After coming to grips with his new Ford Fiesta R5 at Subaru Rally Tasmania over the weekend, Luke Anear is excited for what’s to come in his rallying journey.
His performance reaped the rewards of consistency, which is key at the early stages of a rallying journey, and despite a solid pre-event test, he was not blinded by the significant step he was making, citing seat time as his focus for the weekend - which he duly achieved.
A consistent drive was rewarded with fourth place overall, and he credits co-driver Steve Glenney and his advice in what was a weekend full of learning.
A high-speed spin on the weekend's third stage saw the Fiesta almost roll, with the calming influence of Glenney clear to see.“He’s always saying things to me throughout the stage,” Anear said of Glenney, a man many say is capable of winning an ARC drivers’ title.
“His advice with things like road positioning is invaluable.
Luke Anear is learning quickly on his rallying journey. Photo: Luke Whitten
“We’ve stopped for a lot of little things this weekend when we probably didn’t need to. I was probably being too cautious, but we’re aware of where we’re at.”
In debuting such a car, a cautious approach is what was required, and worked in his favour, adjusting little things throughout the weekend.“We were having some trouble with the launch control and getting the car off the line properly, but a simple adjustment from 5,000rpm to 5,500rpm worked.”
He also mentioned the differences between his new car and the slower Subaru Impreza.
“They (R5 cars) rotate so well that I’ve just got to get some quicker hands, I think.”
Luke Anear says he is living the dream in his new R5 Ford Fiesta. Photo: Luke Whitten
“It’s slowly coming, but it’ll probably be another event or two before I’m at a decent level.
“It was only 18 months ago I was watching this stuff on TV and I thought ‘it would be amazing if we could go out and have a go’, and you see the guys in the Subaru RS Challenge, and for very little they’re out there having a great time all weekend.
“I’m just having the time of my life - I think it’s great,” he concluded.
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