This week’s National Capital Rally will see the debut of not one but two new cars in the Championship, with Mark Pedder unleashing his Peugeot 208 ‘Maxi’ while Justin Dowel puts more than twelve months of hard work to the test with his Hyundai i20 prototype.
“I’m really excited to not only be finally driving it in a rally, but showing everyone what this car is all about,” said Dowel on the eve of the event.
With looks akin to the Hyundai i20’s being driven in the World Rally Championship, Dowel’s i20 prototype is sure to have everyone’s attention throughout the course of the weekend and after a recent test Dowel is keen to show what the car is capable of.
“I did a test earlier in the year that was ok, but the car needed some work. We made changes and tested it again more recently and it felt great. (It’s) Very well balanced, just a really nice car to drive,” he explained.
“I guess the biggest differences for me stepping out of an unrestricted (Mitsubishi Lancer) Evo X is that the prototype has much less power, maybe 20 to 25% less. But it’s also 160 kilograms lighter than the Evo so it feels much faster and more nimble. I don’t think we need mega horsepower to be right up there and challenging in this car.”
Dowel had been due to unveil the i20 at the previous round in Western Australia but having realised it would have been premature, he opted instead to run his Evo X Lancer, with mixed results.
“The Forest Rally was frustrating for us. When everything worked well we set some fast times, but then the turbo failed on Heat One. We fixed that and got going again then in Heat Two the front diff lost its pre-load and we basically had rear wheel drive. Throw in a couple of punctures too, and yeah it’s a weekend I’d rather forget,” admitted Dowel.
“Really I look at our season starting in Canberra. I want to dial in the new car, get comfortable with what it can do, maybe aim to drive at eight tenths and build up from there. I won’t be attacking 110% from the word go!”
Even though he has tested the Hyundai prototype in Victoria, Dowel confirmed that he was yet to give it what he’d consider ‘a proper gravel test’ and that that won’t happen until the pre-event test day on Wednesday.
“Even with limited time in the car I’m not coming to the event to stuff around, I’m still there to win and I’m confident that the car can win, even with a really quality field of 4WD’s and Mark Pedder’s new ‘maxi’ car too,” said Dowel.
“I see everybody as a threat this weekend though, and I honestly have no idea who will be the fastest out of the blocks – it could be anybody! And that’s what probably excites me the most, some really serious competition for me to gauge the new car against.”
Dowel and the Hyundai i20 prototype will be in action from this Friday morning with the running of the ARMOR ALL & STP Power Stage in the Kowen Forest. The ceremonial start for the National Capital Rally takes place at Westside Acton Park from 4pm.
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