Hynes had the Busselton Subaru Service Impreza on the pace immediately by setting fastest time on the opening 16km stage by 26 seconds to John Macara. Stage two at just over 14km was more technical than the previous, which gave Hynes a chance to find out if they had the perfect setup for the conditions. A stage time 37 seconds faster than second placed Macara provided the answer with a very happy crew heading into the first service just over a minute in front.
“I guess you could say we’re enjoying ourselves†commented Hynes at service â€This car is amazing to drive, it’s so easy to get out of trouble so there’s plenty of confidence to push more and more every stage. We now have the perfect combination of suspension, tyres, differentials and brake pads.â€
With a fresh pair of soft MRF tyres on the front the pair headed back out for a group of three stages totalling 42km. Hynes and Percival came out of these stages with an even more commanding lead of 2 minutes 15 seconds over John Macara with Chris Anderson doing a great job to be in 3rd after 18 months out of the sport.
The crews then set out to tackle the final three stages at night after the last service with the Hynes Percival combo deciding to settle back to a more conservative pace. Stage 6 and Hynes was again fastest and incredibly only 12 seconds slower than their daylight time through the stage.
Stage 7 gave the boys a fright when, landing over a jump, a rear driveshaft failed. Luckily their tactics to go 100% from the start paid off allowing them to cruise through the remaining stage and take a well deserved win by over 2 minutes. They also fulfilled their promise of taking the championship points lead with a break of 14 points ahead of Lee Mcilroy.
Stuart Percival had this to say “Another great rally for us, the car was fantastic and Leigh’s driving and commitment to the notes is amazing, each rally i think it’s impossible to go any faster but Leigh just goes up another cog, it’s inspiring. The guys and girls on our crew are just as talented, the whole team is focused 100% on their job and that’s what makes a winning teamâ€.
Leigh Hynes and Stuart Percival are proudly supported by Busselton Subaru Service and RMS Service Centre using Drummond Motorsport Shock Absorbers, Modena Differentials & transmission, MRF Tyres, Link Engine management and Project Mu brake pads.
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