MOTORSPORT: Molly v local hero in ARC tussle

While Rally Australia is a dead rubber in the World Rally Championship, there is an Australian Rally Championship to be decided in the event at Coffs Harbour over the next three days.

Molly Taylor, who last year became the first woman driver to win the ARC, is poised for back-to-back titles, with her only challenger the local Coffs hero, Nathan Quinn.

Taylor, 29, from Sydney, drives a production rally car (PRC) class Subaru WRX STI, prepared by Tasmania’s Les Walkden Rallying with Subaru support.

Quinn, 31, is a complete privateer in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. For several years he has competed in the WRC component of Rally Australia but this year is concentrating on trying to dethrone Taylor in the ARC, the final round of which is run in conjunction with the international event.

Taylor starts Friday’s competition with a 30-point lead over Quinn, 260 points to 230.

There are a maximum 20 points to be scored each day with another 40 for the overall victor over the three days.

Taylor and her co-driver, former West Australian police officer Bill Hayes, are certain to retain the title if they finish among the top three of the ARC competitors.

Quinn and his co-driver, Ben Searcy, need to win the round and count on Taylor and Hayes finishing the weekend fourth or worse.

“I have played the WRC card for the last few years at this rally, but this year I want to win the ARC component,” Quinn said.

“Last year, after a shocker event, we won the Sunday heat, but this time I want to win all three days and take the championship from Subaru.

“All I can do is lead from the front and see what happens in my rear-view mirror.

“Molly is driving really well for a great team with plenty of experience.

“We put pressure on her [with victory] in South Australia [at the fourth round of the championship in August]. We won 12 of the 14 stages and tried to tempt her to catch us and force a mistake, but she was too mature and protected her championship with a great drive.

“Whatever happens, it’s been a good year for what is really our first attack on the ARC, so the best Ben and I can do is win [at Coffs Harbour] and see where Molly finishes.”

Taylor said that Rally Australia could be brutal on cars and crews, especially as it is a day longer than other ARC rounds.

“We’ve got the advantage of being ahead of where we were at the pointy end of the season last year, but we certainly can’t afford to be complacent,” Taylor said.

“Coffs Harbour is Nathan’s home town and that’ll inspire him to do his best.”

Other Australians vying for glory as the best of the locals over the event include multiple Australian champion Eli Evans in a MINI Cooper, Harry Bates in a Toyota Yaris and Brendan Reeves in a Mazda2.

Those three cars have been built to Asia-Pacific AP4 rules. Evans and Bates have had teething troubles with theirs, while Reeves has brought the Mazda across from New Zealand, where he won Rally Coromandel in August in it.

“Harry and Eli will be out to prove their ability after false starts and fails to finish in earlier rounds, even though Harry’s ruled himself out of ARC contention [by contesting the WRC component],” Taylor said.

“Everyone wants to impress on the world stage in front of the biggest crowds of the season.

“Our job is to avoid distractions, maintain our discipline and stay on the podium across the weekend.”

After a ceremonial start in the main street of Coffs Harbour this afternoon, the rally starts on Friday morning, with 318km of competition – three quarters of it on forestry roads – in 21 stages over three days, concluding with the Wedding Bells Power Stage to the north of the city on Sunday afternoon.

While the event marks the first opportunity for Australian fans to see this year’s faster, louder and more aggressive-looking WRC cars first-hand, Frenchmen Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have already claimed the driver and co-driver titles for the fifth straight year (the first four times with Volkswagen), while Ford has clinched the manufacturer title courtesy of the Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport operation with its Fiestas.

Belgian Thierry Neuville and Estonian Ott Tanak are vying to finish runner-up driver, with Belgian Neuville in a factory Hyundai i20 leading Tanak in a Fiesta by 14 points – with 25 points for a win this weekend, 18 for second and 15 for third, and up to five extra points to be gained on the Power Stages.

Last year’s winner in Volkswagen’s final WRC event, Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen, is in a Hyundai now, as is New Zealander Hayden Paddon, while the past two rounds of the championship, in Spain and Britain, have been won by Northern Irishman Kris Meeke in a Citroen and Welshman Elfyn Evans in a Ford.

However, Citroen has not won Rally Australia since 2005 in Western Australia, while Ford won the three years before the era of VW domination.

Ogier won for VW the three times before Mikkelsen but he is yet to announce which manufacturer’s car he will drive next year. He has made staying with M-Sport conditional on full factory backing for the team from Ford, while Citroen is trying to woo him back to his roots.