The entry list for the second round of the East Coast Bullbars Australian Rally Championship, the Quit Forest Rally, has been released with Scott Pedder leading the field in his Renault Clio.
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Reigning Australian Rally Champion, Eli Evans, had been expected to return in his Honda Civic Type-R at the West Australian Round, but the Evans Motorsport team has elected to hold fire on the car until later in the season.
The break will also allow Evans and co-driver, Glen Weston, time to prepare for their recently announced venture into the European Rally Championship in a JAS Motorsport prepared Honda.
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Pedder, who will run as car one on the road on the loose West Australian gravel, will be hunted by round one victor, Brendan Reeves, and the Team Citroen Australia pairing of Tony Sullens and Adrian Coppin.
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Mick Patton will be looking for a stronger run in his VW Polo while Alan Roe will give his newly developed Ford Focus its second outing in the ECB ARC.
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Two West Australian competitors will step up to the outright category at the Quit Forest Rally, with Razvan Vlad returning to the Championship in his Ford Fiesta ST, while Sean Keating will campaign his S13 Nissan Silvia.
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In the 4WD National Rally Series an exceptionally strong turn out of local competitors will vie for the victory with local gun Tom Wilde leading the charge in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, followed by rally veteran Leigh Hynes’ Subaru Impreza WRX.
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The Side-by-Side Rally Challenge makes a return in WA with the opening round, of the category. Michael Guest in his Can-Am Maverick and Cody Crocker’s Polaris RZR will lead from the front with Nathan Chivers, Alan Grier and Dylan Minear ready to pounce if either front runner hits trouble.
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Twenty crews will line up for the WA State Rally Championship, with a further twenty-two drivers contesting the WA Clubman Cup Series.
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Adding extra interest for spectators will be the return of the Moto class, featuring leading two-wheel competitors traversing the same course as the leading four-wheel crews. KTM factory rider, Ben Grabham, will be the first bike on the road and will be followed by a further nine riders.
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The action gets underway with the Trade Hire Busselton Super Special Stage, run twice on the water front, on the evening of Friday, April 4. Drivers will then contest a further 17 competitive stages over the Saturday and Sunday before the champagne finish in the main street of Nannup.
National Capital Rally on TV
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Don’t forget to catch the spectacular first hour of coverage from the opening round of the Championship, the National Capital Rally, on Network Ten this Sunday (March 23) at midday with repeats during the week on ONE HD and Speed.