Brad Markovic and new co-driver Toni Feaver have made a solid start to the CAMS Australian Rally Championship (ARC).
Brad Markovic and Toni Feaver at the 2017 Eureka Rally. (Photo: Joel Strickland)Against a field of the country’s best competitors, the pair finished eighth in Heat One of the Eureka Rally at the weekend.
Markovic and Feaver’s fastest performance was on the first stage of the Ballarat-based event.
“To come out on our first stage together and set the fifth fastest time was awesome,” Markovic said.
“We hadn’t had time for testing and with a new pairing, and the new MRF tyres, we were thrilled.”
Unfortunately, the Auto One Subaru WRX STI developed a clutch issue from stage two.
“We weren’t able to run as fast, but we were still happy with where we finished in Heat One,” Markovic said.
The talented WA driver struggled with a lack of power halfway thru Heat Two and had an off-road adventure.
“We went into a lefthander on stage 15 and just didn’t have enough power, so we ran wide,” Markovic explained.
“I got out and started changing the right rear tyre that was punctured and that’s when I noticed the front right was blown as well.”
With only one spare on board, Markovic put that to the front and limped out of stage. The off round adventure cos him over 10 minutes in the end.
Markovic did not complete the rest of Heat Two and therefore received derived times for the final three stages.
“It means we still came away with points from Heat Two,” he said.
“It’s a long season and it’s all about scoring points throughout the year.”
Markovic thanked his team for their support at the Eureka Rally: “Huge thanks to the Maximum Motorsport team and well done to our team mate John O’Dowd for a successful east coast ARC debut.”
The next round of the ARC the Make Smoking History Forest Rally in WA’s south west.
Last year, Markovic’s car was destroyed in a freak fire at the event and he said he’s looking for redemption.
“I’m hugely pumped for the event. There’s definitely unfinished business there,” he said.
The MSH Forest Rally runs from April 21 – 23.
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