Burnard, who has finished on the podium in the last three Adelaide Hills tarmac rally events, decided to attempt some dirt rally competition after a test drive last year.
“It was like driving in competition for the first time,” Burnard said. The sheer excitement and challenge of learning a new discipline is what this is all about.”
Burnard has purchased a Mitsubish EVO V dirt rally car (formerly owned by Simon and Yvette West) to complement his existing EVO VIII tarmac rally vehicle.
Burnard will be joined by experienced co-driver Bernie Webb for the Copyworld Walky 100, and while he admits it will be a challenging transition from tarmac to dirt competition, he believes Webb’s expertise will make the adjustment significantly easier.
“My approach will be to assume a zero skill and knowledge base,” he said. “To assist in the learning process, I am honoured that Bernie Webb, multiple rally-winning co-driver, has agreed to sit alongside me for the event.”
Bernie Webb is also looking forward to joining Burnard in his debut dirt rally.
“I did the Walky event a few years ago with Steve Glenney, and the roads are very good,” he said. “Compared to other rallies, the roads are moderate to high-speed, and the dirt is fairly tightly-packed, so it’s not as rough as some of the other events.
“One thing that interests me about Andrew is that he’s one of the few people I’ve seen who has made the transition from tarmac to dirt. He’s a very smooth and capable driver, so I don’t think he’ll have trouble adapting. I see my role as helping out with car setup, and also recce, which is one of the most important parts of the weekend for me.”
Following the Copyworld Walky 100, Burnard will compete in the remaining rounds of the South Australian Rally Championship, where he will be joined by former Nissan Pulsar GTI co-driver Tim Margach.
Special thanks go to all those involved in organising the events and the support provided so far, in particular Supaloc Racing, Steve Knight Racetech, Autosport, Velo, Semmler Engineering, Alex Bennett Motorsport Engineering and SA Motorsport Tyres for their invaluable support, assistance and advice.
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