Clay Badenoch is expecting an intense battle to unfold with fellow Classic competitor Tony Quinn when the International Rally of Queensland kicks off later this week.
Clay Badenoch will be aiming for a Classic win in his Toyota Celica.A diminished Classic entry list, minus Neal Bates who opted to bow out of this round, sees Badenoch start as the top seed in his Toyota Celica RA40 ahead of Tony Quinn’s BMW M3 and Chris Harbeck’s Toyota Celica TA22.
Despite the lack of challengers Badenoch is expecting a flat out fight with Quinn from the outset. “Tony was straight on the pace in Canberra,” said Clay. “He’s an amazing driver and a fierce competitor, so I’m going to have my work cut out for me to hold him at bay.”
“It is a bit disappointing not to have Neal competing in Queensland, but he’ll still be there in support and with guidance. He’s been such a huge help to me during my rallying the past few years, even before I was a customer,” Clay added.
The event marks Badenoch’s fourth time on the roads around Imbil, and he believes that a year on from taking delivery of his RA40 Celica he’s feeling more confident and committed in the car than ever before.
“Now that the car is reliable and I’m finishing events my confidence is really building, and that’s helping me start to push the boundaries. I do have to remind myself though that it’s such an easy car to drive quickly not to push past my own limits thinking I’m Neal Bates,” he laughed.
“Every event I think I’m improving, and my navigator Andrew Dunbar too, so to come to my home rally and be able to perform well is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Queensland has a reputation as a demanding event on cars, with many drivers ending up on the retirement list each year blaming the rough nature of the road. But Badenoch disagrees with those thoughts.
“Now I’ve done every event I can say that these are not the roughest roads in the Championship,” he stated. “I actually really enjoy the roads in Queensland. I love the mix of ultra-fast and the more tight and technical sections.”
“The trickiest bit in Queensland is when the roads are wet, and the past years I’ve competed it’s been wet on the Saturday and dry on the Sunday. This year isn’t looking much different, it’s likely there will be rain on Saturday again.”
“I can’t wait though, I get 5 or 6 chances a year to drive flat out in the forests so I’m not going to waste a single minute not getting out there and enjoying it!” Clay commented.
Recent rain in the area has forced a change of venue for Friday morning’s ARMOR ALL & STP Power Stage, with organisers moving from the Beerwah forests to roads closer to the rally base at Imbil.
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