Hot and dry conditions faced competitors on October 26 instead of driving rain which forced the postponement of the KCF Kenilworth Rally from earlier this year. Based at the Kenilworth Community School, the rally, consisting of 12 stages (8 day, 4 night), was conducted over the flowing roads between Kenilworth and Imbil.
Leading the way from Car 1 was the VW Polo S2000 of Marius Swart who would need a good start to keep the turbo Mitsubishis of Wayne Menzies (Evo 8) and Paul Williamson (Evo 6) at bay. Close behind, the dual for 2WD supremacy between Dave Gaines (Datsun 240K) and Tony Scott (Toyota Corolla GT) would resume among the runners in the MEX Maintenance Software Queensland Sportsman Series.
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SS1, Rocky Road 1 followed in the footsteps of previous IROQ rallies over the smooth and flowing roads just north of Kenilworth. Menzies and Williamson equaled their time of 3 minutes 57 seconds over the 5.51 kilometre stage with Swart just five seconds away. The next stage, Breakneck Long, took competitors over twisty and mountainous roads not used in many years. Williamson didn’t take in the sweeping views of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Instead he stamped his authority by taking a strong lead over Menzies and extending his lead over the screaming VW Polo. Swart responded to the challenge over the next two stages but it was Williamson’s Evo 6 finishing the leg in front of Swart by three seconds.
Gaines and Scott both started the event well and by the end of SS3, there was only five seconds separating the two with Scott on top. Electrical gremlins then struck Scott’s Corolla in SS4 and robbed the event of an exciting dual. Up front though, spectators were not to be denied when the leading trio of Williamson, Swart and Menzies all matched each other’s time of 3 minutes 55 seconds on the first re-run of Rocky Road. Marius Swart in the Polo then found his rhythm and over the following three stages established a lead of 16 seconds over Williamson with Menzies now a further 36 seconds adrift.
The night stages consisted of a final run over the four stages and the FIA-spec S2000 VW Polo in the hands of the experienced Swart proved to be too good. A stage speed of two seconds per kilometre faster than anyone else over the final leg provided Swart with a clear victory of 1 minute and 11 seconds over Paul Williamson, with Wayne Menzies bringing his Evo 8 home 48 seconds later.
Behind the close dual at the front, Sportsman A class was taken by Glenn Mitchell in his Ford Escort and Sportsman B was won by Cameron Taylor in the Mazda RX-7.
At the presentation, Swart said, “Winning the rally was a bonus. We rally for fun and the enjoyment of the sport."
Many agreed and are looking forward to the next running of the rally in 2013.
Photo Courtesy of Kristan Hayes.
See more of Kristan Hayes' photos from the KCF Kenilworth Rally in our Photo Gallery
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