Australia’s longest continually run rally, the 51st edition of the Carrington’s Safari has determined the winners of 2016 Onslow Contracting Western Australian Rally Championship (WARC).
Winning the Safari and also the WARC, Dylan King and co-driver Abbey Hayes finished on top of both podiums driving their DK Earthworks Subaru Imprezza WRX STI.
Dylan King and Abbey Hayes, 2016 WARC winners. Photo: CMR PhotographicSecond place at Carrington’s Safari went to Doug Tostevin and his co-driver Tammy Adams in their S Technic Specialist Subaru Garage Subaru Imprezza WRX STI, and third place to Stephen Oxley and co-drive Michael Wood in their CASA Security Subaru WRC STI.
Four stages were run twice in and around Chidlow and Mundaring for a total of 117.7 kilometres of competitive stages, with one service.
King said the Carrington’s Safari was a difficult rally but he was thrilled to take out the win and the Championship.
“Our plan was to finish the rally. On the second stage around the first corner the car started misfiring and I was a bit worried. But it started running fine again and we finished the stage,” King said.
“On Stage 5 we got puncture on left hand front tyre about 6km from the end. We finished the stage with the flat tyre then replaced at the end of the stage.
“I’m over the moon to win the Championship. I’ve been doing this since I was 16 years old when I first started rallying in my Escort,” King said, who turned 22 just two weeks ago.
Looking forward, King said he would like to do a couple of ARC events next year.
On the second step on the podium in the Safari and also in the WARC, Tostevin said their performance wasn’t quite enough to win, but he is happy with second.
“Safari is always tough with a challenging route. The character of the roads change constantly with fast sections and others sections where we had to really careful,” Tostevin said.
“The car was great, no problems at all. Dylan [King] was too quick for us on the day - we were pushing but not taking any unnecessary risks.
“It would’ve been nice to win the championship, but we’re also really happy with second. Congratulations to Dylan [King] and Abbey [Hayes] on their first win.
“I’d like to thank my co-driver Tammy and the S-Technic team for putting such a great car under me all season – and thanks to the rally volunteers to make all these events happen during the year,” Tostevin said.
Tostevin said he is going to take a break and catch up from some neglected chores after a big season.
Finishing in third place in the Drivers Outright 2016 Onslow Contracting Western Australian Rally Championship was Mick Steele in a Japline NATRAD Malaga Subaru Impreza WRC STI.
Finishing the Co-Drivers Outright Championship in third place was Daymon Nicoli who sat alongside 2WD competitor Razvan Vlad in a MAXYrally.com.au Ford Fiesta. It is a fantastic accomplishment for a 2WD co-driver to finish in the top three.
2WD
Despite the Carrington’s Safari being the penultimate round of the for 2WD Championship, championship leaders Razvan Vlad and Daymon Nicoli can’t be beaten.
Vlad said his Ford Fiesta performed well at Carrington’s Safari with no problems.
“I think the Safari was the best organised rally with the right combination of fast roads and rough tight roads. It was also very compact with not a lot of liaison, which is good and the stages were challenging,” 39-year-old Romanian born said.
“We went our own pace and managed to win – it’s very nice to win – we just wanted to finish this rally.
“We’ve had a good season, the car has been working right and we’ve finished all the rallies with just one dent.
“Now, it doesn’t matter what happens at the Darling 200 – we’ve won the championship! It’s also a very good achievement for my co-driver Daymon who finished the championship in third – the highest finish for a co-driver in a two-wheel drive.
“I’m looking forward to Darling because it is a roadbook event and I want to build my roadbook experience. You never know, next year the championship might come down to the Darling 200, so I’ll try to go as fast as I can.”
Vlad, an air-quality physicist who has been rallying for 21 years, said he had to learn to rally on gravel when he moved to Perth 15 years go.
The final round of the 2016 Onslow Contracting 2WD Western Australian Rally Championship will be the Darling 200 on November 12, 2016.
Clubman Cup
Carl and Tracey Rattenbury equal first in Clubman Cup. Photo: CMR Photographic The penultimate round of the Clubman Cup, the Carrington’s Safari consisted of the same four stages as the 4WD and 2WD competitors but were only run once, a total of 58.7 kilometres, with no service.
Top place of the podium went to Mitchel and Stuart Clarke in their Bunbury Sharpening Service 1970 Datsun 1600. Finishing second was Graeme and Kathy Miles in their Miles Landscaping 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer, and third was Carl and Tracey Rattenbury in Rally Rats 1974 Ford Escort
Mitchel Clarke said he was thrilled to get another first place this season.
“We came first in the Quit Experts Cup and it’s great to get another win – we’re starting to get consistency which is good,” Clarke said.
“The car was great on the first stage. On the second stage the bonnet pins broke but we made it to the end and fixed it with zip ties and tape, which held for the next two stages.
“There were a few big rocks which unsettled the car a bit but it’s all part of the fun. It scared the co-driver a few times with some unexpected jumps and bumps too!
“All we really have to do is change the oil and fix the bonnet pins before the Darling 200. We’ll be pushing but not taking risks - our aim is to finish the season in third place overall,” the 25-year-old said.
Third on the podium at Safari and currently sitting first in the Clubman Cup Championship, co-driver Tracey Rattenbury said that she and her husband Carl are pumped for the next event, the Darling 200.
“We’re happy with third place and stoked to get some very valuable points for the Championship,” Rattenbury said.
“The rally was really rough in patches but the car held up well. We only need to do a bit of tweaking and get four new tyres before Darling.
“We won the Clubman Cup Championship two years ago after coming third in the Safari, so I’m hoping it’s an omen. We’ll be coming out pumped at Darling – we’ll be pushing to win,” Rattenbury said.
After the Safari, Drivers Carl Rattenbury and Dene Courtis sit in equal first place in the Clubman Cup, which is likely to result in a fierce battle in the final round of the season.
Competitors contesting for championship title honours in both the 2WD category and Clubman Cup will have to perform well at the Darling 200 rally on November 12.
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