This was just the start the pair needed, after last year coming runners-up in the Tasmania Rally Championship.
The rally, held in the small town of Lindenow, 15km west of Bairnsdale, consisted of 2 heats over 127km competitive and 10 stages.
Nathan and Scott started the rally off well, winning the first heat by 52 seconds and taking the heat one points. Unfortunately, this heat come at a cost though, with Nathan losing 5th gear in his dog box, meaning 4th gear would only allow him to travel at a maximum speed of 135k/ph. So Heat two was going to be a tough one to win, with the team not able to fix the gearbox problem in the 90 minute service.
Heat two started off well and Nathan and Scott won the first stage. This did not last long though, as Nathan started beginning to feel ill with travel sickness. Also, with the average speed of the stages getting faster and the car having a limited top speed, the pair was losing time to the other competitors.
Nathan and Scott remained focused throughout the stages and managed to finish 3rd outright in heat 2, losing the heat by only 32 seconds. With Scott madly doing the calculations, it was clear the boys had been victorious by 21 seconds over Warren Lee and David Lethlean. This was Nathan and Scott’s first Victorian Rally Championship victory and was very exciting for the crew.
Next for Nathan and Scott is the second round of the Victorian Rally Championship, the Bega Valley Rally, held on the 13th of June, in the New South Wales town of Bega. Bega is a combined NSW and VIC state round and will be a great chance for Nathan to test his skills against the best in both states.
East Gippsland Stages results (top 20):
1 Nathan Reeves/Scott Spedding, Subaru WRX STi Spec C, 1h19m32s
2 Warren Lee/David Lethlean, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, 1:19:53
3 Andrew Taylor/Michael Stanbrough, Mazda RX7, 1:20:57
4 Steve Kenway/Lauren Palmer, Subaru Impreza WRX, 1:21:11
5 Alan Friend/Robin Smalley, Nissan Silvia RS, 1:21:12
6 Matt Swan/Paul Franklin, Subaru WRX STi, 1:21:29
7 Brian Semmens/Jason Hague, Nissan 200SX RV, S12 1:21:31
8 Bernard Miron/Andrew Ormesher, Subaru Impreza RS, 1:25:28
9 Campbell Eastwood/Darren Miller, Datsun Stanza, 1:25:34
10 Steven Mackenzie/Dan Parry, Hyundai Excel, 1:26:00
11 Ben MacKenzie/Brett Williams, Datsun 1600, 1:26:46
12 Tony Moore/Nikki Moore, Hyundai Excel X3, 1:27:11
13 John Wilson/Kevin Wilson, Subaru Impreza WRX, 1:27:31
14 Ross Stapleton/Correne Seabrook, Nissan 200SX, 1:27:35
15 Dane Berry/Nathan Berry, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4, 1:27:51
16 Rohan Crouch/Troy Allott, Holden Commodore, 1:27:53
17 Rob Davis/Kimberley O'Halloran, Nissan Sunny GTi, 1:30:27
18 Danny Hudswell/Rikki-Lee Hudswell, Hyundai Excel, 1:31:20
19 Gerard Blum/Mahra Villis, Hyundai Excel
X3, 1:31:40
20 Sidney Loke/Gary Reynolds. Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, 1:32:31
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