Bill Sullivan and Jenna Kelley contested the East Gippsland Stages in Bairnsdale last weekend, finishing a creditable 13th place (unofficial score) out of 40 entries in their Snooks Motorsport-prepared Daihatsu Detomaso Charade.
For Kelley, this was an event she was not looking forward to, as last year she had a big hit between two trees, less than two kilometres into the first stage.
For Sullivan, it was his first event in eleven months since Bega last year when a broken alternator bracket also broke his rallying spirit, but after only a couple of kilometres he was back into it!
"I was just aiming to get to the end of this event, I didn't care where we finished," said Kelley. "All I wanted, was to have fun and see that finish line and knock the monkey off. Bill was fantastic! I trust Bill and he's a great driver and friend and he's absolutely hilarious in the car. On the way back to Parc Ferme, he drove around a roundabout three times, and I could not stop laughing!"
Sullivan and Kelley had a good run despite alternator and voltage issues again in the second half of the event, as well as some intercom issues. With a new set of Dunlop front tyres on after service, the crew found the grip they were looking for.
"The first half of the event was hard work for Bill. All we were getting was wheel spin on every gear change! He was wrestling with the car most of the time. With the new tyres on, the car felt more settled and he was able to focus on the road a lot more. I think we did very well."
The crew would like to thank Scott Jennison for servicing and the directing team and all the wonderful officials who made this event such a success. Congratulations to Leigh and Ken Garrioch 1st 2WD and everyone who finished the event.
Pic: John Doutch.
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