second on the stage. Searcy/Smith were again trying very hard on SS9, their efforts
rewarding them with a stage win. Second for the stage went to Toby Heyring/Peter Turner
(Hyundai Lantra).
With two stages to go, the race was well and truly on. Box/Payne took yet another stage
win in SS10 with Kevin Sleep/Alex Kirkhouse (Honda Civic) in second. David Gould/Wayne
Marshall weren't fairing too well in their new Honda Civic on this outing. Julian
Wright/Jeff Huggins (Datusn 1200) also joined the list of retirements when both teams
dropped out of the rally in SS10 with mechanical failure. The win for SS11 went to
Coney/Anderson with Heyring/Turner in second.
Kinnear/Pearson seemed to have sorted the Swift and got the car
to the finish in a respectable tenth place. A good drive saw Steven Davies/David Abetz
(Toyota Corolla) in ninth, eighth place went to Iriks/Glover, seventh to Nigel Bombak/Matt
Clements (Daihatsu Charade) and Anderson/Green got home in sixth. Ros and Kingsley Foster
(Toyota Celica) made the top five in fifth, Lee Mcilroy/Steve Vass (Daihatsu Charade GTI)
had a trouble free run bringing the three cylinder turbo to the line in fourth.
Continually improving this year, Anderson/Coney drove superbly to a podium finish in
third. Earlier in the rally, Box/Payne had limped into a control three minutes late with a
flat. With the rally being so competitive, the ensuing 15 second penalty had dropped the
pair to second place by rally's end. Heyring/Turner had been consistently fast all day and
Box's dramas had given the duo an outright rally win by just four seconds.
With one more round remaining in the Clubman series, the fight for the trophy is going to
be close. The main focus of the rallying fraternity and thousands of volunteers is now
squarely on Telstra Rally Australia. The event is due to kick off on Thursday the 14th of
November at Gloucester Park.
For info on all rounds of the WARC and Clubman Cup, photos,
results and contact details go to: www.rallywa.com
www.lightcarclub.com.au or
www.wacarclub.com.au
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| Event Preview |
Whilst the 2004 State Rally Championship may
have been decided, the battle is still well and truly raging for this year's WA Clubman
Rally Championship. After the Stirling Stages, Clubman competitors are at the mid point of
the season with two rounds remaining. The Clubman Championship is only open to competitors
running two wheel drive cars. It gives the opportunity for popular cars such as Ford
Escorts and Datsun 1600's to compete on a level playing field with more modern cars such
as Daihatsu Charades, Nissan Pulsars and Toyota Corollas. The Clubman Championship is
extremely competitive with rallies not being decided until the last stages, with only a
few seconds deciding the winner.
Round 4 of the Clubman Championship is neatly aligned with Telstra Rally Australia. The
Telstra Rally Australia Trial Event will be conducted by Tourism Western Australia
(formerly Western Australian Tourism Commission) on Sunday the 17th of October.
Based around Mundaring, the rally will not only be a serious round of the championship, it
will be a chance for Telstra Rally Australia officials to prepare for the
international event in November.
Teams will cover around 57km of competitive stages, returning for service twice during the
day. The start, Remote tyre fitting zone, Service and Official Finish are all
located at Fred Jacoby Park, Mundaring Weir Road Mundaring. The first car is due to start
at 10:00 am and will finish at 3:00pm.
Admission is free for spectators , whom will be able to watch both servicing and rally
cars flying at full pelt through the forest, making for a cheap and entertaining day out.
Spectator information will be available on the day from the results area at Fred Jacoby
park. Food and drink is available close to the park.
Entries are now open and Supplementary Regulations are available from Telstra Rally
Australia Please contact Melissa Joss on 0409 682 415.
For info on all rounds of the WARC and Clubman Cup, photos, results and contact details go
to: www.rallywa.com www.lightcarclub.com.au or www.wacarclub.com.au
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