Brendo and Rhi have entered the 2010 Pacific Cup, which takes in three rounds of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). Their first forest foray of 2010 was at New Zealand’s Rally Whangaeri earlier in July, where they finished 3rd overall and 2nd in the Pacific cup to Kiwi Hayden Paddon, who will not be in Queensland this year. The final Pacific Cup event will be held in New Caledonia at the end of August. As they have been granted ‘wildcard’ entry to Rally Queensland, they will also be eligible for APRC points.

It will be great competition for the brother-sister team, as it gives them a chance to gauge their pace against ARC drivers on gravel for the first time since their accident in Rally SA last year, as well as sharing the stages with guys like Alister McRae, Chris Atkinson and Cody Crocker who will be participating in the APRC section.

Atkinson was complimentary of Brendo in NZ:

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After leasing an Impreza in NZ and transplanting their own suspension, Brendan and Rhianon will be back in their own www.rallyschool.com.au STi for Queensland and hope to build on the solid performance achieved in NZ. “The first day in New Zealand, perhaps we were a bit too conservative, just easing back into things on gravel after all our tarmac rallies this year,” said Brendo. “We were happier with our rhythm on the second day and being back in our own car on home soil should be an advantage for us.”

We will be watching the stage results with interest.

The official Rally Queensland press release text can be found below:

THE biggest field for a championship rally in Australia in years, 83 cars, will start the International Rally of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast this Friday.

The final entry list for the 30 July-1 August event features teams from India, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia, plus a star-studded driver line-up.

Starting in Caloundra on Friday night with two tarmac special stages at the Coates Hire Rally Shootout, the event will host round four of the 2010 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, round five of the Australian Rally Championship, rounds three and four of the Queensland Rally Championship, the third and final round of the Australian Classic Rally Competition and a category for All Comers.

Event Director Errol Bailey promises spectators will be treated to a thrilling display of skill by international drivers making their only Australian appearance this year.

They international line-up comprises Australian Chris Atkinson, formerly with the Subaru World Rally Team and now the factory Proton R3 Malaysia squad, teammate and British Rally Champion Alister McRae (Scotland), Team MRF’s Asia Pacific champion Katsu Taguchi (Japan) and his Indian Rally Champion teammate Guarav Gill (India), Rifat Sungkar (Indonesia), Atsushi Masumura (Japan), Brian Green (New Zealand) and Jean-Louis Leyraud (France).

Three young Australians, Brendan Reeves (21), Glen Raymond (25) and Nathan Quinn (24), have been given a chance to showcase their talents with wildcard entries in the Asia Pacific field, but the man who beat everyone in the 2009 event, Victorian Simon Evans, will run only in the Australian Rally Championship division in a bid to clinch his fourth driver’s crown.

“This is a fabulous field for the International Rally of Queensland. There will be more talent, more cars and more variety than has been seen at a championship rally in Australia for many years and certainly at our own event since the mid-nineties,” Mr Bailey said.

“If spectators have never seen a world-ranked driver like Chris Atkinson at work in a genuine works rally car like the Proton Satria Neo S2000 before, they’re in for a fantastic experience.

“There will be great battles to watch in every part of the field – the Classics will be particularly exciting to watch – and plenty of chances for spectators to see the cars in action and at rest.”

Promoters Brisbane Sporting Car Club have added new opportunities for spectators to see the cars on this year’s event, the 42nd as a round of the Australian championship.

After the Caloundra-under-lights Coates Hire Rally Shootout, the rally resumes on Saturday with an 8 am service break in the main street of the pretty hinterland town of Kenilworth, where fans and locals are expected to turn out in force.

At the end of the day, crews will make a meet-and-greet visit to Cooroy from 5 pm en route to the secure overnight compound (parc ferme) at the ocean-front SurfAir at Marcoola resort and rally headquarters.

Of the crews not required to enter the parc ferme, many will spend the night at Imbil, the location of the Novus Autoglass Service Park, where the Mary Valley Show Society will welcome them and spectators at the inaugural U-ROCK when IROQ party. The headline act is the harmonica-playing Mayor of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council Bob Abbot with his eight-piece Boreen Point Connexion band.

The Service Park at the Imbil showgrounds and the Spectator Park just outside the town will be the hub of weekend activity.

Crews will contest eight gravel special stages in the Imbil State Forest on Saturday and a further eight on Sunday, returning to the Service Park – a popular place for fans to see the cars and drivers – a total of five times before the winner arrives at the Imbil finish podium at 3.30 pm.

Group B inception
The Group B World Rally Championship was introduced for the 1982 season and was intended to motivate major manufacturers into building cars for racing and rallying. It led to the fastest, most outrageous and powerful rally cars ever seen, the consequences of which eventually led to them being banned. The FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) established an engine capacity of 3 litres for naturally aspirated units or two litres for forced induction, including turbo charging, super charging, or a combination of the two.

As part of Group B, only 200 cars were required to be built for homologation by the FIA and engine, suspension and aerodynamic improvements could be used on evolution models. The cars didn’t require production body shells and only the central body section was to be from the original car. As a result of this, front wheel drive, front engined cars with four seats appeared as four wheel drive, two seaters, mid-engined in some cases. The cars had outlandish looks with big wings and flared guards in comparison to the Ford Escorts, Fiat 131 Abarths and Talbot Sunbeams that preceded them in the Group 4 days.

The regulations of this era gave unlimited freedom and reducing the minimum production requirement from 400 cars per year to 200 enabled an increasing number of manufacturers to develop special competition cars. Reducing the total allowed car assembly to be sub-contracted to an outside company, without disrupting a major car plant at prohibitive cost. There was also a reinterpretation of the evolution rule and once 10% of the production total for the group in question had been made, homologation was granted.

This meant that a manufacturer could add a bigger turbo or new gearbox by building just 20 cars. Lowering the production number however flirted with danger. Car makers were invited to design sports cars with amazing levels of performance that bore no resemblance to their showroom counterparts. Although four wheel drive and turbo charging already existed, neither had been exploited to anything like their full potential. Although neither is fundamentally dangerous, and both are still used in world rallying to this day, in the Group B period there was no mechanism for
controlling them and four wheel drive was poorly understood. The regulations also had no safeguards in the use of materials or control of fuel systems that racing demanded.

The main contenders
Audi
Arguably the most unmistakable engine sound in rallying history was from the five cylinder turbocharged engine used in the Audi Quattro. The Quattro launched the four wheel drive revolution and were the first of the true Group B rally cars. The birth of the Quattro was in 1976, when Audi, part of the VW group, was contracted to produce a new 4WD utility for the German Army. Known as the Iltas, it was powered by a four-cylinder engine from the Audi 80. Audi engineers thought about developing a 4WD car and developed a prototype based on the 80, however with a five cylinder turbocharged engine. By the middle of 1978, the programme was approved by the VW Board with the car to be used for both road and rally.

The WRC regulations of 1978 forbade the use of 4WD machines, therefore Audi, without revealing the Quattro, asked the other manufacturers if they had any issues about withdrawing the rule. The response was ‘of course not’ due to the fact that the only car that the others knew about at the time was the 75bhp Iltas.

The Quattro was then revealed at the 1980 Geneva Show and Hannu Mikkola was approached to drive the car in 1981. The potential of the car was shown when Mikkola was allowed to drive at the Algarve Rally at the end of 1980 as a course opening car. His special stage times were recorded and had he been competing, would’ve won the event by 26 minutes.

The car’s official debut in the WRC was at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1981. Mikkola was joined by Michèle Mouton, and after six stages Mikkola was leading by almost six minutes but ended up finishing 91st due to mechanical issues and driver error. At Sweden, Mikkola won, however in future events the car was struck with engine cooling issues. Audi finished fifth in the WRC and Mikkola third in the first season of competition. In 1982, Audi not surprisingly took the manufacturers
championship with Mouton finishing in second position ahead of Mikkola. Mouton could have won the 1982 championship in the Quattro but was forced to retire on the final stages of the Ivory Coast Rally, the last event of the season.

In 1983 revised versions were introduced for the Group B competition, including the A1 and A2. These versions were known for their long wheelbase and engine mounted well forward which meant they had a tendency to understeer. In this season, Mikkola won the driver’s title but Lancia narrowly won the constructors with their 037, two points ahead.

In 1984, the two-door Quattro Sport (E2), which had over 400bhp was revealed however Stig Blomqvist stuck with the 300bhp A2 until the new car proved itself later in the season. Blomqvist went onto win the driver’s championship and Audi the constructors. The E2 was seen as a disappointment by some, and the short wheelbase exaggerated the car’s nose-heavy weight distribution.

Mid way through 1985 a Sport Evolution model was released, the fire breathing S1, known to have over 500bhp with outrageous aerodynamics for the time. The S1 version had an improvement in weight distribution, mainly because the radiators and oil coolers were moved to the boot. The wings and spoilers generated downforce and brought an appreciable benefit at speed. Walter Röhrl, who drove for Audi in 1985, loved the car because it ‘was the ultimate driver’s car and a pure challenge to handle with plenty of power everywhere at any speed’. Audi withdrew in 1986 because of the lack of crowd control which was commonplace throughout the Group B period and the accident at the Tour of Corsica that resulted in Henri Toivonen’s untimely death.

Lancia
Lancia built two cars to compete in the Group B competition. The rear wheel drive Lanica 037 was the first attempt and was loosely based on the Beta Monte-Carlo two door coupe, but you needed quite an imagination to get the connection.

The 037 used a version of Fiat’s well-proven, long stroke twin cam engine equipped with a belt-driven Volumex supercharger. It lacked the sheer urge of a turbocharged car but had 325 horsepower which meant instant throttle response with no lag. It also had long travel suspension and twin dampers at the rear, and was so light that it just made the 960 kilogram limit.

The 037 had development problems in its first year of competition in 1982 however these problems were eventually solved in 1983 and the drivers took five wins out of 12. The car had a tendency to understeer but excelled on tarmac events. Markku Alén described the 037 as being ‘fantastic on tarmac’ where he was able to win in Corsica in 1983 and 1984. He also noted that ‘the balance of the 037 was good, especially on the jumps in Finland where I was always
confident to take very big risks’. The last ever world rally win for a two wheel drive car was taken by a 037 in 1983.

By 1984, Audi made it obvious that four wheel drive was the way to go. Lanica introduced their Delta S4 and although the car was not as visually appealing as the 037, was built to the limit of Group B regulations. The car was based on their front wheel drive Delta compact car but bore little resemblance except for the centre section, with the rear section constructed of fibreglass.

The S4 had a four cylinder supercharged and turbocharged engine which resulted in an even spread of power across the rev range; the supercharger having most effect at low to mid range rpm and the turbo taking over at higher revs. This proved to be effective and the S4s finished one-two in their first event at the RAC rally in 1985 and battled with Peugeot in 1986. The S4 was thought to be the ultimate expression of a Group B rally car. It was Lancias first four wheel drive car and handling was never as sure footed on loose surfaces as the Peugeot 205 T16 or Ford RS200. The car controversially had the fuel tanks positioned under the seats- which exploded into flames after Toivonen’s Corsican crash.

Peugeot
The Peugeot 205 T16 broke Audi’s stranglehold and like the Lanica S4 was built as close to the limit of Group B regulations as possible. The manager of the team was none other than Jean Todt, former Ferrari F1 manager who had a very thorough approach to team management. A 205 hatchback was chosen and in road form was front engine and front wheel drive. The T16 however was redesigned to house the engine where the rear seats originally were.

The 205 T16 was developed as a result of more than two years of painstaking and often frustrating development. It was the only top Group B rally car to use a transverse engine. The car first made its presence felt with fourth at the tour of
Corsica in 1984. Later that year, Ari Vatanen won the 1000 Lakes, San Remo and RAC rallies. Timo Salonen in the 205 T16 went onto win the championship in 1985 with the constructors going to the Peugeot team.

In 1986, Juha Kankunnen won the driver’s championship and Peugeot again won the constructors. In this season, the car used was the ‘Evolution 2’ and featured changes to the 1775cc four cylinder engine. A new head was developed with better porting and a Garrett turbo replaced the previous KKK. Power went up from 350bhp to an official 435bhp. The monocoque structure at the rear was replaced with a tubular arrangement that was lighter and stiffer and aerodynamics changed with the addition of extra front spoilers and a substantial rear wing. Juha Kankkunen was incredibly fond of the 205 T16, describing it as being ‘very powerful with great looks, good handling and being easy to drive’.

Ford
The Ford RS200 arrived too late to make an impact in the Group B championship. Stig Blomqvist led the team in 1986 however a crash at Portugal which resulted in spectator deaths ended Fords involvement. The Ford was an attractive mid engine sports car with perhaps the best chassis of all. It had an aluminium monocoque, double wishbones all round and twin dampers at each corner. A turbocharged, 1803cc engine was used and installed longitudinally behind the crew. Ford sited the gearbox at the front, along with the front and centre differentials.

Homologation was delayed with the car until 1986, and this meant that the car weighed 1080 kg and was short of aerodynamic devices, unlike the Lanica and Peugeot that weighted under 1000 kg. The car was short on development
and was known to sometimes catch fire. Its best result occurred at its first WRC event, a third place in Sweden in 1986 in the hands of Kalle Grundel. The car went onto success in the British championship with an engine capable of pulling to 9000rpm and producing an estimated 600 horsepower.

MG
The MG Metro 6R4 was built on a production line at Longbridge and arrived too late into the Group B competition to make any real impact. The 6R4 outlived its Group B rivals, however its best result was on its debut at the 1985 RAC Rally, where it placed third with Tony Pond. The car had a different engine configuration to its counterparts and featured a non-turbo mid-mounted three litre V6 with four wheel drive. The engine however epitomised the car’s failure and chronic problems with the cam belts caused a rash of failures well into 1986. The car didn’t deliver the 400bhp promised and the exhaust system caused serious power drops between 4000-5000 rpm. Williams F1 made the prototypes however the homologated car ended up being heavier than Williams intended, and the size and nature of the engine caused handling problems. The car however excelled in downforce and braking. Didier Auriol won the French Championship in 1986 and notes that the ‘car was nice to drive with its wonderful noise from the engine’. After Group B was banned, many were sold to private owners by Austin Rover.

Other cars of interest
The Porsche 959, a four wheel drive, 200mph supercar that won the Paris-Dakar rally in 1986 may have been a force in the world rally championship if the manufacturer had been interested in entering the car in Group B competition. Porsche however was more interested in dominating Group C prototype sportscar racing, with the 956 and 962 models. Porsche 911s were entered in Group B but never a force as the company had other priorities.

Four hundred road going versions of the Renault 5 turbo were built to qualify for group 4 in 1980, with the car in the hands of Jean Ragnotti winning the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally. The car was left behind once group B took effect however was better at tarmac events, winning the Tour De Corse in 1985.

Walter Röhrl in an Opel Ascona won the 1982 championship. In 1983, the car was outclassed however Ari Vatanen won the Safari Rally. The Manta 400 was introduced towards the end of 1983 and Jimmy McRae took third at the RAC.

Björn Waldegård won the Safari Rally in 1986 with a Toyota Celica Turbo. The car was outclassed in Europe but came into its own in endurance events, where traction wasn’t such a big issue because of the length of the stages. Power, ease of maintenance and strength were crucial for endurance events.

End of an era
The Group B period was so exciting for the spectators that people would often line the roads to see the cars and try to touch them as they flew by. The lack of crowd control not only meant the cancellation of numerous stages but also resulted in an inevitable tragedy in the 1986 Rally of Portugal when Ford driver Joaquim Santos ploughed into spectators, killing three and injuring thirty. Top teams immediately withdrew from the event and leading drivers signed a petition demanding better crowd control at future events. Henri Toivonen was also killed later in the season when his Lancia Delta
S4 left the road at Corsica and was engulfed in a fireball. The FIA banned Group B at the end of the 1986 season to be replaced by Group A, which were essentially for modified production cars with a 300bhp power limit and much higher production requirements.

The popularity of the Group B category was due to the power, speed, outrageous looks and noise of the cars. Drivers faced with the task of taming 500 horsepower with no driver aids or electronic gear changing provided great value for spectators, and because the cars were so appealing to the fans it resulted in the collapse of the championship, through lack of crowd control and spectator discipline.

Group B was an amazing period in World Rally Championship history and will never be forgotten by rallying enthusiasts.

Water crossing
They decided to make a splash on the international scene by tackling Rally Whangaeri in New Zealand with a leased Ford Fiesta. This first foray overseas also saw Brendan’s front-drive competition debut. “Rally Whangaeri came about because the Fiesta Sporting trophy hadn’t taken off in terms of popularity and they wanted an international driver to boost exposure. We had minimal testing in the car and I found that it needed to be set up for entry well before a corner, so we could drive through under power. My usual left-foot braking technique wasn’t as effective in the Fiesta, due to the brake booster (he had never rallied with one before) altering the pedal feel and making it harder to pivot into turns. Despite this we lead all Fiestas after the first day and were again ahead of the pace on the second. A puncture cost us some time but our challenge ended when we returned to the car. It wouldn’t start because the battery had gone flat,” he remembers.

Whangaeri was the precursor event to participation in the WRC round in New Zealand, again in the Fiesta. When I ask Reeves about nerves, he smiles, but his response is quite assured: “We took a lot from the experience, just seeing how much importance the WRC guys place on reconnaissance and being specific with their notes. I wasn’t nervous being in front of them, as obviously they were running well ahead on the road.”

As for the rally itself, they finished first in the Fiesta class and 25th outright- despite a broken ball joint on the last stage sapping time. Off the back of this performance Brendan earned a wild card entry to the UK for a Fiesta shootout. The majority of other invitees had been running the cars all season…

“Twenty junior drivers were flown in from around the world to compete, the prize being a contract with M-Sport (Ford’s international rally team). The first day we did fitness and psychological tests, and I came out at the top of the list. Day 2 was the actual driving. The conditions were very difficult for me, being minus five degrees and with an icy surface- I’d never driven on that type of surface before. It was a 3km stage and we had three allocated runs each, but I never had my last run as the driver before me destroyed the Fiesta! My second run was good enough for eighth overall, but I had a lot more time in hand as I got to grips with the car. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to show it,” he says with slight annoyance. Regardless, Reeves made it through to the final five and was interviewed by an illustrious panel that included Marcus Gronholm and Malcolm Wilson. After his demeanour was assessed, they placed him third overall- a remarkable result given the circumstances.

Targa time
Back in Australia Rhianon had an opportunity to co-drive for Rick Bates in the Targa Tasmania for the factory Mazda team in a Mazda3 MPS. Bates was impressed with her professionalism and when an opening came up to drive a second MPS she recommended Brendan. The siblings were subsequently entered in the showroom class for the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge, as preparation for an assault on the Targa in 2009. The result was a strong eighth outright and first in showroom class.

This momentum carried into the Targa as they won the 2WD Showroom class at Targa Tassie after mixing it in the wet with the Mitsubishi Evos- until the MPS was penalised for a tyre change (against Targa rules) after a puncture.
Gravel, however, continued to be the Reeves focal point. “Our intention was to do as many pace noted gravel rallies as possible, to gain more experience and good enough results to allow an entry into the Australian WRC round in Perth,” he says.

The early results were encouraging despite a small budget which did little for continuity of competition and equipment. “We were fortunate to have Mick offer us a Rally School STI for a couple of events. We won outright at Rally Lithgow in NSW and came second behind Eli (Evans) in South Australia despite being in a less developed car. “

Rising star
Two further key results leap out from his results page. The first was his performance in the Pirelli Star Driver event in Queensland, with Glenn Weston co-driving (Smyth was part of an all-girl team with Emma Gilmour). “This concept pitted drivers under 26 against each other where we competed for points on each stage rather than going by totalled stage times,” he says. “There was some exceptional competition with Eli Evans, Hayden Paddon and Nathan Quinn present. The top 2 guys were to be invited to an Asian Pacific shootout, with the winner getting a paid drive in the Production Car class of the WRC.” Reeves/Weston were duly victorious and one guaranteed spot was theirs, the shootout scheduled for aforementioned WRC round in Northern NSW.

The wander back to Whangarei
A chance for more international exposure came when Brendan was able to lease Emma Gilmour’s STI to enter the New Zealand APRC round, again at Whangarei. This time his intent was nothing less than outright victory. With Weston alongside, Reeves showed confidence and poise as he mixed it with the best rally drivers in the Asia Pacific championship. “The car was very well set up; with a terrific diff program that Emma had developed with Possum Bourne Motorsport to suit the NZ roads. Again we didn’t have much opportunity to test, but still we were running second overall behind Paddon. Cody (Crocker) was third, but driving a new and unsorted car so I expected a fight as the rally continued on. On the fourth last stage, we caught up to Richard Mason, who had blown a turbo and filled the stage with smoke. I lost too much time behind it, and Cody’s clear run allowed him passed. There just wasn’t enough time for me to catch it back up!” The rallying fraternity were mightily impressed with this 20 year old arriving to drive a leased car serviced by borrowed crew to a podium in his first outright Asia Pacific event. Things were looking great, and confidence in the Reeves camp was sky-high for a memorable performance in the Australian WRC event.

Learning experience
Rhainon returned to the co-driving chair for the ARC’s Rally SA, but it was here that all the hard grafted momentum stalled with a massive accident that separated the Rally School STI’s engine from its frame. “We were really focussed on running at the front and we were setting fastest stage times. Unfortunately the car developed a misfire and with the time lost came a need to claw it back. I don’t remember much of the accident- but in the lead up we were doing over 180km/h approaching a 9L over a crest. We landed on a gutter on the right side, the gutter then pulling the car up and into a gumtree before spinning us into another tree on the left. “

Rhianon suffered breaks in both legs and heels, while Brendan cracked vertebrae in his neck. As a result, the guaranteed entry into the Australian WRC in Northern NSW had to be shelved as it was on only three weeks later. “We were pretty shattered and Rhianon had to have several operations to set her legs. She maintained her positivity throughout, and she has vowed to get back alongside me again in 2010,” he explains.

An incident as monumental as this can have a negative effect when one climbs back behind the wheel, however Reeves enlisted the help of a sports psychologist, Anthony Klarica, who was recommended by Simon Evans to assist in his rehabilitation. “He basically helped me refocus on my goals for the future, and to move forward with real positivity for the time ahead,” Brendan remembers.

Fightback
The return came on a local VRC round, the Akademos that he had previously won outright in the naturally aspirated RS. This time he entered in the STI that he had prepared for Perth, alongside Ben Atkinson, who is best known for sitting with Cody Crocker. “My intent was to ease myself back into the groove. Ben was so good about it, being very encouraging. To start with I was braking far too early, but I knew my reasons for it. We were initially running second outright, eventually upping our pace and eventually taking the win, so it was great for the confidence knowing I could still do it.”

Moving forward
So, what lies ahead in 2010 for Brendan Reeves? “I have an entry in Rally Tasmania in our LHD STI Spec-C, with Rhianon returning alongside,” he says. “We are entered in the outright class which allows us some freedoms in tyres, gearbox and engine. The competition is going to be intense- Jim Richards in his Porsche GT2 will be there, Tony Quinn’s GT-R…and Steve Glenney in a similar spec car to my own.” A ‘who’s who of recent Targa Tasmania winners, in other words.

“Things are also looking good for another attack on Showroom class in the Mazda MPS at Targa Tasmania and we’d love to do it again. It is a an event that consumes you… our ‘recce’ last year racked up over 6000kms as the roads change so much in wet/dry conditions. The challenge in making the tyres last the event was an education in smoothness and utilising a higher gear in corners to rely on torque to drag you out without spinning wheels.”

Strong drives in these local events will contribute to 2010’s ultimate goal- to further develop an international profile with entries in selected Asia Pacific and (hopefully) WRC rounds. Reeves is currently talking with a couple of international outfits to achieve this, and early feedback suggests things are progressing well.

The competition driving will be augmented with further work at the rally school (“It’s very cheap testing!”) and his ability to develop hardware has led to some further opportunities- in fact, after our chat he is off to test a new generation of tarmac rally tyre at Phillip Island, aboard a Les Walkden 2008 STI. I jokingly offer my availability should he “Need any circuit tips,” and he kindly goes along with the (attempted) comedy in his easy, down-to-earth manner. As we depart, it is this flash of personality that leaves the biggest impression. He combines good nature with an immense natural talent that is supported by an inquisitive, professional, committed attitude; the net result bringing a true self-belief that will see him go a very long way in the rallying world. Watch this space and remember the name- ‘Brendo’ is on a mission.

*If you are interested in supporting Brendan and Rhianon’s rallying, please feel free to contact us at info@lautista.com.au for further information. They have also introduced a new service designed to develop co-drivers- again, email us for info or visit www.brendanreeves.com.au .

With a jab of handbrake, the Evo pulls alongside the viewing platform, its driver’s face already broken into a smile as he hears yet again the incoherent ramblings of another passenger who has just had their perceptions of fast driving altered forever. The driver, completely relaxed, climbs out, the Evo now sitting idle, its previously superheated internals now ticking cool. He pulls up a chair alongside mine, shakes my hand. “G’Day, I’m Brendo. Nice to meet you.”

‘Brendo’ is perhaps better known as Brendan Reeves, the 21 year old country Victorian who has already proved himself as one of the quickest rally drivers in the country. His resume is already highly impressive and many in the industry are tipping massive things in his rallying future.

Fuelling the passion
How did it all begin? “My Dad Michael was a successful rally driver, winning the Victorian Rally Championship in 1997 and 2003. I remember going to watch him long before I was old enough to drive, helping out in the service crew. I was fascinated by the sport, and when my older brother Nathan got into go-karting I wanted to as well,” he recalls.
Even at the age of 7, Reeves had established that he wanted to be a professional rally driver when he grew up. Obviously not yet old enough to drive a car, he entered the world of karting and participated until he was 11, but found the atmosphere a little tense with other parents pushing their children a little too firmly to be the next Schumacher.
Being so young at the time, he remembers that the new information was quickly absorbed. “I learned race-craft on the karts, and almost unconsciously developed an understanding of the tarmac ‘line’- of entry, apex and exit, which helps me even today on bitumen.”

Reeves played Aussie Rules football and hockey as he ticked away the couple of years required before he could legally compete in local Autocross events. By the time he was 15, brother Nathan was already into rallying and father Michael felt it was time to retire from the stages to devote all his time to developing his children’s rallying interests (I say children as daughter Rhianon Smyth is today a highly successful co-driver in her own right, and usually partners Reeves on major events.)

Dirty work
Out at the family farm at Wedderburn, Michael built a dirt practice track and Brendan’s first memorable dirt experiences came in an assortment of Datsun’s, along with a stripped out Falcon. “It had no weight in it so the suspension worked quite well, and it had a torquey engine so I quickly learned about oversteer!” he laughs.

Brendan fondly recalls Sunday afternoons where he would race a stopwatch over 6kms around the track, battling for top time against his father, brother and friends. “It was fantastic to have the benefit of that track. Combined with Dad’s advice, along with that of his rallying friends, was invaluable. I still occasionally venture out there for testing.”

The move into autocross was “To learn the ropes in a competitive environment at low cost,” he says.
Obviously a fast learner, Brendan at 16 years old became the youngest ever winner of the Victorian Autocross Championship, which pits drivers against the clock over a range of 2km dirt circuits. He competed in a Datsun 240Z that he keeps to this day. “It was a great, reliable car, with around 280bhp and the ‘Option 1’ dog-leg gearbox which the works teams used back in the Seventies. Being rear-wheel drive and quite powerful, I learned a lot about being smooth with my inputs and aiming for the cleanest, grippiest exit lines during that time.”

At the end of 2005 Brendan entered Nathan’s Datsun 1600 in his first stage rally with his father’s old co-driver, Robin Smalley. “Having an experienced hand guiding me at that point was vital,” Brendan remembers. “I drove right on the edge in the first stage, as fast as I could go. As the stage ended, Robin said ‘You don’t need to drive anywhere near that hard to win this event.’ The underlying message really sunk in- you had to manage your speed in a way to combine good pace with enough margin to bring the car home. I also discovered how fit you had to be to achieve consistency. There was a 57km night stage, still the longest I have ever driven, and I came out of it panting. Dad caught me, and said ‘What’s the matter, Brendo? A bit puffed are we!?’”

Brandan’s quickly developing professional mindset was enhanced by an invitation to a 3 day course at the Australian Institute of Sport Rally Development program. Here he was presented with further tools that would assist his development. “We basically learned the other side of rallying. Most people think we just turn up and drive the cars. The AIS educated us about nutrition and mental/physical fitness, but also introduced skills in dealing with the larger rallying community- sponsors and media in particular.”

Adaptation
2006 saw Reeves participate in a couple of rounds of the RS Cup, a championship designed for the all-wheel drive, naturally aspirated Impreza RS. “It was…enlightening!” he grins. “Going from the 240Z which had big power but not much grip to something completely the opposite dictated a change in driving style. The RS was all about keeping up momentum through the corners.”

He quickly adapted, winning the RS cup with a twelfth outright at the 2006 NGK Rally of Melbourne, a round of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC). Rallyschool.com.au owner Mick Ryan reminds me that “Brendo also won a Victorian event outright in the RS…against turbocharged STI Imprezas… including one driven by his brother!”
In light of this banter, it is obvious the siblings enjoy a good natured rivalry. Rhianon, who also works the Melbourne rally school weekends with her brothers, appears to enjoy stirring the pot- at one stage cheekily asking a returning school student which brother was the quicker ‘hot lap’ instructor. When “Nathan” was the response, she made sure Brendan heard about it! “But those laps are about going sideways not about speed!” was his smiling response.

The national stage
Brendan’s impressive performances in the RS led to a real breakthrough for 2007, as Les Walkden provided a privately owned left hand drive STI for Brendan and Rhianon to compete in the ARC. “Les was a big supporter of the RS challenge and after it finished in ’06 he wanted to give a young driver a chance to step up. I was lucky enough to be chosen,” he recalls.

It was another steep learning curve as Reeves was new to LHD and the Impreza’s ‘dog ‘box’. The established rallying fraternity, more close-knit than in other forms of motorsport, were quick to lend the new boy a hand. “Cody Crocker was great,” Reeves says. “A fortnight before the first Rally in Queensland he came out to the farm and, on that same dirt track Dad had made, he showed me how to get to grips with the car.”

This quick familiarisation led to a scarcely believable third outright in Queensland, but the lingering taste of champagne was not long to last, for at the next event in Western Australia Brendan and Rhianon failed to finish. “We’d come through to the last stage and were again looking good on pace. It was a wet stage…we crashed and basically destroyed the car. It was humbling, especially after experiencing the elation of Queensland.”

Reeves/Smyth ended the ARC season sixth overall and third privateer. Ever competitive, he recalls with disappointment the missed opportunity to take third overall with a strong finish in the Melbourne finale. “The Victorian drought made the surfaces very slippery. On the fourth stage I misheard the pace note for a 7 Right and lost my spot on the stage. We ended up rolling seven times…,” he says, voice trailing off at the memory.

The ‘new boy’ had thus made an STI-sized dent (sorry) on the sport, and as time went by he found that the advice that was once free-flowing from guys like Crocker, Simon Evans, Ed Ordynski and Neal Bates was now replaced with competitive banter as their respect for his ability grew. “Cody and Simon sometimes work for the rally school, and we always try to one-up each other, the aim being to slide the car as much as possible!” he laughs.

The brother/sister team then spent the summer of 2007/08 developing their pace note communication, adapting the familiar 1 to 10 corner grading system to their own specifications under the guidance of the aforementioned Crocker and Ordynski. A more diverse range of opportunities were to come in the new year….

Follow the link for part 2: Part 2

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Lancia’s Delta was originally introduced in 1979, a compact 4 door hatch designed by Giorgietto Giugiaro. Originally offered with 1300cc and 1500cc Fiat based engines, along with a turbodiesel, the Delta remained inconspicuous in its formative years, a neatly designed and capable run-around.

A precursor of things to come was shown at the 1982 Turin motorshow. The Lancia stand displayed a “Delta 4×4″ concept, intriguing bystanders who no doubt had noted the all-paw Audi Quattro’s rapid ascension to the rallying throne. That same year saw Lancia return to the stages themselves with the Martini liveried, Montecarlo based 037. Mid-engined but only rear-wheel drive, the supercharged 037 was nimbler and more responsive than the Quattro if not a match for outright pace on most surfaces. It was also more reliable, actually winning the manufacturer’s championship in 1983 as Audi struck trouble with its A1 evolution. But the writing was on the wall and the 037 lagged behind in 1984 before becoming completely obsolete the next season.

Back in the production car world, Lancia had introduced their famed HF badge to the nose of a Delta for the first time in 1983, with the 1600HF turbo. Initially producing 130bhp, but driven only through the front wheels, the little Lancia was well received as a capable handling hot hatch. At that stage Lancia had no plans for an all-wheel drive production car, but their rally program demanded another set of priorities.

Group B was a liberal formula, only requiring 200 ‘production’ units of the model for homologation with almost unlimited technologies permitted. Peugeot had introduced the first bespoke Group B monster, the mighty mid-engined, all-paw, turbocharged T16. This layout was clearly the future for any rally manufacturer worth its salt. Lancia themselves had started developing a vehicle to this template in 1983, introducing the ‘Delta’ S4 in December 1984. As well has having the requisite turbo, the S4’s 1759cc inline 4 also utilised a supercharger; a wonderfully Italian way of overcoming throttle lag. A space-age projectile under a lightweight shell loosely based on a road going Delta, the S4 won on debut in the RAC of 1985 with Henri Toivonen at the wheel.

Tragically, it was Toivonen’s fatal accident (that also claimed co-driver Sergio Cresto) in the Tour de Corse of 1986 that sounded the death knell of Group B rallying, which was already on shaky ground after the death of 3 spectators in the earlier rally of Portugal. Group A was to take over for 1987, requiring 5000 units for homologation and tighter control of safety standards, power outputs and minimum weights.

Off the back of the S4 project, Lancia had finally introduced an all-wheel drive version of the Delta, the HF 4WD which debuted in May 1986. It took the 1995cc twin cam 8 valve engine from the Thema and added a Garrett turbocharger to produce 165bhp (123kw) @ 5250rpm. Again, it was not originally intended as a rally car, but the dramatic shakeup of regulations provided an opportunity that was too good to pass up. Martini Lancia duly fronted at the 1987 Monte with a brace of HF 4WD’s and promptly finished 1-2, with Miki Biasion ahead of Juha Kankkunen. It was to become a familiar story throughout the season, Kankkunen, Biasion and Markku Alen finishing 1-2-3 and giving Lancia the Manufacturer’s championship, the first of 6 on the trot for Delta based vehicles.

November 1987 saw the local market release of the now mythical integrale (note the small ‘i’), literally meaning ‘complete’. It certainly was an improvement, with enhanced cooling (larger intercooler, radiator and oil cooler) and an increase in max turbo boost to 14psi with a throttle determined overboost facility. The road version now produced 185bhp (138kw) @ 5300rpm to go with a stump-pulling 224lb ft (303nm) of torque. Drive was split f56/r44 via an epicyclic centre differential, with an open front diff and Torsen rear. Road testers raved about the total traction the integrale provided on any surface, which combined with the cracking engine/gearbox combination and lithe dimensions to ensure this Lancia was as fast as anything on the road in ‘real life’ driving. Autocar was convinced- they pitted one against a contemporary Ferrari Testarossa, severely embarrassing Enzo’s flat-12 in the process.

The HF 4WD won the first 2 rallies of 1988 before the integrale took the reins, homologation being approved in time for the Portugeuse round. The Lancia team ended up winning 10 of 13 WRC events that year (though only competing in 11 of these, as they chose to miss the Ivory Coast and New Zealand rounds which were only eligible for driver’s points) as Miki Biasion won his first world championship.

Thanks in part to these triumphs, the integrale was also a success on the showroom floor. This encouraged the rally department still further, as it assured them that they would have no real issues with gaining homologation on any subsequent variants. Come the end of 1988, this was vital as Japanese giants Mazda, Toyota and Mitsubishi had been constantly developing their machines with more sophisticated traction management and new generation engines until they were showing enough potential to threaten the integrale’s supremacy. Work began on a 16 valve version of the integrale, allowing it to produce more power, hitting 200bhp (144kw) at 5500rpm with 17 psi boost but providing slightly less torque, 220lb ft (298nm) at 3000rpm. The 16v satisfied 5000 production units in time for the last rally of 1989, in San Remo. Toyota’s Celica had emerged as the most likely to knock the Lancia off its perch, handing the 8 valve cars a defeat in their last works rally appearance. The 16v redressed the balance in Biasion’s hands, giving him a second consecutive driver’s championship. Interestingly, the debut of the 16 valve was celebrated with a new Martini livery for the team, with red being the primary colour. This scheme was only to appear the one time before reverting back to the ubiquitous White livery of before, as celebrated by our feature car, a late 1988 build integrale 16V.

“It was one of those cars that when I saw, I was convinced that I had to have one, some day,” explains Shayne Williams as we blatantly ogle his ‘grale. “I remember watching the small snippets of rally coverage you would get on the TV, seeing the Lancia name always on top. I have loved them ever since.”

A man with a decidedly Latin taste in cars (he also owns a lovely silver Fiat Dino Coupe), Shayne let it be known to the small but passionate group of Australian based integrale devotees that he was after one. “I looked at a couple that were already here including a later model evolution model (that replaced the 16v in late 1991 and came with further modifications including a wider track and bolder bodywork) but the guy that owned it, who was all of 6 feet 11 inches, just wasn’t ready to part with it!” he laughs. Shayne now counts that man, Shannon, as one of his closest friends. His height came up when I climbed into the passenger seat and nearly hit the roof in the process. Apparently the trick is to set the seat right back, which holds 2 advantages: You can fit in, and back seat passengers can’t! Shayne can also empathise with not being able to let go, after finally locating this 16v in Japan: “It would take a heck of a lot for me to sell it on,” he says as if the very thought repulses him.

In his two years with the car, it has been kept in wonderful condition, still in its original left hand drive configuration. Lancia only ever made the 4WD Delta’s in LHD form, though there were a couple of approved dealers in the UK that could offer RHD conversions. The main issue with these conversions is that there were never any specific steering racks made so the natural fluidity felt through the wheel is compromised somewhat.

Shayne had plans to turn the car into a tarmac rally beast, but the necessity of altering the car on safety grounds proved enough to put him off. “To have to strip it down and put a full cage in, when it was in such lovely condition and drove so nicely as a road car…I felt that I should just leave it and enjoy as is,” he recounts. “My long term plan is to find one that isn’t in as good basic condition and modify it for more serious motorsport use. This one, I intend to keep it as is and just enjoy it on the roads, at club days, touring assemblies, public displays and things like that.”

The car itself certainly attracts enough interest wherever it goes. Shayne recalled a story of Glenn Ridge becoming smitten upon seeing it parked up at the Lake Mountain Sprint one year. “He kept asking if I could bring it over for the Mount Buller Sprint later in the year and asked if he could drive it up Buller when the road opened between stages,” he laughs. “I saw him later and said ‘Got your overalls, got your helmet?’ and Glenn was like ‘Yep, can I have the keys?’ and I just laughed and said ‘No way!’”

It does really get under your skin, seeing something like this out on the road. As we drove along a 3 lane highway for some photos, people were honking and pointing, waving and smiling. And, somewhat disturbingly, swerving as their attention swayed. Happens all the time apparently, thankfully without major incident.

Along with being active in the Historic Rallying Association (HRA) and Fiat clubs, Shayne has been instrumental in founding “Club Delta”, dedicated to the little beasts. They combine drive days and static displays, sometimes including other Italian exotica. “We just want to get word out about how great these cars are, as outside of the real car nuts, no-one knows what they are!” he says. “There are guys in the HRA and Fiat clubs that know the history of each rally car! But Club Delta wants to bring them to the masses.” Their convoys have attracted the attention of an event promotions company who are keen to help out to make 2009 an exciting year for Club Delta. Some may think that keeping the ‘grale a relative secret in Oz is a good thing, to be shared only among the learned few, but Shayne is the opposite and with like minded club members we can only hope to see a spike in ‘grale numbers on our shores.

When it comes time to take the car out, I unfortunately have to follow in Ridgey’s footsteps, and be a passenger only. While Shayne is protective of the car, insurance precludes anyone else from driving it. Even simply to import one, you must have a CAMS level 3 licence or above. Not to worry, I clamber in through the right hand side and relax into the very eighties interior. The engine, of course based off the famous Fiat twin cam, has a lovely throbbing note to its idle which is amplified with each spike in revs. Though you can tell it is turbocharged, the spooling sound of the Garrett does not overwhelm the motor’s base personality like turbos sometimes do. There is a modified ECU in this car which brought about a 25% power hike at increased boost of 23psi, to go with a fat slug of extra torque. To say it keeps up is a vast understatement…

Once underway the combination of left hand drive and the necessity of remaining on the left side of the road doesn’t phase Shayne too much. His Dino is also LHD and he looks more than comfortable threading the Lancia past mortal cars parked randomly along the leafy streets, avoiding the dropped jaws of passers-by. This car is mechanically unmodified save for a slight re-chip which boosts power slighty but significantly fattens the torque curve. And the detailing…that Martini livery took lots of perfecting, and lovely touches such as Martini branded driving gloves can be found in the console.

A significant change between 8 and 16v cars was the redistribution of torque between front and rear, the 16v offering a rear biased 47/53 split. This coupled with power steering and optional ABS brakes brought the integrale back to the forefront of road car technology. Understeer was greatly reduced, allowing a ‘more sporty drive’ according to Lancia’s press of the time. In the real world, Shayne agrees: “Torque steer is just never an issue. The steering is very well balanced, providing a light enough effort with maximum feel, excellent for an all-wheel drive. The short wheelbase and narrow track compared to the evo cars make things a bit more interesting in the wet, particularly with these larger wheels (17 inch compared to the standard 15- Shayne has 3 sets with tyres to swap with depending on his mood) but you just have to respect that when cornering with the power down.”

According to Shayne, the other major interfaces share a similar feel of detailed control, the gearbox sporting a longer throw than that of a modern rally warrior, while ultimate braking power also misses out on the last 15 years of progress in the field. For its day, however, the Integrale experience was unsurpassed and it rightly formed the template from which the next generation of rally cars bounced forward from. Even today, the ride has a suppleness that belies its ultimate grip. And the engine response, with an 8.0:1 compression ratio, would still be hard to beat today. With a rich seam of torque from 2000rpm upwards its rate of acceleration in road conditions is as much as one would ever need. Combined with that immense traction, conveyed to its occupants as if it is grating into the tarmac to find purchase, and its easy to understand how dominant it was in the rally world. How much fun it must have been to bait the supercars that abounded in the little Lancia’s heyday. After embarrassing, hmm, let’s say a Countach, on the road, one can easily imagine strolling up to its distraught driver and asking for a re-run, only this time on gravel. After all, it would only be fair…

The 16v’s rally career spanned the whole of 1990 and 1991, winning both manufacturers championships and the driver’s title in ‘91 for Juha Kankkunen. Though it’s replacement, the HF Integrale more commonly known as the evo, continued into 1992, the works Martini outfit had officially withdrawn, leaving the running of the new “Deltona’s” as they were known to privateer team Jolly Club. Auriol won 6 of the 14 rounds and Lancia won their final WRC manufacturer’s championship, but Delta was at the end of its development curve and went winless in Carlos Sainz’s hands in 1993 before retiring to the history books as the most dominant rally car of its time.

For more information on Club Delta either contact us, or if you have a facebook account check out the following:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17569939115

Of course, Victoria was playing to its strengths, with four seasons in one day, though thankfully it appeared as if the rain would hold off by the time we arrived in the car park amidst a handful of other students and assorted observers.

We were welcomed cordially, and offered refreshments as Mick’s crew prepared the cars, the paperwork and themselves for the day ahead. I signed up to the half day course – 24 laps of basic rallying technique around ‘practice rally stages’ of varying configurations as we developed our skills, an instructor always alongside. The appeal of being presented with a certificate to hang on the wall at the course conclusion was essential, simply so I could exaggerate my prowess at the wheel of a rally car to friends later!

Mick sat the drivers down to briefing, complete with whiteboard, markers, and intent to use both. He introduced the crew and gave us a bit of history on what the school is about (basically a “travelling roadshow” that is based out of Sydney but every other weekend is in another capital city) before moving on to some theoretical technique. For people familiar with circuit theory, the discussion raised the odd eyebrow as Mick talked about exiting the corners on the inside as that is where the cleanest surface would be. “(Former rally and later circuit ace) George Fury once said ‘It doesn’t matter what you do on the entry, the exit is where the time is,’” he explained. Cleaner surface means more bite for the purpose built rally tyres, and consequently better traction. He also touched on smooth inputs with all controls so as not to upset the cars attitude, and gave any potential “boy racers” a dose of reality with the simple phrase: “You crash it, you buy it.”

To assist with our lines the crew had set up witches hats around the beginner’s loops, encouraging precision right from the start. Our first runs comprised of 6 laps on each of these loops, the right side utilising 3rd gear on its more open sections with the left section being more technical in 2nd gear.

My nerves were eased somewhat when we were told to take the first lap very carefully to get a feel for the car, and credit to our group of 15 students who adhered to this advice and listened to the experts, being circumspect with the throttle until their responses caught up with the car.

As the names were called off, 2 at a time, the nerves began to crawl back, thoughts of “binning it” being uppermost in my mind after the briefing. “Adam, you’re in the Evo 9 with Gareth.” There goes the heart rate, though I breathe deeply and reassure myself that it will all be fine. A calm focus then took over.

I must confess in the lead up to this weekend, I was secretly hoping that the many hours watching Ari Vatanan as a youngster would rub off. In reality, the only thing resembling a ‘climb dance’ (Climb Dance on YouTube) is when I stumble over the Evo’s roll-cage to get in. Safety is paramount to this operation, of course, and a couple of minutes go by as adjustments are made to my seat and belts to ensure a comfortable driving position. Wrists resting over the top of the wheel, the seat then pulled forward to allow full pedal pressure below. Gripping the wheel at 10 to 2, I give the nod and the door is shut, closing off the outside world and Sarah’s camera lens. It was time.

Gareth’s first advice, once we get moving (very easy clutch effort in this car), is to “get into 3rd gear. This thing has heaps of torque and it will take the circuit entirely in 3rd.” He isn’t kidding. The Evo, a fully prepped rally car- adjustable suspension, tricky diffs and anti-lag, feels insanely fast. Especially when teetering around on loose gravel at the top end of 3rd gear, between witches hats that seemingly grow closer by the lap. Despite the sensory overload feeding back through the car, I become conscious that another form of feedback is being imparted. It’s Gareth, telling me my braking point is way too early! “Whaaaaat?” I am thinking. “This is gravel, this is a long straight, and we are coming towards a 90 degree left. Did I say this was gravel?” My mind is going through a perpetual loop of warnings and alarms as it tries to compute this data into something more realistic.

By the end of the first run I am gaining confidence with turn-in, then balancing power through turns to maximise the application on the clean exit line. But I run out of bottle into that 90 left, lifting off early down the straight, before rolling into the braking zone. Obviously the Evo could take the late brake and more, but I didn’t have the confidence to control the rear on entry- trail braking in a slower corner indicated enough rear slip to indicate I wasn’t yet prepared to try it from a higher speed, despite its assistance in tucking the nose to the apex.

Gareth’s feedback offered an explanation for the nervous rear. “Try to smooth out your steering inputs rather than making continual adjustments as that unsettles a car on dirt. The Lancer is so reactive to driver input that if you are nervous with the wheel it will behave nervously itself.” On tarmac I like to get a feel for front end grip from a slightly early turn in, before squeezing on the power, so this was a big adjustment to make as I pondered my second run, with Tim on the left side loop in his Sti-RA Impreza.

The 90’s Impreza was clearly well used but well loved, it’s appetite for coolant being traced to a leaky upper radiator hose. Thankfully Mick had his ex-Possum Bourne LHD Impreza GpA rally car on hand to donate the part!

Driving another car, with another co-driver is a real strength of the school, in that you receive sage advice from several experts in one session whilst experiencing how each car reacts to certain situations. From watching the others, I know the left side loop is slower and that 2 corners – the one leading on to the longest straight and the one at the end of it – were quite technical.

Out lap complete, I come down the straight and turn it at what looks like a natural apex. Not so. “Something that is so important to rally driving is vision through a corner. Look at where you want to be at exit, the cleanest surface is to the inside of the corner. An apex you might use on tarmac will leave you too wide and you won’t be able to use all the power on corner exit.” Tim explains as I drive the remainder of the loop, slowly so as to better take in his advice. We come back again, and I turn later than the last lap but Tim comes across with his hand to straighten the wheel, to put us on a radius that seemed, well, unnatural to me. It clicks though, the grip on exit allowing more revs and consequently a higher speed. By the fifth cycle, I brake late (getting better at that!)…wait…wait, turn and balance throttle, increasing right foot as the car straightens. As my inner self screams “Yes!” Tim gives my arm a friendly tap and says “That’s about as perfect as you will get through that corner today, well done!”

My focus now shifts to maximising speed on the straight for the last lap with Tim and again it requires a mental re-scramble. “Brake in a straight line through the esses, turn in and back on the power….harder….harder!” My mind is crying out “You have too much lock on to be using all that throttle, back off!” but the Impreza tucks in, grips, and slingshots us forward. So fast, I forget to recalibrate my braking point and ruin my previously perfect corner that followed!

As we pulled into the pits, Tim again mentioned my steering inputs, and to better use my vision to look through an entire corner and visualise where the car should be on exit as exit speed trumps entry speed every time.

Once all the second runs were completed, it was time for some group discussion as Mick asked each of us what we felt was the most pertinent thing learned so far. Some were amazed at how modulating the brake pedal correctly actually made you faster than trying to be overly late and hard with your foot. Others talked, like me, about the vision through the corner and spotting the cleanest surface to drive over. We were then taken out into the blustery wind onto the full track we would use for our final 2 sessions, dust kicking up all round in the chilly wind. Mick stopped us at a long right hander, which was deceptive in its angle and camber. The approach was third gear back to second, and tightened past 90 degrees as the camber changed pushing to the outside and the ditch. Mick and Tim walked us through each facet of the corner, from turn in point, through to the apex and exit. “We have had so many offs here that we decided to show people through first!” said Mick, “You have to get the car tucked in to the corner so it doesn’t ride the camber to the outside. Keep a balanced throttle once off the brakes and get right to the inside where the grip is, then you can pick up the throttle early enough to pull you out of the corner properly.” We were lucky that a witches hat was placed most of the way around the corner (again a lot further through than one may have thought on tar), signifying the ideal apex.

Like a sponge I soaked in this discussion on corner technique, combining it with feedback from my earlier runs to provide a solid basis from which to improve in the later sessions. After a quick drink and sugar fix, my name was called again and I met my final instructor Nathan after getting comfortable in the Blue Impreza Sti. The long circuit incorporated parts of both loop tracks but run in an anti-clockwise direction, allowing a good mix of straights and varying corners, 2nd and 3rd gear in the Sti.

Distilling all I had learned, I began to gain confidence, smoothing my inputs through steering, metering out throttle and brake applications, balancing my downshifts with heel and toe. The corner that we walked through was indeed a challenge, marbles on anything but the ideal line not letting the Impreza turn in. I started to brake a little earlier but with less pressure to settle the car better on the entry phase, as Nathan encouraged sniffing out that witches hat to nail the throttle. Being such a long corner it felt like forever on part-throttle, but the harder we tucked the nose in, the more robust we could be with the throttle. After 12 laps with Nathan (a break after 6 laps) in the same Rex, I felt as if I was finally beginning to scratch the surface of these vehicles abilities, my exit speed onto the main straight growing exponentially with my confidence in the car and myself.

Too soon, it seemed, Nathan called me into the pits. For the first time I was shaking with the adrenaline of the run, and when I was thanking Nathan for the feedback and encouragement, another helper commented “Do we have a budding rally driver here?!?” which just made me beam!

We weren’t done yet though. Now it was Nathan’s turn to take me out. Being a regular contender in the Victorian Rally Championship with his 2006 Sti, I could feel that this was going to be something special as we jumped in the full-house Evo again. The next 3 minutes re-defined my concept of ability. Both car and driver were suddenly dancing, attitude being provoked rather than avoided in an effort to simply get through a corner as quickly as possible. At one stage, a long, almost 180 degree section, Nathan flicked the Evo through more than 90 degrees of rotation, foot planted and diffs working their magic. Complete control, and the budding rally driver comment was now out the window as I again felt like a rank amateur with so much to learn. But that is the beauty of mastering a craft, the path you take to get there. I don’t think I would ever get tired of learning this though. Hmm, if I could just grab a cheap Integrale from Japan….

For more information on the rally school, visit www.rallyschool.com.au

This year sees the event classes open up to include a classic (pre-December 1981) category to augment the modern class for vehicles from January 1982 onwards. In the classic class, crowds will be treated to the full blooded bellow of V8 muscle in the form of Mark Bryant’s Penske replica Chev Camaro and Craig Harris’ XY Ford Falcon. Further Ford V8 motivation will be found in two South African developed Capri Peranas in the hands of Chris Bailey and Jack Elsegood. The De Tomaso Pantera driven by Keith Callinan provides a dose of Italian exotica to mix with the Germanic efficiency of Steve Cadden’s 1972 Porsche 911.

Mountain Motorsports, the event organisers, have done a great job in securing sponsorship to ensure the Buller sprint continues to run after initial support from Porsche finished in 2006. Tarmac magazine will provide trophies for the first 8 crews to crack a sub-9 minute climb time, while Kuhmo tyres have made discounted tyres available to competitors. Auto-Tek will sponsor three trophies including the Most Popular Car award as voted by the public. These efforts to provide more spectator interaction will no doubt lead to a greater experience for all that make the near 3 hour drive from Melbourne for a wonderful weekend of tarmac rallying.

For more information visit www.mtbullersprint.com