Dwyer and Adams in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 was only able to contest 4 of the 5 rounds of the SA series due to not taking delivery of the car until after the first round, however by taking maximum points in every one of the remaining rounds, they were able to wrap the series up with a comfortable margin.
The Walky Stages Rally was held over fast, flowing and cresty roads in the Truro and Sedan area north of Adelaide. “Being car 1 on freshly graded roads made it incredibly slippery, but it was a heap of fun!” reported Dwyer.
“They really were great roads, stuff that really rewarded commitment to pace notes, lots of crests with changes of direction, and blind corners.”
Dwyer reported an engine Miss fire during the 22 kilometre stage 1, but then on the liaison section between stages 1 and 2 was able to diagnose a faulty crank angle sensor connection. “Thank goodness for cable ties!” commented co-diver Craig Adams, who managed to solve the issue. After that the car ran almost faultlessly with only a hint of trouble coming up late in the rally. However the crew was able to drive around the issue and make it to the finish unscathed.
James Rodda, and Claire Ryan also battled an engine miss fire and a some other niggling problems in their Subaru WRX STi but managed to keep Dwyer honest, and in the process claimed the second step on the podium, only 45 seconds behind. Co-driver Claire Ryan said: “It has been a great battle all year between James and Declan, but it is such a friendly competition as well, we are all mates and just love this sport!”
Third position was grabbed by the husband and wife team of Simon and Yvette West in their Subaru WRX who had been in an intense battle with Lancer Evo 4 driver Sandy Nott. Unfortunately for Nott a broken steering arm saw his rally finish with only a couple of stages to go. This being the West’s first podium finish had them elated.
“The car ran really well,” Simon said. “The only drama being that the spotlights weren’t really pointing where we needed for the night stages making it pretty challenging but we held on and here we are!”
Ex-Australian Rally Champion Barry Lowe in his thundering V8 Commodore grabbed 4th outright and the Classics class with Neal Gehan rounding out the top 5 in his Subaru WRX.
This victory will make Dwyer and Adam’s third SA Rally title with the pair claiming the top spot in 2005 and 2006. Team Manager Amanda Dwyer commented: “The whole team is just thrilled! To be able to jump into a new car and have such instant success is a credit to them all. The service crews are the unsung heroes of all of this, and they have been a huge part in this year’s success. There was a couple of times where without them and their skills we would not have finished!”
Declan Dwyer went on to say: “I’d just like to pass on a huge amount of thanks to all of the officials, organisers, and sponsors that make all of this happen. The SA Rally Championship is a really well run affair and it is a credit to all those involved.”
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