South Australians, Matt Selley and Claire Ryan, are ecstatic having finished 15th outright, 6th in Group N, 2nd Non-priority ( Privateer) and 2nd Australian crew at the 10th round of the 2009 World Rally Championship, Repco Rally Australia which was run in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales over the weekend.
Competing in their Possum Bourne Motorsport built 2003 Subaru Impreza Sti, the team was one of the much depleted field to complete the 35 special stages (totalling 344kms) and cross the podium on Sunday evening.
“Our objective was to finish and having never competed in a WRC round before, we underestimated just how much of an accomplishment that would be. To have achieved that objective and to have been the second Aussie crew over the podium is something we are very proud of,†said driver, Matt Selley.
Selley, two times South Australian State Championship rally driver, said he was overwhelmed by the experience of competing in a WRC event.
“The scale of the event in terms of planning, infrastructure and support from the local communities was amazing. Although there were small numbers of protestors who believed that the event would cause environmental damage despite independent evidence to the contrary, they were grossly outnumbered by the fans and local residents who lined the roads cheering the competitors on,†said Selley.
Co-driver, Claire Ryan, who teamed up with Selley earlier this year and who has competed internationally, said the event was second to none.
“Hats off to the organising team for staging a truly world class event and to the hundreds of volunteer officials who were all faultlessly professional,†she said.
Ryan attributed much of the team’s success to the meticulous preparation of the car by the team from Norwood Auto Services.
“Being a long time Subaru devotee, it has been a privilege to compete in a PBMS built car and the countless hours our crew invested in replacing components after our successful run at Rally of South Australia has paid a big dividend,†Ryan remarked.
The Selley/Ryan entry was sponsored by Racecam, the Australian distributor of the renown and highly popular incar camera unit “POVâ€.
“Matt, Claire and their crew are result focussed and we didn’t hesitate when they asked for support,†said Racecam Managing Director, Brook Treloar.
“It was certainly a pleasure to be involved with such a successful and well run rally team,†said Treloar.
Selley and Ryan are now focussed on the final round of the South Australian State Rally Championship, to be held in the Wirrabara Forest on the October long weekend. They hold a commanding points lead and are quietly confident of Selley securing a third consecutive State Championship and Ryan her first.
“From there on our plans our uncertain,†said Selley.
“We would dearly love the opportunity to compete in the recently announced modern division of Classic Adelaide in November. We have proven our pace on tarmac and, if we can secure the sponsorship we need to be competitive, we will be there,†he said.
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