Young Canberra Rally driver, Rhys Pinter, has already declared that 2015 is feeling better than 2014 after a successful test earlier in the week on the outskirts of Canberra.
“For the first time since I have had the car (Ford Fiesta R2) I have felt comfortable and know what the car is doing. I feel like I have my confidence and mojo back!” Pinter said.
Rhys completed nearly 70 kilometres of crucial testing where he has tried different set-ups and a new driving style to accommodate the car’s needs. For the first time, the car did not have any issues or problems, which is a big positive for the team.
“The car is a lot different to my old Excel as it has the power to pull itself out of the tighter corners, however, with the lack of running time last year it was hard to get used to driving the car positively, which hampered the development of the car and myself.”
2014 was a massive disappointment as Rhys endured many niggling mechanical issues and the huge crash sustained on debut at the National Capital Rally did not help the development.
“I’ll be honest, last year was terrible! if it could go wrong, it did. There was so much going on with the car that it was hard to develop, and in turn, get results.”
Even though on the track Rhys has not had the best results, it is off the track where he and his team have gained a lot of support.
“It’s been great off the track. I have signed a new naming rights sponsor for this year, retained all my other sponsors, as well as signing up some new ones. To add to this, I also have a new team manager and experienced mechanics joining the team, which is fantastic!”
The new team and livery will be launched in the next couple of weeks, before heading off to Round 1 of the NSW Rally Championship up in Glenn Innes on March 28, followed by his part-time ARC program, beginning with the National Capital Rally in May.
Watch a video of Rhys Pinter testing below:
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
