Team Citroën Australia’s Tony Sullens and Julia Barkley have collected their first podium finish in the 2014 East Coast Bullbars Australian Rally Championship, coming home in third at the International Rally of Queensland.
The treacherous endurance event was not without its victims though, with bad luck plaguing team mates Adrian Coppin and Tim Batten during the event, leaving them to finish in fifth.
Tony Sullens and Julia Barkey.For Sullens and Barkley, the taste of success is especially sweet after a less than ideal start to the season. The first round saw the duo unable to finish despite an impressive start. Round two, and a damaged suspension component hindered their performance, falling just shy of the podium. Both rounds, the pair looked on as steps of the podium were taken by their team mates. This time, after a well-earned effort, it was theirs to enjoy.
“We have been trying all season to get here, and it’s great that the car is such a strong thing and everything has finally come together for us. We have been bashing the hell out of it this weekend, and have fought really hard for third place. It feels so good that we are finally here,“ said Sullens.
“Finally, the tables turn in our direction! After issues in Canberra which were somewhat disastrous and left us unable to finish, to Perth where we had a suspension error that put us just outside a podium, this is such a happy moment for both of us, and a relief at the same time. We have been chasing this, and knew we had the pace to earn it,” said Barkley.
For Coppin and Batten, the disappointment their team mates had endured earlier in the season is something they now know all too well. In what can only be described as a case of pure bad luck, the team fought through two punctured tyres, damaged suspension and no intercom across the weekend.
“Everything that could have gone wrong bar the car, did. A flat tyre in the rear mid-stage Saturday morning gave us minimal grip. We replaced it with the spare, only to have the same thing happen. Left to drive the two remaining morning stages, we wore away the rubber and were battling just on the wheel, which was dangerous, unpredictable and just plain scary at times,” said Coppin.
Looking to make up for the day before, the pair pushed hard during Sunday morning, only to come unstuck again.
“We had a hard landing on a rock after a big jump and completely knocked out the suspension. Then, a loss of intercom in our helmets during the long 35 kilometre stage left me somewhat driving blind, unable to hear Tim calling his notes. It was back to basics, using hand signals,” said Coppin.
“We still came fifth, and while it’s a bit disappointing for us, it’s great for the team overall with Tony and Julia making it on to the third step. Getting a Citroën up there on the podium is the main thing. It wasn’t our weekend, rather a bit of a character building one, but, we finished and we still got points,” said Batten.
Whilst the podium finish for Sullens and Barkley was not enough to pass Coppin and Batten on the series ladder, it has certainly narrowed the gap in points, and intensified the friendly in-house rivalry. With only 22 points separating the pair heading into the next round, and the opportunity to score points in the season narrowing, neither team will be holding back.
“The next round is South Australia with fast, flowing roads that suit the way I like to drive. The Citroën DS3 will be well suited to that event too, so I have high hopes. We’re all competitors -that is why we’re in this sport, and we will be fighting it out come Adelaide” said Sullens.
“Tony will be going in to Adelaide on a high after this event, and I’ll have a point to prove. Like they always say, the first person you want to beat is your team mate, so the pressure will be on, but in a good way!” said Coppin.
The next round of the East Coast Bullbars Australian Rally Championship takes drivers to the green rolling hills of the Barossa Valley, for the Scouts Rally South Australia, running from the 1st to the 3rd of August.
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