Abort, abort, abort
Asia Pacific Rally Championship co-ordinator, Vicky Chandhok was in Tasmania for Subaru Rally Tasmania, but had a bit of trouble leaving. Chandhok was set to fly home to India, but reported: "An aborted takeoff from Tasmania (Launceston), aborted landing in Melbourne due to thick fog and we're back in Tasmania (Devonport) after 3 hours instead of the original 45minutes!! Taking off again now after refuelling .... The 'joys' of Travel!!!"Spin, crash, recover
Rally Tasmania had its fair share of heart in mouth moments - some lucky, others not so lucky. Steve Glenney is a driver most of us would rather see with a steering wheel in his hands, rather than a set of pace notes, but he's doing a brilliant job calling the notes for still-novice rally driver, Luke Anear. This spin in their new Ford Fiesta R5 shows just how calm and collected Glenney is in a crisis, although deep down he probably had his butt cheeks clenched tightly! https://www.facebook.com/AusRally/videos/2200782083352870/ A driver who wasn't so lucky was Tasmanian Mark Butcher who, together with co-driver Warren Phillip-Clarke, had this nasty accident on the second day. Mark commented later: "The fact that we can roll a car four times and both walk away with minimal damage to the vehicle is a testament to all the safety precautions we put in place to minimise the risk in what could be perceived as a dangerous sport 👌🏻 #safetyfirst #thatshowweroll" https://www.facebook.com/rallytasmania/videos/2279441375602866/Things that go bump in the night
Popular Queensland co-driver, John Allen, who's now retired from the sport, enjoys living life in the fast lane, and his recent purchase of a Maserati is no exception. JA took delivery of the beautiful Italian stallion and had a 2300km drive across Australia to get the car home. Unfortunately the car's gearbox failed midway home, proving that while you can buy happiness, you can't always buy a good Maserati gearbox .....
John Allen's shiny new Maserati. Photo: via Facebook
Hanmer Rally cancelled for 2019
Following the tragic death of New Zealand photographer Kevin Corin at last year's Hanmer Rally, organisers have decided to cancel this year's rally. "It was a unanimous decision (by the club) brought about by two main factors, not the least the pending coronial enquiry over the fatality involving legendary photographer and motorsport fan, Kevin Corin," a statement from the event's Leigh Marston said. "Whilst this is pending there is only a slim chance of gaining permission to use the forest for rallying." It is hoped that the event will return to the NZ rallying calendar in 2020.Legend turns 68
Rallying legend, and current FIA WRC Safety Officer, Michele Mouton, turned 68 on June 23rd. Mouton is best remembered as the only female to win a round of the World Rally Championship, which she did twice while driving for the factory Audi team in the 1980s.
Michele Mouton at the Safari Rally in 1982. Photo: Martin Holmes
Back to the future
The Ford Escort Mk 2 is still one of the most popular rally cars ever to grace the gravel stages, and now, 44 years since it was first released, it's back. British company Motorsport Tools have partnered with Great British Sports Cars to develop the new Mk2 Escorts as new registered road cars. These will be brand new cars on current registration plates. The all new Mk2 Escorts will be based on a Group-4 spec bodyshell, powered by a brand new Ford supplied 2.5L Duratec on ATR billet throttle bodies and Life ECU. Mazda 6-speed gearbox, Atlas axle, AP Racing brakes, Bilstein coilovers will also be included. They will be supplied as complete road going cars or in kit form, and can easily be converted to a rally car if required. Like that pair of flared jeans you used to wear in the 70s, everything comes back into fashion eventually.
Return of a legend
Speaking of Escorts, Kiwi Jeff Judd has just taken delivery of an ex-works Ford Rally Team Australia Escort RS1800, originally registered YJA444. The car has spent the past few years in Japan, and is currently painted blue, but Juddy plans on restoring the car to its original yellow colour scheme.- Do you have some news we should be reporting, or have you seen something on social media that's taken your interest? If so, contact us with the details.
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