The 2015 Western Australian rallying season was launched last night, with RallyWA competitors, sponsors and organisers celebrating amongst the high-octane toys of Performance Racegear in Ascot.
Rally Panel Chairman Ross Tapper, addressed the crowd with exciting news that the 2015 RallyWA season is already off to a successful start, having procured new sponsors and new cutting edge technologies.
Tostevin and Adams at the Experts Cup. (Photographer Tim Allott)“We are proud to announce Onslow Contracting will be the naming rights sponsor of the WA Rally Championship and the major sponsor of the RallyWA YouTube segments for the next five years,” said Ross.
“We also welcome other Level One sponsors: - Verandah Apartments, Auto One, Performance Racegear, and are proud to have continued support from Quit.
“It is also with much excitement that we are able to offer the Jemba Inertial Notes system to competitors - a first for a rally championship in Australia.
“This sophisticated piece of software automatically records and prints stage notes, removing the need for reconnaissance.”
The 2015 Onslow Contracting WA Rally Championship calendar is comprised of seven events. Each category is fiercely contested, but last year’s 2WD Challenge Series winner Andy Van Kann (Dunsborough) along with his co-driver 18-year-old Abbey Hayes believe the calm and consistent approach is the key to doing well in the championship.
"I'm looking forward to getting in the car again with Abbey. After winning State Rookie Co-Driver last year, reading only from the road book, it will be a transition for Abbey to do pace notes - something we'll be focussing on developing this year,” said Andy.
“It's funny, I'm three and a half times her age, but there's no age barriers once you're in a rally car. There are two things you look for in a co-driver - calmness and precision. Once in the car Abbey is exceptionally calm and her delivery is extraordinary.
“We weren’t the fastest team by a long shot last year, but we held a comfortable pace and consistently crossed that finish line, which is what mattered.”
Last year’s outright winner Doug Tostevin, along with co-driver Tammy Adams are eager for the season to get underway.
“We are pretty excited about getting back behind the wheel. It's great to have the 4wd cars included in the power stage this year,” said Doug.
“We usually go as fast as possible on short sharp stages but on longer ones settle into a more endurance pace to make sure we stay in the event.
“The car (Subaru WRX) has undergone pre-event preparation and is the same specification as last year.
“The Quit Forest Rally is our favourite event of the series because it has a high profile, lots of spectators and great roads. It's also great to measure yourself against the best drivers from around the country.”
Competitors will head to Western Australia’s South-West for the first round of the series - the Quit Forest Rally. The event, held on March 27-29, will serve as the opening round of the ECB Australian Rally Championship as well as the opening round of the Onslow Contracting WA Rally Championship and the Clubman Cup series. For more information on the Quit Forest Rally please visit www.quitforestrally.com.au.
The WA Rally Championship then continues on May 9 with the Trade Hire Donnelly Rally. For more information on RallyWA or the Onslow Contracting WA Rally Championship please visit www.rallywa.com.
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