Eli Evans and Glen Weston placed first outright, giving the duo four wins from four starts and putting them at the top of the two-wheel drive leader board. Team mates Mark Pedder and Claire Ryan took out their first podium of the season, placing third outright. It was Ryan’s first ever ARC podium.
The Scouts Rally, held in and around the Barossa Valley and Mt Crawford, is one of the most enjoyable for competitors. This year saw a number of changes to the event, with the service park moving location to Adelaide’s CBD.
The day before the start of the event was the second wettest July day in Adelaide’s history, making Heat One’s stages slippery and inconsistent. Evans remarked, “We had a bit of a moment in a water splash towards the end of the stage and dropped a few seconds. We upped the pace on the next stage but discovered a problem with the braking system that lead to a very inconsistent brake pedal. Not very confidence inspiring at all!”
They pushed the Jazz hard during the ‘Pedders Power Stage’ on Friday night as it was worth bonus points towards the event and championship. They won the stage and also the heat.
Heat One also threw a challenge to Pedder and Ryan; the hatch of the Jazz was left unsecured resulting in a loud, tricky car but some impressive photos. “When the boot went up, all I knew was the car wasn’t handling well and I could barely hear the pace notes,” Pedder said.
Evans and Weston drove smartly and cleanly throughout Heat Two and didn’t make a single mistake all day. Weston said, “We had managed to accumulate a twenty second lead, so we elected to slow in the final stage after Jack Monkhouse retired to ensure the win for Heat Two.” Pedder and Ryan also performed well in the heat, gaining confidence with every competitive kilometer.
Heat Three again proved successful for the Evans Motorsport team. Evans and Weston ended up with a clean sweep of the points by winning all three heats, the bonus point for stage wins and five points for the power stage.
“Heat Three was a difficult day in muddy conditions. We made the call to just drive through and finish the event and we succeeded in coming third in the heat and third in the event overall. The podium was wonderful for our team, having a 1-3 finish.
“It was a great weekend and we were thrilled to finally finish a round and get a great result for the team. The Jazz was faultless all weekend,” Pedder said.
Round Five of the Bosch ARC will take place in and around Coffs Harbour in New South Wales on October 14 and 15, the Snake Racing Rally Coffs.
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