Australian rally driver, Brendan Reeves, has been given the chance to test drive a Ford Fiesta World Rally Car in the UK this month. Reeves, who finished fourth overall in this year’s FIA WRC Academy, has been rewarded for his excellent 2012 performances with an invitation to attend the exclusive test day. Reeves will have the opportunity to test drive a World Rally Car during a one hour test session in the UK. The 24 year old is rapt to have been offered the test drive and whilst it means a trip to the UK at his expense, he is grabbing it with both hands. “I’m stoked to be given this chance to drive a Fiesta World Rally Car,” Reeves said.  “It is a nice reward for our efforts this year and driving the World Rally Car will give me a real taste of the next level of the sport. “I had the chance to sit beside Ken Block in his Fiesta World Rally Car just prior to Rally Finland this year and it was a great experience.  To now have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a similar car myself is fantastic. “Testing the World Rally Car is a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully it leads to more similar opportunities in the future. “We haven’t confirmed our program for 2013 just yet. We learnt so much in 2012 and competing in the Academy again has been really important for our careers and we’d love to be able to continue competing in the World Rally Championship again in 2013. “I’d really like to thank M-Sport for the amazing efforts they put into the WRC Academy this year and also for giving me the chance to take part in the test drive.”

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 final round of the Australian Rally Championship took place in Victoria over the weekend and it was four-time national rally champions Neal Bates and Coral Taylor who sealed victory in the 2012 Australian Classic Rally Challenge series. The duo finished second at the season-closing Rally Victoria, which earned them sufficient points to clinch victory in both the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles. The Australian Classic Rally Challenge runs as part of the Australian Rally Championship for pre-1986 rally cars. Bates and Taylor won three rallies during the season in their 1980 Toyota Celica RA40, which was hand-built from a bare shell over 18 months and features an authentic World Rally Championship period livery. Bates said he enjoyed competing in the classic section of the ARC. “Coral and I have loved every minute of it,” he said. “The car was absolutely brilliant all year − it’s so much fun to drive, makes a great noise and is sideways a lot, which is pretty spectacular for everyone watching.” Bates and Taylor won the first heat in Victoria before a minor gearshift issue cost them time during the second stage of heat two. They corrected the problem and re-joined the action to finish behind overall event winners Grant Walker and Craig Thomas. “We’ve had the best time this year,” Taylor said. “The main thing for me has been showing off the car to the crowds, who have loved looking at and watching it all season. “It’s been a real pleasure.” Bates and Taylor will announce their motorsport plans for 2013 in the coming months.    

The Snakes Racing Coffs Coast Rally was one event where the highest of highs and the lowest of lows were seen. Some drivers found out how hard the roads can bite while for another the championship was sealed. Jack Monkhouse, one of the competitors fighting it out with the Honda team for two-wheel drive wins, had his worst crash of his career, rolling his Nissan S15 Silvia a number of times and putting him out of the event. The weekend belonged to the leading, and only, works team Honda who finished the event one two and sweeting the deal Eli Evans and Glen Weston took the Bosch ARC Two-Wheel Drive Championship. Honda Australia’s Director and General Manager Sales and Marketing, Mr. Stephen Collins is thrilled to announce that Honda has also won the Manufacturer’s Title for 2012. “What a fantastic result for Honda and Evans Motorsport. Congratulations to Eli and Glen for winning the two-wheel drive championship. “Racing is all about teamwork. These victories are testament to the professionalism of our team at Honda, at Evans Motorsport and the hours of behind the scenes efforts from our partners at Mugen and J.A.S. What a great way to cap off our first year with the G2 Jazz,” Mr. Collins said. With one round left in the 2012 championship, Evans has scored enough points to claim their first overall championship win. “I’m over the moon to win the championship with one round still remaining,” said an excited Evans. “The Hondas did it again! We ran without any problems all weekend. What a fantastic racing machine these Honda Jazz have become.” Co-driver Weston added; “I’m very proud to have helped secure the championship for Honda and Evans Motorsport. Eli drove a superb and fault-free rally. If we keep this form up, I think that we will have a terrific shot at backing up this year’s championship with another one next year!” Team mates Mark Pedder and Claire Ryan also had a successful round, placing second outright for the weekend. They currently sit in second on the championship ladder and if they finish well in Victoria, could take second outright in the two-wheel drive championship. “We had our best result for the year,” Pedder said. “Bringing home a 1-2 for Honda was brilliant. The weekend was huge for Evans Motorsport with Eli and Glen securing the championship.” “I couldn’t be happier for Eli and Glen,” co-driver Ryan added. “They and the team truly deserve the win. Mark and I had a great weekend and are hoping for a 1-2 result for the year at Rally Victoria.” Evans praised his team mates; “To have Mark and Claire there with us on the podium for a 1-2 finish capped off an awesome weekend.” This year, the Bosch ARC ran two championships concurrently; a two and four-wheel drive series. Next year sees the introduction of a two-wheel drive only championship and the G2 Honda Jazz are well placed in this exciting new competition. The final round of the Bosch ARC for 2012 is Rally Victoria, November 15 and 16 in and around the forests of Warragul.

Rallying is an expensive sport. Most of us would love to be at the panicle level but can never quite get there. This is either because our expectations outweigh our ability or simply the lack of money. Molly Taylor, daughter of super experienced navigator Coral Taylor, is in Europe working at becoming a professional rally driver. Working in the industry and picking up drives over the past few years, Molly, like the rest of us, is finding funds hard to come by. Now, Molly is giving everyone a chance to win a great prize while getting some of the much needed funds to support her in the sport. Just about all motoring enthusiast dream of driving high powered super cars like an Audi R8 or McLaren MP4-12C on a scenic road in Europe. Many also dream about watching the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on the harbour from a Super Yacht. A $100 is all it will take to get you in the draw to win this motoring enthusiasts dream holiday and support a talented up and coming Australian rally driver. In addition, every raffle ticket entitles you to access generous bonuses offered by the Molly Taylor Supporters listed on the site. Just quote your raffle ticket number to take advantage of these deals. The Australian Motorsport Foundation launched The Ultimate Supercar & F1 Tour raffle and the prize is worth $25,000. The prize includes:

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