RALLYING: Classic v Modern
In-car action with Bates and Reeves from Rally CanberraIn what must have been an omen for their respective event performances, motoring.com.au bagged passenger rides with both Neal Bates and Brendan Reeves on the Friday before Rally Canberra.
It was a somewhat scientific test, designed to contrast the difference between front-running rally cars from different eras.
The 1980 Toyota Celica RA40 of Bates is designed to dominate the classic category of the Australian Rally Championship.
It’s rear-wheel drive and powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder 3SGE Toyota engine with a five-speed manual ‘dog’ gearbox built in Australia by Hollinger.
It took 18 months to build into a single-purpose rally machine and is a replica of the car used in-period by Ove Andersson, who later went on to manage the Toyota World Rally team, F1 and Le Mans programs.
At the other end of the spectrum is the Mazda2 Reeves runs in the G2 outright category of the ARC.
Again powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder motor, the Mazda gains individual throttle fuel-injection over the carburettors Bates runs, but drives the front wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox.
So, the stage (no pun intended) is set. Classic versus modern, rear versus front-drive and a four-time ARC champion versus the young gun who would take the championship lead post-Canberra. Enjoy.
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