The earth-moving contractor from Sydney started the year with some disappointing performances in both the Western Australia and Queensland rounds due to mechanical DNF's.
Despite the slow start to 2011, Drake drastically excelled in the Scouts Rally in South Australia with an 10th outright followed by an outstanding sixth on the Coffs Coast in NSW.
These results led to an exciting finish for the Premier League at Rally Victoria category with Reynolds heading to his home rally just a few points ahead of Drake who had never rallied in the Southern state.
Charlie Drake continued to display his talent in the Warragul based event with a year-best result of 5th outright, demonstrating his competitiveness with the professional teams.
The unprecedented result allowed the Evo VIII driver to finish with a 37 point victory in the Premier League category over Mick Patton and Derek Reynolds.
CEO of the Bosch ARC Scott Pedder has congratulated Drake on his success and praised the style of the privateer driver.
"Charlie Drake was fantastic in 2011 and it was great to watch his consistent performances in the later part of the series," said Pedder.
"He definitely proved that you can run the Bosch ARC as a competitor in the cost effective Premier League and win the cetgory with consistency and persistence ," he added.
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Drake was elated with his victory over over both Reynolds and Patton after a year long fight however he emphasised that the rivalries remained in the car.
"It was a tough battle all year and it could have easily been Derek (Reynolds) or Mick (Patton) in my position now, they're both nice guys though and we all had a beer together on Saturday night," he said.
The triumph is just the beginning for what will surely be a memorable week for the colourful ex-patriot Irishman with his wedding planned this coming Saturday.
"It's definitely something special for me to win this title especially in front of my Dad and my family." Drake explained.
"Being able to have both of these enjoyable accomplishments within the same week is fantastic and it will certainly go down as an unforgettable time in my life," added Drake. Â
The Bosch ARC will announce new guidelines and rules for the Premier League/Privateers cup heading into the 2012 Championship.
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