2012 RALLY VICTORIA
Back for its third consecutive year, Rally Victoria will again host the final round of the Bosch Australian Rally Championship and Exedy Victorian Rally Championship on Friday 16th & Saturday 17th of November 2012.
The event will again be utilizing the scenic Lardner Park as its event hub and location of the major services Along with the crowd favorite Lardner Park Super Special Stages.
The forest stages will be contested in the traditional forests within the Shire of Baw Baw and the organisers are re-jigging the course with some changes to stage directions, to lower the event liaison distance, whilst also moving the remote service from Powelltown to the more spacious Neerim Recreation Reserve.
Building on the success of the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship series, with new manufacturers entering the championship and new classes the outcome is more open than ever before. It’s anyone’s guess how the championship will pan out, but another series final thriller is likely at the not to be missed Rally Victoria.
Keep an eye on this site www.rallyvictoria.com.au for new postings as preparations are finalised and released to crews, officials and spectators.
To follow the 2012 Bosch Australian Rally Championship and all the new innovations as they play out over the year go to www.rally.com.au
Posted on February 8, 2012 at 5:16 PM
AUSTRALIAN & VICTORIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS GO DOWN TO THE WIRE!
In the closest and highly dramatic season finale in Australian rally history, both the Australian and Victorian Rally Championships were decided at Rally Victoria over the awesome stages within the Baw Baw Shire.
After storms on the Wednesday prior to recce, the floods subsided and roads recovered to be in absolutely perfect condition for the 2 Championships to be decided.
After a series long battle over the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship the series winner was decided on the penultimate stage of the championship and the winning team was crowned at the Event and Series presentation dinner later that night at Lardner Park.
Justin Dowel and Matt Lee, in the unrestricted Active Rallysport Evo VIII, put early problems of a big off on SS 1 aside and attacked for the whole event. On SS 14 (New Turkey 2) they took the lead from series rival Ryan Smart after he suffered a drive shaft problem and subsequent flat tyres. While a shattering moment for Ryan and his team getting within sniffing distance of Championship victory the Active Rallysport crew had pushed the limits and often beyond all season and were able to strike and achieve their ultimate goal, set years before, to become the Outright ARC Champion.
In the Bosch 2wd Championship the results weren’t as close with Vlad Razvan, in the Festiva, taking the spoils over the Honda Civic type R of Eli Evans and Glenn Weston. From sheer consistency all season long, completing every stage, Vlad managed to amass more points than the quicker but mechanically unlucky Honda team.
In their return from a year off, husband and wife crew Sue and Simon Evans put in a dominant display in the Tankformers WRX and took the top tier on the podium at the Event achieving the teams’ aim of getting their names on the only ARC event that had eluded them.
Competing on the Saturday only Stages the Exedy Victorian Rally Championship also had a dramatic and closely fought finish to the series.
Warren Lee and David Lethlean overcame a string of mechanical gremlins leading up to the start and after installing a new diff on the Friday night took the event and championship win after the other series contender Steve Kenway and Lauren Palmer both succumbed to the pressure and crashed out on the awesome stages of Rally Victoria.
In the 2wd Exedy Victorian Rally Championship component Alan Rowe won the event after Brian Semmens rolled out of contention. This left Rowan Woollard in 1st place of the Championship and Alan Rowe in second.
In the Classic Event, Geoff Portman & Ross Runnals showed why they took multiple Australian Championship victories in the past and drove the sweet little BGA Escort into 1st place of the classic competition.
With the series done and dusted we now look forward to the 2012 season and especially the new and innovative rules and classes the ARC plan to introduce.
Posted on February 8, 2012 at 5:13 PM
Unfinished Business at Rally Victoria
Reigning & four time Australian Rally Champion, husband and wife crew, Sue and Simon Evans from Nar Nar Goon are a surprise entry in the upcoming Rally Victoria on 11/12th November.
A year to the day since announcing their retirement from the top level of competition, the lure of contesting the only Australian Championship Round (currently running) that they have not won was too much for the pair to endure.
In 2010 at the inaugural running of Rally Victoria the potent “Tankformers” WRX suffered a rare mechanical problem that sent them off the road and stranded on Friday’s second stage. Starting again on the Saturday, in typical Evans style, the team went out and was fastest on all but 1 stage.
In an eleventh hour deal struck with team owner and event sponsor, Peter Evans from Tankformers in Pakenham, saw the teams entry hand delivered with only hours to spare.
Simon and Sue have vowed to come out with all guns blazing and prove that the year spent in the wilderness concentrating on their expanding concreting business hasn’t slowed the couple at all. “To me it is unfinished business. I really want to win this Rally!” said Simon at a recent meeting.
The Evans team certainly won’t have it all their own way in seeking to win the event. With the Series on the line, Ryan Smart from Qld and local Victorian Justin Dowel fighting out for the podium in the new “unrestricted” vehicles, the scene is set for an epic battle.
While the limelight has been centered on the front few, Eli Evans, Simon’s younger brother, has been thrilling the crowds around Australia in the awesome Honda Civic Type R. Struggling only slightly with two wheel drive the team has set stunning times and regularly placed on the podium knocking off the more fancied 4 wheel drive turbo machines.
The event is set to descend on Baw Baw Shire on the 11th and 12th of November starting off from Lardner Park.
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 8:28 PM
Rallyists Lending a Helping Hand
The final round of the Australian Rally Championship, Rally Victoria, poised to descend on Lardner Park and the Forest Roads around the Shire of Baw Baw on November 11/12th are extending a helping hand to a number of fantastic Charities.
The Championship Series has adopted the Make a Wish foundation throughout 2011 while the event also has a charity of choice in the Cambodian Children’s fund which has a link to one of the front running teams. Monies raised at the spectator points get donated to them where it goes directly to the running of a children’s orphanage. Every dollar goes a long way in Cambodia and makes an incredible difference to the future of these kids’ lives.
A few lucky people also won a recent charity auction for the Cancer foundation and will be taking a ride of their lives with 2 of Australia’s fastest drivers at the VIP/Media day on Friday morning before the crews head to the hills to do serious battle amongst the trees and bends on some of the best roads of the Championship.
Also doing the rounds of the local towns in the lead up and at the event and will be the series mascot “ARChie”.
ARChie’s sure to put a smile on the smallest rally fans face and handing out a few goodies to the not so young among us!
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 6:42 PM
Series up for Grabs at Rally Vic
With the Coffs Coast Rally done and dusted the Bosch ARC Series heads to Victoria for the Final Round “Rally Victoria” on November the 11th and 12th where the series will be up for grabs.
With Ryan Smart leading by a meager few points ahead of Justin Dowel in his, “Unrestricted” Activ Rallysport Evo IX, it should be decided between the two but waiting to clean up sits Mark Pedder who still has a mathematical chance to be crowned the 2011 Outright Australian Rally Champion should Dowel and Smart suffer problems. Also hoping to continue with his podium positions of late will be Eli Evans in the potent, sweet sounding Tankformers Honda Civic Type R that just seems to be getting quicker with each outing.
Apart from the National Championship the Exedy Victoria Championship will also be decided along with the Batronics Excel Series and the Classic Rally Series who will also be strutting their stuff at the event, including some exciting entries that we will reveal closer!
To all crews Supplementary Regulations are now available to download from HERE
People who wish to be an official can register via the Officials registration page HERE
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 10:23 PM