Boaden partnered by his sister Helen Cheers brought his Mitsubishi Evo 9 Lancer home in second place at the recent Scouts Rally of SA.
After years of battling away at the ARC showing glimpses of brilliance while being frustrated by mechanical retirements and the a shoe-string privateer budget, Boaden was extremely relieved to take a podium step in South Australia.
"Wow, I can't explain how good it felt to get that result!" Boaden said.
"I was really determined going to Rally SA that I needed to get a good result after a really disappointing round in Queensland," said Michael.
"I knew I just needed more time in the car, so I was really eager to get down to SA and just spend more time in the car," he said.
Boaden, a resident of Wauchope on the NSW mid-North Coast has been contesting the ARC on-and-off since 1997 but made the decision last year to have an all-out crack at the sport's top level.
"We've had some tough years in the ARC, it's always been tough to find a budget decent enough to challenge the top guys," said Michael.
"But I think every privateer would say the same so you just make do with what you've got and try your hardest," explained Boaden.
"Last year we had quite a few disappointments, and I really wanted this year to move past those problems but Queensland didn't go according to plan and that was incredibly frustrating."
A second outright for Boaden and co-driving sister Helen Cheers at Scouts Rally SA leads them solidly into their home event next month at the Coffs Forest Rally.
"We came home from South Australia really pleased with our result but knowing we had a lot of hard work ahead of us to get the car ready for our home Round in Coffs," added Boaden.
"I'm really keen to tackle those Coffs Harbour roads, I know them really well and we've had some outstanding results there in the past, so I can look forward to the challenge ahead!"
The Coffs Forest Rally starts on 8th September and runs parallel with the local round of the World Rally Championship, Rally Australia.
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