In extremely treacherous and trying conditions, the team achieved a win in their class, the Subaru Cup, and were delighted to also end the weekend with a win in the highly competitive Rally Challenge.
“Our aim for the weekend was primarily to finish, and to win our class,” said Berne.
“Given that our car lacks the power of our competitors in the Rally Challenge – and that there are a number of very talented young competitors all gunning to win the Challenge – we knew that consistency was always going to be our competitive edge.”
The conditions played into the team’s hands, with heavy rain on Saturday night and throughout Sunday playing a large part in the outcome of the event results.
“As someone who grew up in the area, I am delighted to see the rain the farmers so desperately need,” Beckwith said, “and whilst it made the driving conditions perhaps some of the most challenging we have encountered, ultimately the tricky conditions caught out some of our competitors and our consistency delivered us this fantastic result!”
The Truckmate Racing team of Berne and Beckwith have delivered some impressive results since joining forces early in 2005. As a team, they have finished every event they have started, a formula which forms the cornerstone of the team’s strategy at every event.
“I worked out very quickly that I could not compete on outright speed with the young guns,” Berne added, who himself was a hard charger in the halcyon days of the 1970’s, “so Scott and I aimed to develop the trust and discipline which is critical in rallying to deliver consistent results, and to drive at a sustainable pace.”
Not that the team haven’t had their share of incidents, as Beckwith was quick to note.
“A roll in Adelaide in 2005, and an off in Rally Australia last year show that mistakes can happen – but in both cases we recovered and continued on to finish the event with results we were delighted with.”
The pair are looking forward to continuing their consistent form at the next round of the NEC Australian Rally Championship in Canberra on the weekend of June 2 and 3.
“We have some plans to further upgrade the car, which will give us more power and speed without jeopardising our reliability,” said Berne. “That will translate into being more competitive with the broader field than we have been able to be until now, but our aim will still be to ensure we are there at the end and participating in the results!”
The Truckmate Racing Team are supported by: Sands Auto Body, Schultz Auto Electrics, Toll Mining Services, and Brighter Ideas Promotional items.
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