Mark Pedder who opted to contest the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship this season after two years in the factory Honda squad says that he’s happy to be competing back on home soil at the upcoming International Rally of Queensland.
Pedder, the older brother of Scott Pedder, has already contested two Rounds of this year’s APRC, finishing third in New Zealand before a tough weekend at the recent Round in New Caledonia. Both events were brand new to Pedder.
“It’ll be great to get back on familiar roads in Queensland,” he said. “I’ve had good success in Queensland over the years, it was the event where I got my first ever podium finish.”
“I reckon I’ve run in Queensland at least 10 times, so I don’t have any excuses for not knowing what the roads are like. Plus I know a few of the ARC guys will be stepping up to run in APRC so it’ll be great to be fighting it out with them again.”
Pedder explained that his season so far had been an adventure, with his first time experiencing the fast, flowing roads of New Zealand and the ultra slippery clay roads of New Caledonia.
“New Zealand was absolutely fantastic, everything you imagine and hope for as a driver! I was happy to finish third on both my first time in New Zealand and my first event in the APRC, but I wasn’t so happy to be so far off the pace of the two Skoda’s,” explained Mark.
“New Caledonia though was just incredible, the roads are just clay and when they get rain on them it is so unbelievably slippery. But also seriously rough, Jan Kopecky (European Rally Champion) said driving them was tougher than driving the Dakar. We think Queensland is the roughest Round in the ARC, well it was nothing compared to New Caledonia!”
Pedder, who spent the previous two seasons in the front-wheel drive Honda Jazz, said that getting used to four-wheel drive again had proven challenging.
“It’s taken some getting used to that’s for sure. I think that first day in New Zealand was a real challenge for both myself and my co-driver Claire (Dowling). It takes a while to get your head back around the speed and grip of a Group N car.”
Having spent so many year’s competing in the Australian Rally Championship Mark explained that the chance to compete overseas was something he relished but that it’s also given him a unique perspective on the local series.
“It’s nice to do something different (like the APRC), but it does make you realise how good we’ve actually got it in the Australian Rally Championship. From the professionalism of the events, to the safety, to the organisers, how good the roads are and of course how fast the competitors are.”
“I think it would really open the eyes of a lot of drivers in Australia to do one or two events in the region and really appreciate just how good the ARC really is.”
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