Former Australian Rally Champion, Geoff Portman, has indicated his likelihood of entering this year’s NGK Rally of Melbourne, driving a 6-cylinder Holden Commodore.
Portman, the 1981 and 1982 Australian Champion, told RallySport Magazine that a deal was currently being put together by a consortium of friends to enable him to compete in the 2-day event on the weekend of September 23 & 24 in the Yarra Valley.
It has not yet been decided if he will enter the ARC component or the Victorian championship round.
The former Victorian forestry officer said he was keen to get behind the wheel again, although the car that he plans to drive will be well down on power than the car he drove to win the Alpine Rally last year.
“The Commodore is a bit deficient in the power and braking department,” he told RallySport Magazine, “but there are plans to upgrade the car with V8 power and to work on improving the brakes.
“The NGK Rally runs pretty much past my front door so I think that I should have a fair idea of the roads and the road conditions and perhaps make up for the Commodore’s lack of power,” Portman added.
Long-time navigator, Ross Runnalls, will not accompany Portman in the event as he has already committed to another event, so the decision on who will co-drive is still open.
“If there’s anyone out there who would like to co-drive and is prepared to help finance the entry, I’d love to hear from them,” Portman said.
Photo: Golly Photographix
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
