{mosimage}‘Catch me if you can’ – that will be the challenge laid down by Leigh Hynes next weekend when the Experts Cup Rally gets underway in the pine plantations around Collie. The Busselton Subaru driver is expected to set the pace for the four-wheel drive competitors in the event which covers 113 competitive kilometres of winding roads through the Wellington Dam precinct.
Hynes and co-driver Stuart Percival failed to finish round one (Quit Forest Rally in Nannup) but picked up maximum points when they won round two (Trade Hire Donnelly Rally). The pair are expected to go out hard and fast.
“We just go flat out from the start. That way there’s a bit of a buffer if we have any problems,” Hynes said.
The current WA Rally Championship leader is Alex Stone in a Subaru Impreza WRX Sti. He’ll be Hynes’ strongest competition and out to protect his 22-point lead earned from strong finishes in previous rounds.
Other Subuaru WRX drivers, John O’Dowd (on 46 points), and Doug Tostevin (on 45 points), are also expected to make a challenge for the championship lead.
Hynes is fourth on the points table (on 40 points) and shares his spot with two-wheel drive trailblazer, Dylan King.
At just 17, King has been unstoppable this year in his Ford Escort and he’s expected to put his exciting driving skills on display again around Collie. His strongest competition is likely to be Kiel Douglas in a Holden Commodore VS.
Experts Cup clerk of course Jeremy Savage described the roads as ‘fast flowing and fun’. He’s not concerned should there be wet conditions: “We’ve had rain before the event and during the event in previous years and the roads hold up really well.”
The Experts Cup Rally kicks off at 12.40pm from the Collie trotting track. It finishes at around 9pm. More than 40 competitors will take part in the event which also includes a separate Clubman rally run over a shorter course of 73 competitive kilometres.
Full results are available on www.rallywa.com
For further information contact Ross Tapper - 0418 950 022 or media@rallywa.com
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