Australian Rally Championship 2022

[Rally Hokkaido]

Brendan Reeves will drive a Hyundai i20 R5 in this year's championship after a six-year absence.
https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/03/21/hyundai-announces-rally-return-down-under/

[Humber]

Round one Australian Rally Championship Netier National Capital Rally, Canberra. ACT

Heat one - 1) Harry Bates, Toyota GR Yaris AP4, 2) Shane Van Gisbergen Skoda Fabia R5, 3) Eli Evans Mini Cooper AP4 4) Brendan Reeves Hyundai i20 R5

Shakedown with Reeves.https://youtu.be/RbCNKEfUjOk

Reeves Day one

https://youtu.be/tKDSN9Hshw0

[Humber]

Competitor fatality Targa Tasmania.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/04/27/driver-dies-after-targa-tasmania-crash/

14th May, 2022

Motorsport Australia suspends Targa events.

https://motorsport.org.au/media/news/detail/2022/05/14/motorsport-australia-targa-style-tarmac-rally-update

[Humber]

Max McRae giving the Subaru some beans. 3rd on a stage of the Australian Rally Championship.(Round 5 Gippsland Rally)

http://www.rallyresults.com.au/arc/2022/vic/showStaget.asp?paramVal4=1&paramVal3=1&paramVal2=4&rVal=5248&paramVal1=1

McRae up to second overall at the end of Day 1, behind a Toyota.

https://www.rally.com.au/lewis-takes-gippsland-leads-after-dramatic-day/

[Humber]

Coffs Coast Rally 2022 this weekend. Scene of the 2019 WRC final non-event due to bush fires, the event returns as Australian national and APRC title round.

Contenders will be Paddon in his veteran AP4 i20, the Bates brothers in the Toyota AP4 GR Yaris cars and a few Australian (Dalton - expat Ireland) drivers who could come through should the aforementioned have trouble or hit a Kangaroo etc.
https://motorsport.org.au/media/news/detail/2022/11/16/capacity-field-to-take-on-coffs-coast-rally

https://youtu.be/hHnkyfE-i6w

[Humber]

Coffs Coast Rally - Stages are rougher than those used for the WRC rally.
Paddon leads after 2 stages. The old NZ car has been adapted to the Aus conditions, fingers crossed it does not break.

https://chrissport.co.nz/

Luke Anear - Fiesta nose plant Special stage 2

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/11/26/video-massive-rollover-in-coffs-coast-rally/

End of Day 1, 1) Paddon leading 2) Harry Bates +2.4 seconds 3) Nathan Quinn 9.1 seconds
Paddon lost time at the end of day due to an axle breaking and having to run a few stages in 3 wheel drive.

Interviews midday first day.
https://youtu.be/ytKd3EJ9epE

Paddon gained a 30 second time penalty for arriving late at TC5A on Day 1, so started day 2 in 3rd position. HP clawed back half the deficit on the first stage of day 2.

Stage 12 - Harry Bates and Paddon closely matched at splits through stage, but Harry Bates rolled and is okay at 21.4 km in the 25 km. Lewis Bates - 2023 Australian Rally Champion.
Stage 13 - overall order unchanged
Stage 14 - L Bates pips Paddon in aprc category.

Paddon wins event for 2022 Asia Pacific Rally title. Lewis Bates second, Dalton third in APRC section.

Harry Bate's co-driver hospitalised as a result of the rally crash. https://www.rally.com.au/mccarthy-recovering-after-coffs-crash/

[Humber]

100 years of the Alpine Rally (Classic Rally event), Victoria, Australia. 2022

Among the oldest motorsport events - first run in 1921 with an Itala the winner.
Spectator guide with QR guides for maps etc.
https://alpinerally.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/alp22-spectator-guide-colour-v2.3-opt.pdf

Day two video summary with Colin Clark (with the sounds of the 1970s Mazda Rotary and the Datsuns)
https://youtu.be/KMbdtIHL1Ko

Day 3
https://youtu.be/UsTyCTx4dNM

Day 4
Win for Quinn in the Mazda RX2 (a retro rocket). Reeves hampered by driveshaft problems.
Nissan Gazelle second.
https://youtu.be/Wv4LxjFs_L8

[Humber]

An accident for driver Adrian Stratford and co-driver Kain Manning at the Mitta Mountain Rally, North East Victoria, Australia (4th March, 2023)

Air transported to hospitals.

(Stratford was a front running competitor at 2022's Alpine Rally.

https://www.mittamountainrally.com/?fbclid=IwAR2qwkB963mzu9ilE8lUNIluOt6eyhPx6Kh8lhlX 5km0Gjwcrbiv3Opvyb4

[Humber]

Round one of the 2023 Australian Rally Championship has kicked off in Tasmania.

Harry Bates did not go far before engine problems ended the outing.
so after 6 stages.

1) Lewis Bates Toyota AP4
2) Bodie Reading (ancient WRX) at 48 secs
3) Luke Anear (Mr Safety Culture) and Malcolm Read (sometimes Msport mechanic) at 49 seconds in Skoda R5
4) E Maguire WRX
5) A Rullo (Hyundai Rally 2)

Finished this order for the day.

[Humber]

Shannon's South Australian Rally Championship - Rally of the Heartland. (Burra location )(April 2023)
Commentary/ driver interviews with Colin Clark and Luke Whitten.
Old school rally with a blind route and long night stages.(72km gravel)
Old school cars involved Mercedes circa 1980, Escort Mk 2 and Datsun 160J/ PA10
Interesting the map lights for the co-driver in the Datsun - traditional map light, red light, maglite backup, etc
https://www.facebook.com/rallyheartland

Day 2 - wrap up with the VoR.
https://youtu.be/WuTEXJOMV-w

[Humber]

Western Australian round of ARC. The ball bearing/ marble surface roads of the old WRC stages where Makinen, Burns, Sainz, Delecour, C. Mcrae, Duval etc battled.

Harry Bates, Lewis Bates and Nathan Quinn
(reporters - Dane and Herridge in the dust)
https://youtu.be/KzecuCNWwEw

Driver interviews
https://youtu.be/I4QuFGYR_DI

Quinn in the Hyundai Proto? take the 2nd heat and the overall. (H. Bates/ C Taylor - checked in early and lost the lead with a 1 minute penalty)
L. Bates 2nd

https://twitter.com/MotorsportARC/status/1660186757747576835/photo/1

[Humber]

Final round of 2023 Australian Rally Championship this weekend.
Battle between the AP4 Toyota Yaris cars of Harry and Lewis Bates for the drivers title. Lewis is 23 points ahead going into the rally.

Canberra only has limited spectator viewing (probably due to the fire risk in the forest at this time of year).
12 stages. 6 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday.

https://motorsport.org.au/media/news/detail/2023/11/17/canberra-to-host-epic-title-showdown

Lewis Bates was 6 seconds too slow on the Power (final) stage so Harry Bates and Coral Taylor ( Molly's mum) won the Australian Rally Championship for 2023.