The origins of the Bega Valley Rally go back to the very early sixties, when it was variously known as the Snowy Rally and Southern Mountains Rally, and it was based at Bega.
The Bega Valley represents the south coastal region of New South Wales and is known as the ‘Sapphire Coast’ and that it certainly is! Beautiful beaches and glorious weather.
Since 2009 the rally has been based at Eden, opening up the large forests area to the south and west of this town and now extending into the far East Gippsland region of Victoria, with a service pit stop at Genoa.
The Bega Valley Rally in 2012 was a special stage rally, conducted in the forests to the west, south-west and south of Eden. It was a round of the following championships and series: New South Wales Rally Championship, 2WD Rally Championship and Rallyschool.com Excel Rally Series, EXEDY Victorian Rally Championship (VRC), Victorian 2WD Rally Championship and BATRONIC Hyundai Excel Series, plus the Shannons Insurance ACT Regional Series.
The Gonutsforcars.com.au Rally Team of David Nutter and Jenna Kelley headed to Eden Friday evening under a dark grey sky. The weather had been atrocious and flooding throughout Gippsland was prevalent, but by the time of the rally, the roads to NSW were clear and the team arrived just prior to midnight.
Saturday dawned crisp and clear with the sun shining! The morning consisted of scrutiny and finalising car preparation. Documentation was very well organised and efficient.
After a fantastic breakfast at Snug Wharf on Sunday morning, the team was ready to go at 8:40 under a warm, golden sun and headed off to the first stage.
The stages were fantastic from tight and twisty, to slippery, then dry and open.
“As a co-driver it was strange (but nice in a way!) to have stages where you called nothing for 10km,” Jenna said.
“I actually got to look out the window and see where we were and how the car was going! I had to laugh when we knocked over three white posts when David was being Speedy Gonzales on stage 6 and cutting the corners!
“The car felt amazing this weekend. David was on song and everything ran like clockwork! I am utterly thrilled to have placed third in the Victorian Rally Championship and made the podium. To have placed seventh outright for the VIC/NSW and ACT event was an added bonus!”
“The car performed perfectly thanks to the team in the David Nutter Ford & Berwick Volkswagen Used Car workshops,” Nutter said. “My driving technique has lifted a notch after some coaching from World Rally competitors Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smythe!”
The team’s next event is the Akademos, a pace noted round of the VRC in Alexandra on October 14.
Photo: John Doutch
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