2010 Australian Rally Championship

The 2010 Australian Rally Championship is series of six rallying events held across Australia, including the international event 2010 International Rally of Queensland. It is the 43rd season in the history of the competition.

Husband and wife team Simon and Sue Evans won their fourth Australian Rally Championship in five years. Driving their own privately prepared Subaru Impreza the duo became the first pair to win the Championship in vehicles of three different manufacturers.

Simon and Sue Evans in Tasmania.

Season review

After winning the 2009 championship in a Mitsubishi the Evans returned in 2010 with a Subaru, while after a several year lay-off the Pedder brothers in a two car team of Mitsubishis. Scott Pedder was instantly competitive, winning the opening round of the series, the all-tarmac Rally Tasmania. Simon Evans and his brother Eli, driving a JAS Motorsport built Honda Civic Type-R, shared the second places. With the dirt-surface season commencing with the Forest Rally, Peddar won both heats again from Evans. Former factory Ford rallyist Darren Windus making a one-off appearance at his home event in a Toyota and Ryan Smart, also Toyota mounted shared the third places. Next the Australian Championship returned to Coffs Harbour when Simon Evans won his first Heat for the year and backed it up immediately. Pedder was second in Heat 1 but rolled out of the rally in Heat 2. Mitsubishi driver Nathan Quinn finished second in Heat 2, with Smart taking a pair of thirds.

At Rally SA Evans won Heat 1 from Pedder and Mitsubishi driver Justin Dowel, but Heat 2 saw Evans win unopposed as an accident took Pedder out of the rally and the championship. While co-driver John Mortimer was largely unhurt, Pedder sustained a knee and ankle injuries ruling him out of a return to the championship in 2010.[1] Evans won the heat from Quinn and Eli Evans.

Evans won the International Rally of Queensland, the ARCs annual get-together with the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Glen Raymond was second in a Mitsubishi with Mark Pedder third. The victory was enough for Evans to secure his fourth championship. Reymond struck back at his home event when Evans and Pedder stuck trouble and the Mitsubishi driver raced home to take a popular win Rally Victoria. Fellow Mitsubishi drivers Justin Dowel and Mark Pedder finished second and third. The podium finish for Pedder allowed him to tie on points with Ryan Smart for runner's up in the championship. The countback worked in Smart's favour giving him and sister Rebecca Smart second place in the title.

Scott Pedder still had enough points to finish fourth in the title, four points ahead of Queensland Mitsubishi driver Steven Shepheard. Glen Raymond and Eli Evans all finished the season within ten points of Scott Peddar.

Mitsubishi won the manufacturers title, 444 points to Subaru's 432. Eli Evans in the Honda took out the two-wheel drive title convincingly. Mitsubishi driver Michael Boaden won the Privateer's Cup.[2]

The Rallies

The 2010 season featured six rallies.[3]

Round Rally Date
1 Rally Tasmania 26–28 February
2 Quit Forest Rally 16–18 April
3 Coffs Coast Rally 14–16 May
4 Scouts Rally SA 24–26 June
5 International Rally of Queensland 31 July–1 August
6 Rally Victoria 13 November

Teams & Drivers

The following are the competitors from the 2010 ARC season.[4]

Team Vehicle Number Driver Co-driver Class
Evans Motorsport Subaru Impreza WRX STI 1 Simon Evans Sue Evans Group N
Honda Civic Type R 3 Eli Evans Glen Weston PRC
Raymond Partners Accounting Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2 Glen Raymond Matt Raymond Group N
Activ Rallysport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 4 Justin Dowel Matt Lee PRC
OzTec Suspension Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 5 Steven Shepheard John McCarthy PRC
Yandina Automotive Repairs Toyota Corolla Sportivo 6 Ryan Smart Rebecca Smart Group N P
Pedders Suspension Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 7 Scott Pedder Jonathan Mortimer Group N
8 Mark Pedder Catherine Smallbone PRC
Wauchope Motors Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 9 Michael Boaden Helen Cheers PRC
Speedie Contractors Toyota Corolla Sportivo 10 Simon Knowles Margot Knowles Group N P
Fullerton Financial Services Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 11 Bruce Fullerton Hugh Reardon-Smith PRC
Daikin and Allied Air Conditioning Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 12 Nathan Quinn David Green Group N
Hand Shield Mitsubishi Mirage 13 Barry Kirk Daniel Wilson PRC
Groundforce Truck Rentals Toyota Corolla S2000 14 Darren Windus John Allen Super 2000
Secure Glass Subaru Impreza WRX STI 15 Roman Watkins Toni Feaver PRC
Busselton Subaru Service Subaru Impreza WRX 16 Leigh Hynes Stuart Percival Group N
Wendys Bunbury Forum Subaru Impreza WRX STI 19 Tom Wilde Nerralie Wilde PRC
Mark Fawcett Motorsport Subaru Impreza WRX Spec C 20 Mark Fawcett Simon Ellis PRC
SaabCare Motorsport Services Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 21 Mike Bailey Caitlin Earley PRC
Allquip Australia Ford Fiesta 21 Barney Hogan Darren Grainger Super 2000
John Berne Subaru Impreza RS 22 John Berne Tony Best PRC
North Oz Projects Holden Commodore SS 27 Jacob Bruinsma Lisa White Group N
Hyundai Motor Company Australia Hyundai i30 CRDi 30 Mick Gillett Harvey Smith PRC
Rallyschool Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 32 Charlie Drake Eoin Moynihan PRC

Drivers Championship

Pointscore as follows.[5]

Pos Driver Tas Forest Coffs SA Qld Victoria Total
Heat1 Heat2 Heat3 Heat1 Heat2 Heat1 Heat2 Heat1 Heat2 Heat1 Heat2 Heat3
1 Simon Evans 15 34 15 34 34 40 41 40 41 20 21 40 20 395
2 Ryan Smart 10 22 9 26 30 30 30 Ret DNS 13 Ret Ret 65 235
3 Mark Pedder 9 26 8 6 9 9 12 7 18 11 15 30 75 235
4 Scott Pedder 20 40 21 40 41 34 Ret 34 Ret 230
5 Steven Shepheard 7 20 7 9 16 26 9 22 26 9 7 18 50 226
6 Glen Raymond 13 Ret 13 10 18 Ret DNS 17 17 34 100 222
7 Eli Evans 17 16 17 5 14 12 Ret 20 30 10 13 26 40 220
8 Justin Dowel 11 30 11 16 6 30 Ret 15 Ret Ret 85 204
9 Michael Boaden 14 10 22 26 18 22 8 11 22 45 198
10 Bruce Fullerton 5 14 5 20 22 14 16 6 9 16 35 162
11 Nathan Quinn 22 22 Ret 34 26 34 Ret DNS Ret 138
12 Barry Kirk 3 10 4 7 7 8 14 8 9 4 5 10 15 104
13 Mick Gillett 14 16 9 10 5 5 14 22.5 95.5
14 Mark Fawcett 8 8 6 16 20 7 10 20 95
15 Simon Knowles 4 12 5 8 8 18 10 Ret 14 Ret 8 Ret 87
16 John Berne 16 18 10 12 5 Ret Ret 25 86
17 Mike Bailey 10 20 12 Ret Ret 6 Ret 30 78
18 Leigh Hynes 18 Ret Ret Ret 55 73
19 Darren Windus 30 26 56
20 Jacob Bruinsma 4 4 12 17.5 37.5
21 Charlie Drake 6 18 10 Ret DNS 34
=22 Roman Watkins 12 20 Ret Ret 32
=22 Tom Wilde 20 12 32
24 Barney Hogan 4 9 4 17

References

  1. ^ "Disastrous Scouts Rally SA For Pedders Suspension Rally Team". Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  2. ^ "2010 Australian Rally Champion - Driver Pointscore - Provisional" (PDF). Official website of the Australian Rally Championship. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  3. ^ "Official website of the Australian Rally Championship". Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Team Profiles". Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  5. ^ "2010 Australian Rally Champion - Driver Pointscore - Provisional" (PDF). Official website of the Australian Rally Championship. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2010.