Victorian driver, Will Orders, has won the Australian Rally Championship’s inaugural two-wheel drive www.Rallyschool.com.au Junior Challenge.
Driving his Summit Rally Team Nissan Silvia, Orders and co-driver, Rian Calder, had to battle some of the trickiest conditions ever seen in Australian rallying, as the weather had a real impact on the 2011 Coffs Coast Rally.
With the prize of a drive in an outright-spec car in the final round of the Bosch Australian Rally Championship on offer, Orders went into the event with high hopes of victory.
Significant rainfall the night before the first day of the rally, and then during day one, made the roads treacherously slippery, catching out many competitors. This resulted in some stages being cancelled due to accidents and delays.
Orders juggled the need for speed and safety masterfully, finishing day one with a lead of over three minutes to his nearest rival in the two-wheel drive competition.
The first day also saw Orders’ Summit Rally Team team-mates, Ross and Scott Allan, in a strong third place in the two-wheel drive section of the event.
Fine weather for the second day soon had the stages drying out, and with many of the roads rated as the equal of some of New Zealand’s classic gravel stages, Orders was quickly back on the pace again.
He was consistently the fastest two-wheel drive car, and despite not needing to push too hard, he came away with a winning margin of over five minutes.
“We really just needed to maintain position and keep out of trouble on the final day,” Orders said.
“We managed to do that, and to take victory in the Junior Challenge competition for two-wheel drive cars is a great honour.
“Rian and I are now really looking forward to Rally Victoria on the second weekend in November, where we hope to make the most of our prize drive.”
The Summit Rally Team’s success at the Coffs Coast Rally was completed with the Allan brothers taking third place in the team’s second car.
Summit Rally Team will run two Nissan Silvia’s in next year’s Bosch Australian Rally Championship, with Orders and Allan at the wheel.
Photo: Peter Whitten
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