Honda and Evans Motorsport are ready to continue their winning ways in Round Two of the Bosch ARC, the Quit Forest Rally.
Rally Calder spectators were among the first to witness the new J.A.S. built G2 Honda Jazz. The weather and muddied tracks limited the number of heats, but couldn’t stop Eli Evans and Glen Weston from taking the two-wheel drive trophy with impressive stage times.
“Calder for me went really well. I wanted to go there and win and that’s what we managed to do,” said Evans.
Mark Pedder and Claire Ryan made their debut for Evans Motorsport at Rally Calder. They relished their new challenge. “One of the best parts of the event for us was developing a solid working relationship within the car as it was our first event together,” Pedder said.
Pedder’s co-drive, Claire Ryan, added “We were thrilled with the performance of the Jazz at its first event. Calder was quite a tricky rally with lots of tight corners and differing surfaces so it gave us a good idea of the car’s behaviour and potential. When we looked at the stage times throughout the rally we were definitely competitive in the two-wheel drive category and not too far off Eli’s times, which is a good place to be in.”
Calder Park introduced a new challenge, with the traditional forest roads held across multiple locations exchanged for the Bosch ARC’s first ever single venue round.
“In essence, Rally Calder was a stadium event which means short, technical stages repeated several times. The Jazz was incredibly nimble but we obviously struggled for traction in the muddy conditions,” said Pedder.
Quit Forest Rally is always a spectator and competitor favourite. The Evans Motorsport team are eager to attack the forests.
“The Quit Forest Rally will be the first major test for the Hondas. It will be the first time that either Mark or I will get to drive the car at distance. That said, I’m confident the Jazz will be hard to beat on the loose ball-bearing surface of WA. I can’t wait for the first stage on Saturday morning!,” Evans said.
“We are very excited about getting the car to Perth and contesting the rally. The roads there are slippery and technical, but with fast sections too. Mark came second at the Quit Forest Rally last year so we feel confident in our knowledge of the roads and conditions,” said Ryan.
The Quit Forest Rally takes place from March 31st to April 1st in Busselton, WA. You can follow the action in real time at www.rallylive.com.au, brought to you by Honda.
What:
Quit Forest Rally, round two of the 2012 Bosch Australian Rally Championship
When:
Saturday 31st March
Sunday 1st April
Where:
Busselton, WA