The 2016 Quit Forest Rally is set to be one of the most competitive in recent years with new rules, new faces, a returning legend and some of the sports biggest names set to shake up the field.
For the first time in three years teams contesting events in 4WD vehicles are eligible to win the Kumho Tyre Australian Rally Championship®, a rule change which has seen many of the top drivers return to 4WD cars and Subaru enter a factory team for the first time in over 10 years.
The factory team will be led by Molly Taylor, who finished second overall in the Championship in 2015 and recently won one of the most prestigious awards in Australian motorsport, the Peter Brock Medal.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and I’m both humbled and excited to be part of Subaru’s new plans to build on their amazing rally heritage in Australia. We look forward to seeing the return of the Subaru rally fans, both new and old.”
Contesting the event in privately backed Subaru’s will be Simon Evans - who won his fourth (and last) title behind the wheel of a Subaru - and five time Australian Rally Champion, Ross Dunkerton, who is returning to the Quit Forest Rally after a 10-year absence from competitive rallying.
“It’s been 22 years since I have driven a fast four-wheel drive car on a loose surface. I hope to see some familiar faces and old supporters out in the forests next month," Dunkerton said.
Joining Taylor, Evans and Dunkerton in the forest will be another former Australian Rally Champion Justin Dowell, as well as Harry Bates, the son of Australian Rally legend Neal Bates.
Bates, who was impressive in his debut season in 2015, will be contesting the Quit Forest Rally for the first time and will do so in a Toyota Corolla S2000 – the same car his father drove to victory at the event in 2008.
Hoping to keep the trophy in Western Australia will be high flyers Brad Markovic and Tom Wilde who have united to form the first ever all-WA two-car team to take on the national competition.
Wilde and Markovic are also contesting the event as the opening round of the Western Australia Rally Championship, joining 2015 WARC Champion Garry Whittle and series contenders John O’Dowd Doug Tostevin and Dylan King.
The Clubman Cup field is equally as strong, led by 2015 Champion Jason Lowther along with top five finishers Dene Courtis, Julian Wright, Andrew Percival and Carl Rattenbury.
Quit Forest Rally will be held in Busselton and Nannup from April 22 to 24, 2016.
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