Western Australian Rally Championship contenders play it safe and smooth at Lewana round
The Lewana round of the Western Australian Rally Championship and Clubman Cup gave competitors a pleasant surprise, with many going into the round prepared for a tough, muddy battle similar to last year, but finding conditions on the 112km course to be close to ideal.
Despite the favourable conditions, many of the championship frontrunners still showed an element of restraint in their driving – not wanting to risk any time or point advantage they possessed.
Brad Markovic and Glenn Macneall in the Maximum Motorsport prepared Subaru WRX were the victors managing to hold onto an early lead over the rest of the field.
“The first two stages were the best I have driven,” said Markovic.
“We found ourselves in a unique position having a one minute lead after only 30kms. We said to ourselves 'well it is up to us to lose it from here' so we just conserved and kept out of trouble.
“It was a very good weekend and it has finally all come together, so I'm pretty happy about that. We could not have asked for a better rally really. The whole format of the rally was sensational, it’s a compact rally and the roads there are great - as long as it isn't wet and miserable.
“From a championship perspective, I don't think there is any point conserving, we've got to go out and win the rally. It is eyes forward for us - focusing on what we can do, and what we can control and that's going as fast as possible.”
It was a successful day for Maximum Motorsport also coming in second place, with John O’Dowd and co-driver Ben Searcy sitting just under a minute and a half away from the leaders in their Subaru WRX.
The tussle for third was closely watched by all, with the Championship Outright one, Garry Whittle, and two, Rob Webber, keeping each other in their sights. In the end it was Rob Webber and Toni Fever in the Platinum Automotives Mitsubishi Evo 9 that claimed the last spot on the podium. Read more...
The Lewana round of the Western Australian Rally Championship and Clubman Cup gave competitors a pleasant surprise, with many going into the round prepared for a tough, muddy battle similar to last year, but finding conditions on the 112km course to be close to ideal.
Despite the favourable conditions, many of the championship frontrunners still showed an element of restraint in their driving – not wanting to risk any time or point advantage they possessed.
Brad Markovic and Glenn Macneall in the Maximum Motorsport prepared Subaru WRX were the victors managing to hold onto an early lead over the rest of the field.
“The first two stages were the best I have driven,” said Markovic.
“We found ourselves in a unique position having a one minute lead after only 30kms. We said to ourselves 'well it is up to us to lose it from here' so we just conserved and kept out of trouble.
“It was a very good weekend and it has finally all come together, so I'm pretty happy about that. We could not have asked for a better rally really. The whole format of the rally was sensational, it’s a compact rally and the roads there are great - as long as it isn't wet and miserable.
“From a championship perspective, I don't think there is any point conserving, we've got to go out and win the rally. It is eyes forward for us - focusing on what we can do, and what we can control and that's going as fast as possible.”
It was a successful day for Maximum Motorsport also coming in second place, with John O’Dowd and co-driver Ben Searcy sitting just under a minute and a half away from the leaders in their Subaru WRX.
The tussle for third was closely watched by all, with the Championship Outright one, Garry Whittle, and two, Rob Webber, keeping each other in their sights. In the end it was Rob Webber and Toni Fever in the Platinum Automotives Mitsubishi Evo 9 that claimed the last spot on the podium. Read more...
Brad Markovic & Glenn Macneall in the Maximum Motorsport Subaru win the round outright. Credit: Paul van der Mey
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