Driving their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, Dowel and Spedding took victory by 22 seconds in the George Derrick Memorial Rally after an event long battle with arch-rival Warren Lee in a Lancer Evo X.
The team’s second car, the Holden Commodore of Matt Lee and Cathy Rainer, finished in 15th place after showing great pace throughout the all daylight event.
The rally was held over two heats of four stages each. In the first heat, a coil pack failure slowed Dowel considerably, yet he managed to limit the time loss and finished only 13 seconds behind Warren Lee.
“The engine was breaking down and wouldn’t rev out, which was very frustrating,” Dowel said.
“It was lucky that team manager, John Down, had a spare coil pack in the service vehicle, and we were able to replace it before the second heat.”
With the car repaired, Dowel won ever stage in heat two, taking a 35 second heat win, and the overall victory by 22 seconds.
“We were a bit lucky, because the head gasket blew on the second last stage, so we were fortunate that the engine made it to the finish,” he added.
“The engine in the car hasn’t been touched since Rally Victoria last November, so it just goes to show how important regular maintenance is in rallying.
“I really enjoyed the event. My road reading skills are improving on the ‘blind’ rallies, and while the first run through the stages were very slippery, on the second run the roads were in perfect condition.”
After finishing 10th in heat one, Lee was on track to repeat that performance in the second heat, setting comparable times to the leading two-wheel drive competitors in more powerful cars.
However, just 500 metres from the finish of the final stage, the car slid into a tree and Lee and co-driver, Cathy Rainer, lost almost five minutes getting the car to the finish.
“It was a real shame, because up until that point, Matt’s drive had been sensational,” Dowel said.
“He was matching times with guys like Andrew Bell and Brian Semmens, and really deserved a top 10 result.”
For the next round of the championship, the East Gippsland Stages on May 5, Lee will debut the team’s new Toyota Celica GT-Four, while problems obtaining parts for the second car will mean that Dowel will again drive his ARC-winning Lancer Evo IX.
Final Results, 2012 George Derrick Memorial Rally
1. Dowel / Spedding, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, 1h23m31s
2. Lee / Leathlean, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, +22s
3. Raymond / Raymond, Toyota Corolla Sportivo, +1m36s
4. Penhall / Middleton, Subaru Impreza WRX, +3m21s
=4. Stewart / Zinsstag, Subaru Impreza WRX, +3m40s
15. Lee / Rainer, Holden Commodore (7th 2WD)
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