Leigh Hynes and Stuart Percival have claimed the 2013 WA Rally Championship at the notoriously-demanding Carringtons Traffic Services Safari Rally on Saturday.
“We’re thrilled to be able to take the title back to the City of Busselton,” Hynes said.
The final event of the season, held over rough and dusty roads around Chidlow, was a test of talent and determination for the Busselton Rally Sport pair who needed a top eight finish to claim the Championship.
They finished third after their Subaru WRX developed mechanical issues.
“We broke the gear shifter on stage five,” Hynes explained.
“Luckily, we were stuck in fourth gear so we could finish the stage. If it had have been first or second, or even fifth or six, it might have been a different story.”
The Busselton Rally Sport service team fixed the problem and, with four stages to run, Hynes and Percival ‘cruised’ to the end.
“It was a very nervous day,” Hynes said. “It definitely played on my mind that we lost the Championship at the Safari in 2009 when we broke the clutch on the final stage.”
“I’m so proud we got the job done this year and I’m grateful for the support we’ve had from our team and our sponsors including True Blue Alarms.”
Hynes praised his co-driver by saying: “Stuart is in a class of his own. His co-driving abilities are second to none and he’s so professional and focused.”
Together, Hynes and Percival have three WARC Championships (2008, 2011 and 2013). Percival also has a co-driver’s title from 1995.
The Busselton Rally Sport team has had one of their most successful years ever with outright victory in three out of five WARC events.
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