Competitors in the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship are ready to do battle in the delayed third round of the series – a delay caused by the AFL grand final.
The ‘Great Tarmac Rally' was originally set down for the weekend of October 2-4 but a late decision by the Victorian government to call a public holiday for the AFL celebrations meant all road closure orders were rescinded and the event could not be run.
Melbourne-based organisers, Mountain Motorsports, chose the new date – November 13-15 – based on the availability of the series’ safety team, RaceSolutions Motorsport.
“We can’t run an event without them, so we had to fit in with when our clerk of course, Martin Doxey, and his crew were available,” says event director, Peter Washington.
“Naturally, we also had to liaise with Vic Roads, the police, local shire authorities and our sanctioning body, Australian Auto-sport Alliance (AASA), as well as the accommodation providers, and those dates were the best option for all parties.
“The change has not been ideal for several competitors who already had commitments that weekend, but hopefully having double points on offer for the final round will keep the competition raging until the very end.”
The ‘Great Tarmac Rally’ is based around Marysville, in the Yarra Valley, and is one of four contested in Victoria’s Alpine region and East Gippsland that make up the ATRC. Because the series uses mountain roads that are closed to public use during competition, it pauses during the winter months.
With the delayed running of round three, competitors will be backing up for the series finale (Snowy River Sprint) near Lakes Entrance just two weeks later, on December 4-6. The 2015 series kicked off with the Mt Baw Baw Sprint in February and was followed by the Lake Mountain Sprint in March.
Among those keen to be back in action are the three leading contenders for both modern and classic honours. Tristan Catford (Mitsubishi Evo IX), Craig Dean (2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500) and defending champion Danny Traverso (Mitsubishi Evo IX) will be vying for boasting rights in the modern division. Bernie Wilson (1972 Ford Capri Perana), Max Williams (1969 Chevrolet Camaro) and Mick Downey (1977 Holden Torana SLR 5000) are chasing the classic trophy, and with the regularity competitors at even points, the honours could go to any of them.
“They’re all great competitors and there will be some serious battles going on among them,” Mr Washington says.
“The interesting part is that, while they are the leading lights in their respective divisions, there are other competitors not far behind them in the championship points tally. As with any form of motorsport, it only takes one competitor to have some sort of issue, and the order can change completely.
“However, some of the competitors who can’t make it to the Great Tarmac Rally because of other commitments will still be in the title fight, given there are extra points on offer in the final round, so it promises to be a really exciting finish to this year’s series.”
Mountain Motorsports has run 41 tarmac rallies and touring road events since 1995. It has a five-year gazettal from Vic Roads for all of its events.
The Australian Tarmac Rally Championship, either as a whole or as single events, is open to all comers with three categories of entry available.
One is for fully licensed rally drivers competing against the clock in specially prepared rally cars while the second is the ‘touring’ category, which allows would-be rally drivers a ‘taste’ of tarmac rallying by driving their road car at higher-than-usual road speeds behind an experienced rally driver who demonstrates the right techniques.
The third category is regularity, where competitors drive each stage of the event in a specified time at a specified average speed. If they arrive late or early, there are penalties, and the crew with the lowest number of penalties is the winner.
Although the series is based in Victoria, the entry list attracts competitors from every state in Australia. They are prepared to commute from WA, SA, Queensland and NSW to drive some great mountain roads under closed road conditions, with the protection of a rigorous safety monitoring system to ‘keep watch’ on them.
There are some limited places left in both events. Further information is available from event director Peter Washington (0418 337 955) or the website: http://www.australiantarmacrally.com/
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