Reeves' clean sweep to take Round One of ARC

The 2014 Australian Rally Championship commenced with the National Capital Rally, held in the forests surrounding Canberra

With Honda withdrawing at the end of the 2013 Australian Rally Championship, the key question asked throughout the off season was simple: Who’ll take over the mantle?

But it wasn’t just the Honda effect that led to that question. Of the main protagonists, the two-car Renault Clio attack was to be halved, Tom Wilde moving into the Asia Pacific

Championship and leaving Scott Pedder to fight alone, the Clio now looked after by Walkinshaw Performance. Brendan Reeves (Rallyschool Mazda2) could only commit to a full ARC season late in the piece, after a deal to defend his American championship fell through. Mark Pedder was also off to another series, and back-to-back champ Eli Evans was scrabbling to transfer some of his factory Jazz into his older Civic shell. It wasn’t ready in time for Canberra.

Thankfully, Citroen came to the party, supporting a two-car DS3 R3T team for Tony Sullens and Adrian Coppin.

In the leadup to Canberra, Evans was able to lease Justin Dowel’s Volkswagen Polo. With some hasty testing it appeared that he, along with Pedder and Reeves, would set the pace.

The entry list was also spiced with Nathan Quinn, hero of WRC Rally Australia 2013 (he finished eighth outright in a leased MINI World Rally Car), driving a Peugeot 207 R3T 1.6-litre turbo. Another Peugeot 207, this time 2.0-litres and naturally-aspirated, was also set to debut in the hands of Waylon Sims.

Michael Boaden and Mick Patton also entered Polos, while Ford was represented with the Focus of Alan Roe and two Fiestas of young guns Steve Mackenzie and Rhys Pinter.

Friday gave us the first opportunity to see who was on the pace, with the five quickest drivers from qualifying plus one wild card going through to the Power Stage, with five-three-one bonus championship points for first to third and $500 to the winner. Reeves took the stage by 0.1sec from Evans with Pedder in third place.

The first day of autumn encompassed Heat One. Based in the forests west of Canberra, the stages were tight and technical in parts, with a rocky but clay-based surface that becomes very slippery in the wet.

The 16.94km of Coates I claimed Rhys Pinter, with Pedder and co-driver Dale Moscatt taking the first stage of the season, 7.5sec up on Reeves/Rhiannon Gelsomino with Evans/Glen Weston third a further 5.4sec back.

Watching live from SS2 (Ricoh I, 16.71km), Evans slowed as he passed, a driveshaft failure seeing the Polo drop 1:16.1 to stage winner Reeves. Pedder finished second, with Mackenzie up to third outright in his underpowered Fiesta. In an increasingly familiar theme, two more ARC contenders dropped out, Boaden blowing an engine and Sims starting the stage but unable to complete due to mechanical issues.

The contrast between Pedder and Reeves on this stage was stark. Pedder, flamboyant and obviously on-limit, appeared to have less margin for error than the straighter, smoother Reeves.

This snippet was extrapolated on SS3 (Techworkz I, 16.64km). Reeves took the stage by 5.8sec from Pedder, though the Clio finished with rear-end damage and could not start the next stage. In a rally of attrition, neither Sullens’ Citroen or Patton’s VW could start Techworkz. Nathan Quinn, focused on bringing the Peugeot home and not happy with his rhythm, finished Techworkz third.  

The final morning stage was the spectator-friendly 3.82km Pedders Suspension. Reeves again took the stage from Quinn and Coppin’s Citroen, to lead Quinn overall by 1min26.4 come lunch.

The afternoon stages repeated the morning, and Pedder was able to return thanks to some feverish work from his crew, along with other teams pitching in to help. Evans also returned, but the slippy surface of Coates II claimed him, a heavy front-end impact finishing his event.

Quinn and Sims both went off, and Roe copped a puncture. Pedder won the stage, 2.7sec ahead of Reeves with Mackenzie over half a minute behind on-stage, but now second outright.

Ricoh II went to Reeves from Pedder and Mackenzie, though Pedder reversed the trend on Techworkz II as Reeves went into ‘get it home mode’ with a near-three minute lead. Sullens returned in his Citroen with a third quickest time.

The last stage at Pedders saw the Clio and Mazda tie for time, with Sullens again third.
Heat One and the 40 points that went with it were therefore Reeves’, Mackenzie taking second with Coppin, consistent and relatively untroubled, taking third.

The second heat, held on more open, faster gravel in the pine forest to the east of Canberra, allowed many to start afresh, including Sims, Patton and Roe.

The 15.81km of Innate Motorsport 1 took Reeves 9:20.7 to complete; Pedder was only 3.3sec behind with Coppin 26.2sec behind the leader in third.

Pedder topped the times on the next stage (Qirx VMWare, 9.11km), indicating Reeves wouldn’t have the second heat to himself as the Renault assumed the lead. Again Coppin was third, the Citroens apparently getting quicker with time as they moved ahead of the impressive Mackenzie on pace.

Rydges Lakeside (14.14km) and the final run through Pedders Suspension had Pedder and Reeves see-saw some more, both taking another win each. Reeves took a two second gap to the service break.

The afternoon repeat of the morning’s first three stages continued the trend. Reeves took Innate Motorsport II by 1.5sec, only for Pedder to make Qirx his by 4.7sec, thus assuming the heat lead by 1.2sec. Sadly, Mackenzie’s run came to a halt with one stage to run.

Pedder had noted at lunch that the faster stages appeared better for the Mazda, so heading into Rydges Lakeside II he’d need every millisecond of his lead.

In the event, Reeves pulled out something special, his time of 8:49.9 7.7sec quicker than his morning pass. Pedder managed 8:56.5, quicker than Reeves’ morning run but not enough of an improvement to keep his hard-won lead. After over 80km of competition, the pair was separated by only 5.4sec.

Adrian Coppin finished the round in second outright, having come third in both heats. The Citroens appeared to gain speed with time, though their ultimate pace is currently around 1.5sec per kilometre off the front-runners.

Pedder earned third place for the round after his Heat One issues and will be thankful for the head start on Evans, who will return with his Honda next round.

Crews now turn focus to the Quit Forest Rally in Western Australia on April 4-6.

See photo gallery of ARC Round One

Images: Michael Vettas/Vettas Media