The Ford Innate Motorsport rally team kicked of their 2013 Australian Rally Championship campaign in style today at the National Capital Rally in Canberra.
The team’s hired gun, Welshman Elfyn Evans is undoubtedly the fastest Ford Fiesta R2 pilot in the world, having won the WRC Academy last year with 5 wins from 6 events in the Fiesta R2. So it wasn’t surprising when he and co-driver Daniel Barritt set a string of consistently fast times in the Ford Fiesta R2 to start the rally proper tomorrow morning as car 6.
“I’m happy with the car, so just did what I could to get a good road position tomorrow without damaging it” Evans said. “The roads are not too bad considering the amount of rain that has fallen. For tomorrow, because we are giving away a lot of power to the G2 and R3 cars, I’ll drive my own rally and see where I am at the end of the day” Evans added.
The forests around Canberra have a reputation for being demanding and today’s Power Stage in the National Capital Rally, Round 1 of the 2013 Australian Rally Championship was no different. A week of heavy rain added to the challenges and competitors in the outright ARC category had to be careful as they negotiated patches of Canberra’s treacherously slippery clay scattered through the short stage.
The team’s regular driver, Adrian Coppin worked hard to come to grips with his car in his first outing in the new Fiesta R2. He will start from position 13.
“Today was the second time I have driven the car, so I still have lots to learn. Everything is so different to last year’s Fiesta and unlocking the secrets to the cars pace will take time. I’m looking forward to the rest of the event as Elfyn’s times show that there is a lot to come from this car. However; realistically, I need to finish to get some manufacturer points for Ford and the pace will come” Coppin said.
The event proper commences tomorrow morning at 8:00 am with the historic field followed by the ARC crews at 8.34 am.
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