Updated Hyundais ready for Adelaide tarmac

The cars from IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing are in the City of Churches for the famous Adelaide Rally that takes place from Friday to Sunday.

Among over 400 cars participating in the event, the two Hyundais will be at the front of the Competition field, and will be aiming to outlast their rivals for the rally victory.

In the hands of the team’s drivers, Alex and Peter Rullo, the cars have finished on the podium of the Australian Rally Championship on multiple occasions this season, and they’ll be the cars to watch this weekend.

It’s the first time that any Rally2 machinery has competed at the Adelaide Rally, and the inaugural time that cars of this specification will go head-to-head on a tarmac rally anywhere in Australia.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I love these Adelaide tarmac roads, and I can’t wait until the ARC’s got an event based out of here,” Peter Rullo explained.

“My co-driver Jimmy (Marquet), Race Torque boss Lane (Heenan), and I all agree that these cars will be perfectly suited to the type of roads that are in the Adelaide Hills. 

“The roads are similar to Tasmania, but this rally has got its own reputation for not only being tight and twisty, but quite bumpy in some areas as well. I think for our Rally2 cars with a lot of mechanical grip, we’ll be perfectly suited to the roads here.”

IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing is in Adelaide thanks to event support from Peter Page Hyundai, and this partnership will see the team connect with various ’N Performance Owners of South Australia’ members.

Not only are there two full-specification Hyundai rally cars near the front of the field, but there is also a dedicated Hyundai Tour section within the event.

Supported by Peter Page Hyundai, owners in this class will use their ‘N’ model vehicles on the same roads, albeit at limited speeds, giving ‘Nthusiasts’ the chance to experience their impressive machines in a safe environment.

“We met Paul (Page) yesterday and Alex has already done some media stuff with them. They’ve got a huge ‘N’ following, which is fantastic!

“Our plan is to continue our relationship because there is a huge ’N’ presence here at the event. They’re big supporters of the N Performance Owners of South Australia and there are many branded cars in the rally.

“It’s all about their customers feeling part of a race team, and we’re hoping we can help bring a different edge to it.”

For event organisers, having the IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing team at the event is an important addition.

“We’re going to run with about 416 cars at the event, so the event is very large in terms of field size and certainly the largest thing of its type in the Southern Hemisphere,” Director Tim Possingham said.

“I think the motivator for the Rullos to enter is that we’re the only opportunity to get tarmac experience (in Australia). It’s not dissimilar to what we saw with Max McRae years ago – entering the event to get some more tarmac kilometres under his belt.

“If people are setting their sights on competing overseas, with the World Rally Championship being at the pinnacle, then in this neck of the woods, we represent the only opportunity to get some of that experience.”

Over three days of competition, the Adelaide Rally covers 150 competitive kilometres, and features several spectator zones, including a bustling Street Party in the heart of Adelaide on Saturday evening.