The Smart’s were entering only their second ARC event in a 4WD car, following on from a strong performance in Canberra. This time they met every goal they could have set.
In Heat 1 they finished a strong 8th outright, 2nd Premier League and 2nd in the QRC having overcome an overheating issue that necessitated a radiator change in the short service, and an eye on the temperature gauge all day.
“After the first forest stage, Million LA, we found the fan had broken up causing a small hole in the radiator” said Ryan “so we had to take it easy on Kandanga Long to avoid engine damage”.
A change of radiator improved matters, but overheating was still an issue as the water pump was leaking fluid.
“Driving for the rest of the day with one eye on the temperature did slow me a bit” admitted Ryan, “but 8th outright was very satisfying”.
For Heat 2 the overheating was under enough control and the Smart’s set about improving their stage times.
“We had our eye on Nathan Quinn today and at the last service we were only 7.9 seconds behind, so we had a go over the last 3 stages. This brought us 5th fastest on the penultimate stage, and 7th outright at the finish” said Ryan.
“We opened up the blocks on the Silverstone tyres and found some excellent grip with enough tread to get through the stage distances” explained Ryan “and it paid off with our best ever result. Alan Stean from Silverstone Tyres did a great job helping us out.”
In fact the Fullerton Financial Services Evo 6 finished the weekend winning the Premier League, the Queensland Championship round and Class P5 in both the QRC and ARC.
“Our focus was really the Queensland Championship” said Ryan “so to find ourselves leading the Premier League and lying second in P5 in the ARC is a bonus”.
Ryan and Rebecca Smart would like to thank their sponsors – Fullerton Financial Services, Silverstone Tyres, Alliance Airlines, Prime Haulage and Yandina Automotive Repairs – and their service crew for an excellent weekend.
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