Busily preparing for the next round of Focus of Furniture Victorian Rally Championship, the team at Gunnawyn Motorsport are now eagerly awaiting the startling of East Gippsland Stages, held out of Bairnsdale Victoria on May 30th.
The team had some catching up to do after missing the first round in March.
"We missed the first rally of the year to focus on ensuring the team were all happy with the car and the wait was worth it, the car is awesome,” co-driver Tracey Dewhurst said.
Driver Viv Dilkes-Frayne reveals his thoughts on the new car and his aims for the remaining rounds of 2015.
"Marysville Stages was the first rally for us with the new Subaru. While we have our sights on podiums this year, it was most important to finish the rally and give the car a good shakedown,” he explained.
“It was difficult for me, because as a racing driver, I want to drive flat out. But after all the effort the team put into preparing the Subaru, there was no way I was going to bend it on its first rally.”
The next rally in East Gippsland has its own challenges, being a day-night event. Rallying at night is a very different game.
"It's much harder to read the road.mThe spotlights don't light up the road over crests, so you only see what's on the other side when you've already committed to your speed, which is often well over 140km/h. You need a lot of bravery to go fast in the dark,” he added.
“To stay in touch in the championship, we need another good result here. That's easier said than done in this competition. We'd like to target the podium, but that means knocking off Windus, Dowel or Lee.
“They have a lot of experience in the top level of rallying in Australia and they've really stepped up the pace this year. And there are plenty of other talented teams eyeing off the same positions. So we're looking forward to a big battle at East Gippsland.”
Follow the championship on www.vicrally.com.au
Photo: John Doutch
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