The two-wheel drive winning Honda Jazz, driven by Eli Evans and Glen Weston. 7803 Pictures: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By MICHAEL ESPOSITO
A WET, treacherous and spectacular first round of the Australian Rally Championships wound up on Sunday with the Honda Jazz taking out the two-wheel category.
The new addition to the Evans Motorsport team, driven by Eli Evans and Glen Weston, handled the muddy conditions beautifully over the weekend, winning all three heats to easily claim the two-wheel drive event.
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage, driven by Tasmanians Ivan Thompson and Karl Francis, did not fare so well, crashing into a concrete barrier after sliding wide and destroying the left hand door on Sunday.
Both drivers were cleared of serious injury, but the damage bill on the $500,000 car is expected to be quite high.
WA’s Tom Wilde and Lee Tierney took out the four-wheel category in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10, despite not winning a heat. They finished second, third and second to just pip Michael Boaden and Helen Cheers, driving the Evo 9, by three points.
Evans said the Calder Rally event, the first time a round of the Australian Rally Championships have been held at the venue, forced drivers to treat the track much differently than they would a traditional rally course.
“The rear-wheel drive cars, which normally be we’d be leagues ahead of, are actually beating us on stages and we’re mixing times with them,” he said.
It’s funny how it works with front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive in a tight track like this, it’s almost like a circuit. It’s just who’s got the neatest lines, who’s the most consistent, seems to be in the lead.”
