Round four of the CAMS Onslow Constructing Western Australian Rally Championship (WARC), the Make Smoking History Experts Cup Rally, will be held this Saturday 8th July in Collie.
WARC leader Tom Wilde in action. (Photo: CMR Photographic)The WARC competitors will compete over 125 kilometres of stages over a total distance of 284 kilometres. Clubman Cup is half the length / distance with 85.5 kilometres of competitive stages, designed to be more accessible and encourage less experienced competitors into the sport.
Clerk of Course Richard Delfos said that there are 34 competitors expected to tackle the three-stage course.
“Last year we were only able to run two stages, but this year we’ll be running three stages,” Delfos said.
“Rain is expected later in the week but should clear up for the weekend and the mercury is set to drop, so competitors should expect a cold and hopefully dry rally.
“The stages are fast and flowing with some tight corners, much of the same that we’ve used in previous years. Competitors who are familiar with the Experts Cup are likely to have an advantage,” the Clerk of Course said.
Leading the outright championship driver standings in both the WARC and 2WD categories is Tom Wilde and his co-driver and girlfriend Madelin Kirkhouse is leading the co-driver standings.
Wilde said he is looking for a good result to solidify his outright championship lead.
“We’re both looking forward to the Experts Cup and I reckon this event will suit our 2WD car, more so than the other competitors,” Wilde said.
“We run the team on a tight budget, so the priority is to keep the car reliable. If we have a DNF, we’re out of the points and out of contention.”
Wilde acknowledged the support received from Verandah Apartments for the team’s 1993 Honda Civic.
“To have a chance of winning the overall championship, which is our focus, we’ll need to stay in front of Steele, Oxley, and O’Dowd,” the Nannup cheese maker said.
Going into the Make Smoking History Experts Cup sees the top four championship contenders still within striking distance.
In second place in the WARC trailing by 32 points is Mick Steele and co-driver Tracey Dewhurst in their Natrad Malaga Japline 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Just seven points behind in third place is Stephen Oxley and co-driver Michael Wood in their CASA Security 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. A further seven points behind is John O’Dowd and Kenneth Sheil in their Maximum Motorsport O’Dowd Transport 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
Wilde and Kirkhouse also lead the 2WD Championship by a healthy 74 points. In second place is Razvan Vlad, and his co-driver Daymon Nicoli. In third place in the 2WD Championship, 23 points behind is Kody Reynolds and Megan Logue.
The Collie Trotting Track will be transformed into the rally’s service park. Entry is free and the first car is due to leave at 12.00pm (noon).
Visit http://www.rallywa.com/rallyevents/experts-cup/ for more information.