Australian Tarmac Rally Championship with Drive Against Depression

Motorsport, in its various forms, is something for which many car journalists have an inherent fondness. Whether we’re well-heeled enough to regularly participate in what’s inevitably an expensive undertaking is another matter entirely…

Which is where club-level racing and tour-category road rallies come in. Grassroots events like these allow enthusiasts on a budget the opportunity to mix in circles we’d otherwise enjoy (or endure) from the comfort of the couch.

As a regular participant in one form of racing or another, the call from good mate and former carsales colleague, Adam Davis, was one I admit to accepting pretty swiftly.

“How would you like to participate in the opening round of the 2019 Australian Tarmac Rally Championship at Mount Baw Baw?” asked Davis.

I couldn’t get the response out quickly enough. Especially once I understood the cause for which I’d be competing.

Like me, Adam has had a long-suffering battle with depression and anxiety. Unlike me, Adam was a little better at getting help, and started the Drive Against Depression charity as a way of giving car-loving folks in similar situations a relatable forum in which to discuss their mental health.

It’s a cause dear to me not only as a sufferer, but as a bloke who’s lost more than his fair share of mates to suicide along the way – and knows a couple more who’ve lived to tell the tale.

Initiatives like Drive Against Depression offer people the chance to open-up in an inclusive environment. It’s a less formal approach to tackling mental health issues that seems to have already attracted a significant level of interest. It’s also one I’d like to think my now-departed mates would have benefited from had the opportunity come along.

But “what ifs” and “maybes” don’t help much in the here and now.

For the first round of the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship (ATRC), held at Mount Baw Baw in February, the focus was on spreading the word about mental health; especially at a time where increasing numbers of (mostly) men are taking their own lives.

In 2017 there were 1225 road-related fatalities in Australia. It’s a tragic statistic, and one the government seems to be throwing its weight behind to help reduce. But it’s also one that pales when compared to the 3128 suicides nationally that same year. Of those 2348 were men.

The comparison doesn’t mean much to anyone who’s lost a loved one to either. A death is tragic regardless of the circumstance. But the cynic in me thinks that there’s no money to be made from the latter. If there was a way to point a revenue-raising camera at a depression sufferer and make their wallet a little lighter then I’m sure we’d be having a very different conversation.

But I digress…

Now we understand the ‘why’ behind our participation in this event, it’s time to look at the event itself.

The ATRC is a four-round series that covers some of Victoria’s more exciting (and challenging) stretches of black-top, and is open to a variety of competitors across Classic, Modern, Showroom, Regularity and Tour divisions.

In our (Tour) class, it’s a chance for beginners and/or those with more modest budgets to take part in the event as something of a taste test. Speeds are capped at 130km/h with GPS-enforced monitoring via Rally Safe, and the field is run behind the main pack to reduce the chance of delay to those actually racing for a shot at the title… Or so goes the theory.

My first go at ATRC was at the Mt Baw Baw Sprint round in February.

Any roadworthy car is welcome to compete in the ATRC’s Tour division (rollcages are not required), and after driver and vehicle passed scrutineering for the Baw Baw event on Friday afternoon, we were ready to make the most of a packed weekend of racing. Ahead of us was a total of 210km of competition –380km overall if you include transport legs between the timed closed-road stages.

I’ve entered my own car for this event. A 2007 Mazda MX-5 it was built for club-level circuit racing as part of my own self-prescribed anti-depression ‘therapy’.

The transport stage from our base at the Baw Baw summit to the start of the first stage at Two Bridges is a final chance to check fluids and tyre pressures before descending the mountain. The MX-5 was sporting a fresh set of brake pads – a necessity for the run down what’s claimed to be Australia’s steepest sealed road.

The first 6.2km ‘shake down’ sees us plummet an ear-popping 718m with an average grade of 11.5 per cent. At its steepest point the road falls at a 20.3 per cent grade, challenging even the lightest and well set-up cars. Once the 64 cars entered are through (24 in the Tour section alone), the smell of burning brake pads and hot steel lingers on the twists and turns of the opening sector.

When you’re used to running 15-minute sprint sessions on a track, the opening stage of the Mt Baw Baw Sprint seems to go on forever – but even with a closed-road (one-way competition traffic only) and a capped speed limit, it is no place for complacency.

Corrugated hairpin turns and corners chomped by log-truck jinkers make clipping apexes a gamble and the road’s high crown and restricted width are a far cry from the smooth, open corners and cosseting kitty litter run-off zones found on racetracks.

As the former logging and mining towns of the picturesque Baw Baw region dwindle in population, the availability of services – like petrol stations – become fewer and further between.

Even in a relatively economical car like the MX-5, the speeds and binary use of the throttle at an event like this translate to heavy fuel use. For more fuel-thirsty competitors, the battle is two-fold – vehicles cannot be refuelled within the boundaries of the National Park, so managing fuel consumption becomes as much of a challenge as the pace itself.

As the day rolls on, the stages grow in length. We eventually tackle the entire stretch of road from the forest line at Icy Creek to the summit of Mt Baw Baw. This time of year heat takes its toll on the alpine asphalt and a number of competitors are caught out by the soft, loose surface. A couple of excursions into the trees are the result. Fortunately no one is injured.

Like the wilds of Tassie, Gippsland’s narrow, serpentine roads present more than their share of challenges. Rough sections of tarmac hidden in shadow, seeps of water creating hazards into braking zones and sudden tightening-radius corners try even the most well-practiced of entrants.

It’s great fun though and my lighter, more nimble MX-5 performs flawlessly and by the late afternoon we’re moved up from the Intermediate to the Advanced group.

This is our chance to follow one of Australia’s top rally drivers, and ATRC Tour leader, Brendan Reeves to the top of the mountain. It’s a pace I feel more than comfortable with and the MX-5 also takes the challenge in its stride.

It’s a highlight of the weekend I won’t soon forget, and one that brings a grin to even my stoic façade.

Saturday night sees the whole field, crew and volunteers gather for dinner on top of the mountain.

Hosted by fellow motoring scribe, Peter Anderson, and Tour Leader, Brendan Reeves, it’s an evening perfectly tailored for tall tales – true or otherwise.

We hear highlights of the day and cautions for tomorrow, and a few stories from the viewpoint of a serious rally competitor. The insights on how it is he worked his way to the top of the sport are worth the meal ticket themselves.

Brendan’s light-hearted and relaxed attitude gives us all the feeling we can progress through the ranks. Events like the Mt Baw Baw Sprint, and the Tour category in particular are a terrific avenue to begin climbing the ladder – or, at the very least, enjoy the sport from the driver’s seat.

Baw Baw (which means ‘echo’ in aboriginal) is not only a terrific spot to while away the hours, but also to stop and take the proverbial moment. The view from the 1567m summit is breathtaking, and on sunset captures dusky scenes of neighbouring Gippsland shaded pinkish-grey from nearby bush fires.

It’s also a cracking spot for skiing, fishing, four-wheel driving, bird-spotting, bush-walking or cycling, depending on season. And for those on two wheels, the purpose-built downhill mountain bike run on the mountain’s south-western side promises one hell of a ride (and a free shuttle back to the top).

With a better understanding of the process, and the roads on which we’re competing, the leap into Sunday morning comes with more confidence and even more energy.

The field is up early with cars fine-tuned for a long day of competition. Competitors and the Tour crew alike are champing at the bit to get down the mountain and on to the stage.

Being moved up the order gave a renewed vigour to this little black duck, too. Not wanting to hold anyone up meant I was focussed on keeping pace with the ‘big boys’ of the Advanced group, and pleasingly I didn’t let myself down.

The little MX-5 performed flawlessly throughout the longer stages of Sunday’s competition, tailing a Commodore SS ute and a pair of pristine (930) Porsche 911s through the majority of the morning. By lunchtime the field was joined by a Chevrolet-powered Mazda RX-8 and a fellow NC-series MX-5 – this one powered by a supercharged engine that had to be heard to be believed.

Our group felt well matched to one another. The ATRC organisers ensure cars and drivers are matched to ensure entrants have the opportunity to stretch their legs on stage. This eliminates any frustration that might come from being ‘held up’ behind slower traffic.

Our RallySafe indicated we’d breached the 130km/h speed limit momentarily on a longer straight section, so to avoid a proverbial black mark, I was more vigilant of our speed. Slipping up here has the potential to cancel the Tour section of the event in future, and knowing we’d all like to return someday meant there was a level of self-regulation entrants took very seriously.

Being up front also meant we had a chance to get the helmet off and see some of the Intermediate and Novice groups cross the finish line behind us.

The array of cars including everything from new Lexus RC F Track Edition and GS F models to a Honda VTEC-powered Mini Cooper, glimmering new Hyundai i30 N, a stock-standard Subaru Impreza RS (driven like the wind by P plater, Ned), and a seemingly standard (but deceptively fast), NA-series MX-5.

By close of stage on Sunday I think it’s fair to say there wasn’t a frown to be seen. New friendships – and rivalries – were born with a number of scores certain to be settled at the next event.

Time to start saving those pennies.

Events like the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship don’t just happen. In fact, they wouldn’t happen at all without the energy and enthusiasm of the crew and volunteers from Mountain Motorsport – and I certainly wouldn’t be so fortunate as to have had the experience were it not for Adam and Sarah Davis and the team at Drive Against Depression.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to Pedders, Reece Motor Sport and Walhalla’s Star Hotel for their support in getting the MX-5 and I to this event and of course to carsales and the MX-5 Club of Victoria and Tasmania.

Drive Against Depression is a cause worth supporting. Like much in life, motorsport is about passion and collaboration. When one falls away, it’s the other that gets us through.

If you’re struggling, then try and reignite your passion; get the help you need; or combine the two, like Adam and I have. I know it’s helped me, and with any luck it’ll help others too.

And, if it’s a way of keeping more of us out there enjoying exciting four-wheeled events like this one, then sign me up for next year. I had a ball.

>> 23 – 24 February: Mount Baw Baw Sprint
>> 23 – 24 March: Lake Mountain Sprint
>> 21 – 22 September: Snowy River Sprint
>> 12 – 13 October: Great Tarmac Rally