Testing miles have Windus ready for WA

Based out of the towns of Nannup and Bunbury, the event is returning to the country’s foremost rally series after a three-year hiatus.

Windus, paired with co-driver Dan Brick, will travel the almost 3,500km across the Nullabor to contest round two of the championship, where they will be looking for an improvement on their result at round one in Canberra.

Despite growing up in Perth, it will be Windus’ first rally in the westernmost state, and he is looking forward to the challenges that the unique road surface will bring.

“Western Australia is known for its ball-bearing type gravel, and I’m excited to see how we can adapt to that and push for a strong result,” Windus said.

“It’s vastly different to what we see at rallies on the east coast.”

Windus’ Ford Fiesta was slowed at round one by mechanical issues, but the team completed extensive testing in between events, with the hope of solving these.

An all-new car, the Fiesta is equipped with Subaru running gear, and with the team now further familiarised with the package, they’re confident it will allow for a full attack on the stages.

“Testing miles have given us the chance to iron out some issues as well as gain some valuable time learning the new car,” Windus said.

“Time in the car is essential for improvements for both driver and car, so we have made progress on both fronts since round one.

“At the beginning of these tests, we were still learning parts of the car, but as we continued through the rest of the day, we were able to achieve the setup we wanted.

“This new car has great improvements in suspension travel and several other areas, so by having that time in the car, I was able to get a good feeling to understand what we were changing and the improvements we were making.

“We believe we’ve now got a good base setup for WA which we will confirm at the pre-event test.”

Among Windus’ main competitors are Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers Harry and Lewis Bates, four-time Australian Rally Champion, Eli Evans, and Maximus McRae, nephew of 1995 World Champion and rallying icon, Colin McRae.

Windus’ Activ Rallysport team will trek across to WA and complete their final checks on Thursday at a pre-event test before the rally begins with the Bunbury Super Special Stage on Friday night.

Teams will complete four runs of the short circuit around the Bunbury Speedway promised to be a great spectacle for drivers and fans.

Windus’s Fiesta will retain its predominantly white look for Western Australia, backed by BildGroup and aftermarket audio brand, MTX Audio.