Over the off season, Coppin has reached agreement with rallying identity John Mills to lease the Ford Fiesta ST that he drove to second in the 2WD class at Rally Australia in September last year. He will continue to have Tim Batten as co-driver.
“My plan for 2012 is to see if I can win the 2WD category in the Junior Challenge as a launch pad to a full ARC campaign in 2013,” Coppin said.
The Australian Junior Challenge is for drivers under 28 years of age. It allows aspiring young drivers to compete against their peers and develop their driving skills in a competition of their own, run in conjunction with the Australian Rally Championship but without having to compete directly with the outright championship contenders.
Adrian’s first event will be the exciting new urban rallying event, Rally Calder to be held completely within the Calder Park motorsport complex north west of Melbourne in late March. He will miss the next round in Western Australia before getting back into the drivers seat for International Rally of Queensland, a round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in May and then Scouts Rally SA in July. If everything goes as planned, October will see Coppin fighting for the 2wd title at the Australian Junior Challenge final in Coffs Harbour in October.
“I will miss the second round of the championship as I am in the bridal party at a friend’s wedding that weekend but after that I will be at the remaining rounds. If everything goes well, and I make the final, I am hoping my experience on the roads around Coffs Harbour during Rally Australia might be an advantage,” Coppin said.
The team is looking closely at the G2 regulations and is contemplating its options going forward but nothing will be decided until after International Rally of Queensland.
Coppin is hoping to continue with several of his sponsors from Rally Australia as well as adding a couple of new ones. The team will have a launch and make an announcement as soon as the details are finalised.
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