The heat was on during both heats in the final round of the Bosch Australian Rally Championship in Victoria last weekend. The only official factory team in the championship for this year, Honda had already wrapped up the two-wheel drive championship with Evans and Weston, but second place was still open for the taking. The Honda Jazz of Mark Pedder and Claire Ryan rallied hard for the two days and secured second outright two-wheel drive by the end of the event. The win made it 1-2 for Honda and Evans Motorsport with all the hard work of the team paying off after only one year in the new cars. “Second for the weekend and second for the championship is a fantastic result,” Pedder said. “The team, Honda and the cars have been fantastic.” Rally Victoria started with Heat One on Friday, where Pedder and Ryan come out on top. This secured them second outright for the two-wheel drive category. Heat Two also saw the duo place well all day however they missed out on the heat win by one point, pipped by teammates Evans and Weston. Ryan said; “I feel wonderful for winning second in the championship but a little disappointed we missed out on the win of the event by one point. That’s rallying and these things happen. If anyone had to beat us, I’m glad it was Eli and Glen.” Evans and Weston again demonstrated their consistency and focus, winning yet another rally to cap off what has been an amazing year. “I’m a bit shocked I guess, to win this rally was a surprise,” Evans said. “I honestly didn’t think it was possible to win it, as we had a flat tyre early on. But we stuck to our plan, played with a few things early and tried to drive as fast as we could. Consistency is the winning formula.” Weston added; “I’m in a bit of a daze really. It’s sad the season has finished because we’ve had such a good time with great competition. After we got the flat tyre, we decided to go as fast as we could and see what we could do with the car. We were able to do that for the whole heat and got lucky and in front again.” Next year, the ARC will be two-wheel drive, meaning the Hondas are in a great position. The team is excited. “We want to be number one again,” said Weston. “It will be much harder next year as there will be more depth in the field, with new cars and new crews. We’ll have to work hard in the off-season to stay ahead.” Pedder added; “I was really lucky to be able to drive the Jazz this year and get a head start on everyone for next year. 2013 will be great!” Evans is looking forward to the challenge. “This is the year I had to win, because I had more experience. Next year is the one I really want to win.” All agree that competition in 2013 is going to be strong. “Rallying has never looked so promising,” Evans remarked. “Mark and Claire have improved consistently, which is crucial for next year. We want to be 1-2 again.”  

The team at Subaru Australia seemed to be grasping at straws as to what to talk about last week at the Sydney Motor Show. Nick Senior, Subaru Australia Managing Director, chose to talk about the motorsport kit and the Subaru Tecnica International (STI) and performance parts and accessories, that are likely to be on sale soon. This is all good if you are one of the lucky few to have been able to buy a BRZ when the sale of the 200-something were sold out on the internet in only minutes. However it is not all bad as if you placed an order today you would be able to see your new shinning BRZ in November 2013 and the kits out now will be ready to bolt on. Subaru showed off the latest creation from long-term partner, New Zealand-based Possum Bourne Motorsport (PBMS). Subaru enjoyed a decade of dominance in the Australian Rally Championship, working alongside PBMS. Senior said that the company was delighted to display the PBMS BRZ motorsport project car. “This car will take the BRZ thrill to a whole new level for those that want some serious trackwork.” Mr Senior said while Subaru Australia had no current plans to re-enter the motorsport arena itself, the overwhelmingly positive response to BRZ had brought a huge level of enquiry from motorsport enthusiasts. “There’s a massive level of interest among motorsport fans, so we’re keen to tap into that market. “From day one we have always imagined the BRZ would appeal to the ‘weekend warriors’ – people who enjoy club level motorsport activities. “PBMS has developed packages that will appeal to these enthusiasts. It is a company that has developed an international reputation for excellence in engineering and fastidiousness in attention to detail.” PBMS have a huge list of options for the motorsport BRZ and basically it becomes a pick what you want and pay. PBMS has developed three track-ready packages. The entry-level package includes:

• Rollcage kit, including installation
• Recaro motorsport seats
• Sabelt six-point harness
• Fuel system modifications, including lines and connectors
• Carbonfibre lightweight parts, including door panels

The upscale package, displayed at AIMS, adds:

• Driveline and suspension modifications, including Cusco height and damper adjustable coilover suspension
• Brake package, including AP front and rear rotors and calipers and STI handbrake
• Electrical kit, including wiring, circuit breakers and lightweight battery
• Recaro winged-HANS seats
• Enkei 18 x 8.0 lightweight wheels and Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R motorsport tyres.

A third option includes a complete performance parts package, including engine and gearbox enhancements, priced to suit individual requirements. Along with the PBMS kits, Subaru has revealed a BRZ sports car with concept sports kit. The car features a distinctive range of STI and performance parts and accessories, that are likely to be on sale soon. The catalogue of components that will soon give BRZ buyers more options to personalize their car includes:

• Front under spoiler
• Side under spoiler
• Boot lip spoiler
• Flexible tower bar
• Wheel nut set – black
• 17-inch alloy wheel
• Coil spring set
• Quick shift gear lever
• Sports muffler
• Gear shift knob
• Push start switch
• Rear under diffuser
• Instrument panel trim

Nick Senior said: “All indications are that many BRZ buyers want to add some performance touches to their cars and choosing genuine Subaru equipment offers great design, quality and peace-of-mind that aren’t necessarily guaranteed by after-market suppliers.”     The range will progressively be available from Subaru retailers starting next month. Photos by Rudi Khoury  

The ARC calendar has been announced and the 2013 championship is to be decided with two wheel drive cars only. Now with the new championship drawing nearer, teams are beginning to break cover on what weaponry they will be running. Nic Box, one of the front-runners in the 2012 Bosch ARC has announced that his Allstar Garage Rally Team is joining with DW Racing to run a two-car team in the 2013 Australian Rally Championship in a pair of Nissan 370Z’s. Box will be behind the wheel of one of the exciting V6 Nissan sports coupes while the other will be steered by fellow WA driver Danny Williamson. The new Nissans will be prepared at Box’s Allstar Garage in Perth and will be built from the ground up to the latest G2 specification taking on the lighter, front wheel drive cars expected to dominate the championship next year. According to Nic Box the 370s will have a weight disadvantage but is confident the high tech 3.7litre V6 engine will reliably produce the horsepower required to be competitive against the smaller, lighter competition. “Nissan has produced a great platform to work with and with the new G2 rules we are excited about what we can do with the 370Z,” said Nic Box. Box is confident that after some development over the first few events next year the Nissans will be mixing it with the top contenders. “Some may see the 370Z as an unusual choice but after a closer look I believe it has real potential and we hope that it will prove to be extremely competitive,” he added. ‘I wouldn’t be interested if I didn’t think the 370Z was capable of winning stages outright”. Nissan Z cars have a long rally heritage stretching back to the 1970s when the Datsun 240Z and 260Z successfully spearheaded the Nissan rally effort worldwide, with Australian legend Ross Dunkerton winning two of his five Australian Rally Championships in Datsun 240Z’s. As it was announced earlier in the year, the 2013 Australian Rally Championship will see the start of a new era, moving away from the dominance of four wheel drive turbo cars over the last three decades to a much broader variety of manufacturers with the new two wheel drive formula. The 370Z’s will be something different again with most cars next year expected to be based on front wheel drive hatchbacks. “The 3.7litre rear wheel drive sports coupe should certainly prove a favourite with spectators thanks to the sideways action and the roar of the high tech V6 engine,” said Nic Box. “Jack Monkhouse in his rear drive Nissan Silvia turbo has proven that cars like this can be competitive in the right hands,” he added. There are more teams, including factory operations that are expected to enter the ARC in 2013. The new formula is looking to be one of the most competitive championships in a long while.

The Pedders Valvoline Racing team heads back to Victoria’s premier motor racing circuit with what is to be the best motor racing event Phillip Island has seen in quite some time. The Shannon’s Nationals and PIARC present some of the country’s best national level categories all putting their best foot forward for an amazing motor sports show. With the Touring Car Masters, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Australian GT Championship, Kerrick Sports Sedans, Australian Super Karts Championship and the Australian Manufacturers Championship all competing this weekend there is sure to be some fantastic motor racing. The Pedders Valvoline team head to Phillip Island looking to make up for their unfortunate end to their last visit by chasing victory in Class E against Team Gray in their Toyota Echo. “The last time we raced against Maddison Gray was at Phillip Island last year, she is a very competitive young lady and will no doubt keep us working hard to try and take victory” said Phillips. “She has teamed up with promotional model and race driver Samantha Bennett who we know through racing at Winton Motor Raceway. Having only competed with Sam at club level she remains a bit of an unknown quality but we look forward to racing against her.” Phillips will be teaming up with regular co-driver Andrew Turpie and the team will bring new mechanic, Andrew Bartlett from Innes Motors, Bendigo, into the fold to help ensure that they give themselves the best chance possible at victory. The team have provided the Pedders Rally Team with use of their transporter for this weekend to help them with the long trip up to their round of the Australian Rally Championship in Queensland. “The rally guys have a huge trip ahead of them and it was the right choice to have these great ambassadors of Pedders to have use of the truck this weekend”, said Turpie. “We really only need to travel down the road and thanks to some great support from our sponsors and other teams within the Australian Manufacturers Championship we are still able to prepare for an awesome weekend of racing along side of some amazing categories.” Entry to the Shannon’s Nationals is great value at just $35 for the full weekend (or $25 on Sunday only) and kids under 16 are free. With a star studded entry list across all of the categories it is expected that there will be plenty of spectators coming to witness racing at its best. Words by Daryl Martin

Honda’s Australian rally team has started 2012 in style by leading the 2WD Australian Rally Championship after their first outing at rally Calder and then making it two wins in two heats at the Quit Forest Rally in Western Australia. Eli Evans and Glen Weston lead the way and were thrilled with keeping the team at the pointy end of the championship so early on. “We won by over two minutes each day”, an excited Eli Evans said after round two. “On Saturday there were a few small issues but the guys managed to fix the car in the thirty minute service and with time to spare. It was a breeze for the guys. The only other issue was a flat tyre, but we got lucky in that it happened only two kilometres out from the end of the stage, so we managed to crawl out and maintain enough speed without damaging the car. “On Sunday we went out with the same attitude, to keep the pace going, and we managed to lead from the very first stage,” Evans said. Honda and Evans Motorsport’s second driver combination of Mark Pedder and Claire Ryan, won a stage in Heat One, however an unfortunate incident saw them unable to finish the remaining stages. They recovered well and ended in second place in Heat Two. “Our times improved consistently throughout the day and we both feel as though we are starting to get a real feel for the car,” said co-driver Claire Ryan. The Quit Forest Rally was the first competitive test for the Jazz on typical rally roads after the opening round was held at Calder Park. Despite the challenging gravel roads, Evans and Weston had a smooth and flawless drive, winning both heats and taking the overall trophy with almost maximum points. “The Honda performed really well. It was responsive in the way it handled and doesn’t do anything unpredictable. It’s everything you want in a rally car. After success at the first forest rally we will hopefully continue with three for three in Queensland,” said Evans. Competition will heat up in the next round of the Bosch ARC, as Eli’s brother and four time ARC champion Simon Evans will enter the championship. The third round of the Bosch ARC, the International Rally of Queensland will take place on the Sunshine Coast from the 25th to 27th May. . Photos by Duncan Wild