Sunday 23 August - Chittering and Toodyay
SS28 – Racecourse 1
After posting equal stage times on SS27 and SS28, Steven Jones (Nissan GTR 35) is holding Tony Quinn (Nissan GTR 35) by 33seconds in the Challenge Modern classification.
With two stages to go Mark Conacher (Nissan GTR 35) has a 2 minute21second lead over Robert Darrington (Audi S4). Razvan Vlad (Hyundai i30 SX CRDi Turbo Diesel) is in third.
SS25 – Lake Chittering 2
Ben Searcy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9), has secured his first stage win for the event 2 seconds ahead of Steven Jones.SS23 – Chittering Long
Tony Quinn (Nissan GTR 35) has won the stage followed by Ben Searcy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9).
Car 92 and Car 41 have stopped on SS23 with mechanical issues.
SS22 – Western Range 3
Modern Challenge
Alister McRae (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) is enjoying the drier conditions on the stages today and has posted the third fastest stage time.
Mark Conacher (Nissan GTR 35) flew his brother Andrew in from Texas to compete in the event and it seems to have worked. The pair have just won the stage by 30 seconds.
Classic Challenge
Rohan Green/Andrew Cutten (Porsche 911) have won the stage by 40 seconds.
SS21 - Muchea
Mark Conacher/Andrew Conacher (Nissan GTR 35) have recorded the fastest stage time in the Modern Challenge class.
Rohan Green/Andrew Cutten (Porsche 911) continues to hold the lead in the Classic Challenge class and Luke Reymond/John Reymond (Volkswagen Golf) is firming his hold on second, now leading third placed Martin and Sharon Eyer (Triumph Stag) by more than 10 minutes.
Steven Jones and Tony Quinn are continuing their battle. Jones was only 1 second faster than Quinn.
Saturday 22 August - Leg Two
What the crews are saying....
A number of crews send the following:
"A big thank you to all the officials out there. At every single control, all these people are soaked and they are still smiling they do a fantastic job."
"A big thank you to all the officials and volunteers for an awesome effort in very trying weather today." The guys at T J Motorsport.
Leg 2 Results
Defending champion Steve Jones has retaken the lead in the Modern Competition class as rain made things interesting for crews. Jones and his co-driver Ruari Souter-Dawson (Nissan GTR 35) moved past overnight leaders Tony Quinn/Naomi Tillett (Nissan GTR 35) on SS11 Western Range 2 and gradually increased their lead throughout the afternoon.
Kevin Weeks (Porsche 911 RSR) continues to hold top spot in the Classic Competition class and despite insisting he had taken it easy on the slippery roads he extended his lead over the rest of the field to 2 minutes 37 seconds.Husband and wife team David and Vicki Moir remain in second, ahead of Gary Tierney/David Carra (Porsche Carerra RS) who moved up into third on SS09 Western Range 1.
Mark Conacher/Andrew Conacher (Nissan GTR 35) lead the Modern Challenge class by 1 minute 19 seconds over Robert Darrington/David Abetz (Audi S4) and Razvan and Ioana Vlad (Hyundai i30 CRDi Turbo Diesel).
Rohan Green/Andrew Cutten (Porsche 911), competing in the Classic Challenge class, took a 48 second lead into today’s stages and ended the day with an 8 minute 33 second lead over nearest rivals Luke Reymond/John Reymond (Volkswagen Golf). Martin and Sharon Eyer (Triumph Stag) round out the class.
What the crews are saying....
Steve Jones - Car 73
“We’re just getting used to the car in these wet conditions. We’re coming around some corners and there are rivers of water across the road and you’re like WHOO! I’m having fun out there it is awesome.”
Karl Howard - Car 48 Co-driver
“We think we may have broken a cooler pipe, it starts but we can’t keep it going at the moment. We were going really well so hopefully we can get it back on the road.”
Gray Marshall - Car 28 Co-driver
“A lot wetter on that last stage the rain had been holding off prior to that. Car is going extremely well, just changing a pressure switch. We’ll just stay tidy out there and bring it home.”
Graeme Shaw - Car 31
“It’s pretty good actually, it’s not that bad, it’s wet but you’ve just got to back off a bit. The stages are still fun you’ve just got to back off a bit earlier, you can still put your foot down though.”
Andy van Kann - Car 9
"It’s a tough event, very wet. We know the conditions are terrible; our plan is to stick to the original plan which is finish tomorrow afternoon whatever that takes. So we’ve slowed the pace back a bit, kept the car straight and haven’t been off the road. James has not made a single mistake."
Stewart Liddle - Car 26
“We’re getting there, we’ve only got a couple of stages left and we’ve just got to get it to the end. The car’s fine, there is somebody looking after it that’s for sure, all I’m doing is driving it."
Kevin Weeks - Car 70
“The problem is I’ve shrunk in the rain. I was 5’8” when I got up this morning an now I’m 3’11”. I’m finding it hard to see over the steering wheel.”
Alister McRae - Car 34“Were just making the best of a bad day at the moment. With this type of compound tyres we just can’t get any grip. If it had been sunny we’d have been right but we’re pushing as hard as we can in these circumstances.”
Bindoon Service Park 1
Rohan Green (Car 7c) is holding a 30 second lead at the first service break in Challenge Classic classification.
Razvan Vlad (Car 20c) is 43 seconds ahead of Juan Rodriguez (Car 5c), with Dean Evans (Car 19c) not far behind in Challenge Modern.
In the Competition Classic classification, Kevin Weeks (Car 70) has a comfortable lead over a closely fought second between David Moir (Car 11) and Gary Tierney (Car 98).
Steven Jones (Car 73) and Tony Quinn (Car 90) have entered the service park on equal times. It's a real battle of the GTR's ahead of Dean Herridge (Car 65) in his Subaru WRX Sti 47 seconds behind in third.
Leg 2 Restart
Ninety-six (96) crews have headed out to begin Muchea 1, the first stage of Leg 2. Rain has fallen on the parc ferme at the Burswood Entertainment Complex and competitors are expecting slippery conditions out on the stages with showers likely throughout the morning.
What the competitors had to say this morning....
Tony Quinn
“I’m just planning on keeping up the front with the leading pack and making sure I’m in the best position to make our charge when the time is right.”
Dean Herridge
“If we’re going to bridge the gap to the GTR’s the wet weather definitely will be helpful. Normally rain is a bit of an equaliser in motorsport. The stages will suit the more powerful cars a bit more today but we’ll do our best and see where we end up at the end of the day.”
Martin Eyer
After an incident in Prologue which left him preparing a new car on Thursday night, Martin (car 49c) talks about his plans for the weekend.
"I’m driving 'Little Miss Daisy' now. She’s a 1978 Triumph Stag, completely unchanged. She has a very good stereo, Italian leather seats and climate control but she doesn’t go very fast. We’re just having a good time out there and enjoying this fantastic rally.”
Lucky break for Classic Competition leader
After the initial disappointment of missing a run over John Forrest 2 (SS05) yesterday afternoon Kevin Weeks discovered it probably saved his rally when they discovered a cracked gear selector before the start of SS07 Kalamunda 2. A quick fix meant they were stuck with only 3rd and 4th gears for the final stage but managed to finish the day and get their Porsche 911 RSR back to their the crew who worked hard to get it ready for today’s stages.
Friday 21 August - Leg 1
Leg 1 Results
Tony Quinn - Car 90
"I'm very excited, I'm nearly giggling"
Modern Competition
Tony Quinn (Car 90) leads the class for the first time in his four year history at the event but almost had the lead snatched away from him on the last stage by a fast finishing Steve Jones (Car 73) who took the stage win by 7 seconds. Dean Herridge is in third and Alister McRae is fourth.
Classic Competition
Kevin Weeks (Car 70) will take a commanding lead of 1min13 seconds into Leg 2. David and Vicki Moir (Car 11) jumped into second on the last stage of the day pushing Shane Attwell/Michael Joss (Car 66) into third.
Modern Challenge
Robert Darrington (Car 58c) has taken Leg 1 honours leading the rest of the field by 59 seconds. Razvan Vlad (Car 20c) is in second and Dean Evans (Car 19c) has jumped into third.
Classic Challenge
Rohan Green (Car 7c) has finished Leg 1 with a 48 second lead over Luke Reymond (Car 13c), Anthony Clarke (Car 17c) and Martin Eyer (Car 49).
SS06 - summerslegal Zig Zag 2
Kevin Weeks (Car 70) has a 1min02sec lead over his closest rival in the Classic Competition class. David Moir (Car 11) is currently in third but has closed the gap to second placed Shane Attwell (Car 66) to 1 second.
Robert Darrington (Car 58c) is leading the Modern Challenge class. Razvan Vlad (Car 20c) is in second, 1min05secs behind with Juan Rodriguez (5c) in third.
Rohan Green (Car 7) has retaken the lead in the Classic Challenge class followed by Luke Reymond (Car 13), Anthony Clarke (Car 17) and Martin Eyer (Car 49).
John Forrest 1 has been cancelled cars are being diverted to the start of summerslegal Zig Zag 2.
SS04 Kalamunda 1
Tony Quinn (Car 90) has jumped into the lead of the Modern Competition class. He now leads Steve Jones (Car 73) by 10 seconds, who is only 1 second in front of Dean Herridge.
Kalamunda Service
The sun is out in Kalamunda as the crews enjoy a well deserved break.
Alister McRae - Car 34
"It (this morning) was good, we're not going quite good enough, tyres are much better than yesterday so as long as we don't get too many showers this afternoon we'll be fine."
Dean Herridge - Car 65
"I'm feeling pretty good, it was pretty much dry out there and we're pleased with where we are. We're leading all the guys we thought we could coming in and just have a couple of GTR's in front of us which we expected. Today's stages will probably suit the car better than tomorrow so we're just going to try and build as much of a lead as we can and see how we go."
Steve Jones - Car 73
"I always have fun out there. We're just taking it nice and easy, trying to build a new relationship with the car but she's behaving pretty well so far."
Franz Esterbauer - Car 62
"We had our intercooler hose pop off and because we were running so close to the back of the field we weren't able to get it fixed in time before 999 came through. Apart from that it's been absolutely awesome! I am having a ball, it's my first time competing in a tarmac rally so I'm just enjoying the experience."
Klark Quinn - Car 35
Has created a new word to describe QUIT Targa West - Fantabulous.
"The car is great; she's one of our princesses, just so consistent and a dream to drive. We're taking things slowly while I get back into the swing of things but I should be able to pick up the pace this afternoon."
Michael Lloyd (Navigator in car 26)
Yeah it's fantastic, the sun's out, the band is playing and it's just a great atmosphere down here. We're very happy with the conditions out there, just having a great time.
Kim Ledger - Car 6
"We're just cruising along; the roads are pretty good; a little bit damp in places. The car is great and when we get through the next couple of stages we'll be able to give it a go."
SS04 Kalamunda 1
Anthony Clarke (Holden Torana LC GTR) has taken the lead in the Classic Challenge. He leads the closest competitor, Luke Reymond (Volkswagen Golf) by 1 min 19 seconds. Rohan Green (Porsche 911) is in third followed by Martin Eyer (Triumph Stag) who had some issues on this stage.
SS03 summerslegal Zig Zag
Steven Jones (Nissan GTR 35) has set the fastest time in the Modern Competition, followed by Tony Quinn (Nissan GTR 35) and Dean Herridge (Subaru WRX Sti) . We are waiting on results from SS02 to find out rally order.
Forrest Chase
Steven Jones
I'm feeling good, I'm excited....obviously because I really enjoy rallying. Its a passion of mine. The weather is always a bit of an unknown. The GTR's a bit of an animal in the wet so you've got to be gentle and try and keep the tyre grip on the road.
Dean Herridge
We've got some great cars, great drivers. It's one of those events where you're not really going to know the winner until the last couple of stages. It's exciting to be here.
Kevin Weeks
It's going to be tough out there especially with the changing weather conditions it will make it hard to anticipate the grip levels. I'm looking forward to being out there again.