Best result ever for Raymond brothers

The Raymond Partners Accountants Rally Team have gained their best result ever in the latest round of the Australian Rally Championship, the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge. Running on tarmac roads for the first ever time in the championship, brothers of Glen & Matt Raymond were able to push their Toyota Corolla to finish on the event podium.

"I can’t believe we finished on the podium, " said an elated Glen Raymond. "It’s been a hard journey to get here, and even though we didn’t win, it definitely feels like we did!"

It was also a first for Toyota in the Australian Rally Championship with the manufacturer pulling a 1-2-3 finish. With TRD Drivers Neal Bates & Simon Evans 1st & 2nd in their S2000 Corolla’s, Raymond finished 3rd in his more standard Group N Corolla.

"Tarmac is such a different surface to gravel, with a different driving approach resulting in the learning curve being steep. With it being my first experience on the hard surface I drove to my own game, and thanks to the pre-event advice from Neal (Bates) we were able to come away with a podium." Raymond said.

With no mechanical troubles thanks to the meticulous preparation at Mammi Motors, the only struggle was the uphill sections where the Group N Corolla lacked the outright horsepower comparative to its competitors.

"The in-car footage will be funny with both Glen and I cheering the car on to go faster," laughed navigator Matt Raymond. "But with that said, thanks to the Michelin tyres I was amazed how much speed we were carrying through the wet corners to make up the time."

After a great result, the team now looks excitedly towards the final round of the championship held in Coffs Harbour on the 15th & 16th of November.

The team would like to thanks its sponsors for the continued support: Raymond Partners Accountants, JNJ Electrical Contractors, Mammi Motors, Bendigo Bank, Premium Electrical Services, Global Energy Solutions, Michelin Tyres, Quality Site Welding, Legible Signs, Critical Damping Services, Jen’s Dinkum Discounts, and VicParts.

Photo: TRD Pressroom

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