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The opening round of the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship took place on February 22-23 at the picturesque Lake Mountain, starting from Marysville, Victoria. A total of 40 competitors across 8 classes gathered to navigate the challenging course, which extended from Marysville to Lake Mountain and down to Cumberland Junction.
From the beginning, the organisers encountered significant challenges. Strong winds and extreme fire risks led to the withdrawal of the racing permit, as concerns about dry conditions and high temperatures made it too hazardous.
Fortunately, a practical solution was found: the organisers secured permission to run the first day’s events in the morning, finishing by noon to avoid the anticipated heat later in the day.
This adjustment posed logistical hurdles for both the numerous volunteers and the competing crews. With no lunch break and quick turnaround times, there was a palpable sense of urgency as the day commenced.
Nevertheless, competitors successfully completed 7 of the planned 8 stages, including a shakedown, with many praising the swift pace of the day. The short intervals allowed their cars and tyres to remain warm, keeping them in competitive form throughout.
The permit for Sunday was also uncertain, but heavy rain in the morning led to the approval of the planned stages, resulting in only one stage being missed over the entire event.
Modern Super Rally:
Jason and Fiona Wright (Nissan R35) started strong, dominating every stage and finishing an impressive 9:04 ahead of Max Williams and Bruce Bush (Toyota GR Yaris). Greg Bass and Peter Cooke (Toyota GR Yaris) held a solid second place before retiring on stage 13.
Nathan Reeves and Bec Sheldrick aimed to challenge the Wrights, but a blown intercooler pipe early in the event forced them to withdraw.
Modern AWD:
Scott Coppleman and Mat Van Rooye (Subaru WRX STi) quickly took the lead over David and Jackie Thirwall (Audi RS3), with both pairs battling throughout the intense first day. Steve Marek and Cindy Pearce (Nissan GTR) posted the fastest time in SS3 before a wheel loss in SS4 led to their retirement.
Greg and Rhonda Burrows (Toyota GR Yaris) also competed closely with Craig Haysman and Jason Page (Subaru WRX) and Barrie and Jan Smith (Audi TTRS).
By the end of day one, Coppleman led Thirwall by 25 seconds, with Burrows trailing by two minutes. On Sunday, Coppleman maintained his lead while Thirwall struggled, losing 36 seconds on the first stage. However, Coppleman's run ended when his Subaru went off-road on SS10.
This allowed Thirwall and Smith to battle it out, with both claiming stage wins, but Thirwall ultimately secured victory by over 3 minutes, with Smith finishing another 30 seconds back.
Modern 2WD:
With only 4 competitors, the action was tightly contested. Xavier Franklin and Jaidyn Gluskie (Porsche GT4) and Mark Griffiths and Neil Wooley (Mercedes AMG GTR) exchanged leads in the early stages until Franklin hit his stride. Laura and Gavin Rogers (Porsche Cayman GTS) and Jamie Whitmore and Adrian Burne (Porsche Cayman) vied for minor positions as the top two pulled ahead.
Griffiths received a 5-minute penalty for failing to yield, which led him to withdraw from the competition. Franklin emerged victorious in the class, finishing 4:30 ahead of Rogers, with Whitmore trailing by another 6 minutes.
Early Modern AWD:
Neil and Sue Cuthbert (Mitsubishi Lancer) quickly established a lead, outpacing Justin Waterhouse and Adrian Bryant (Mitsubishi Evo X) and John and Janet Ireland (Mitsubishi Evo X). Waterhouse initially led after stage three, but Ireland surged ahead, winning four consecutive stages.
The Cuthberts faced setbacks, including a spin that caused a tyre issue. Despite a comeback from Waterhouse on Sunday, Ireland maintained his lead, winning by over 30 seconds as the Cuthberts withdrew due to turbo damage.
Early Modern 2WD:
Dean Lillie and Chris Exner (Mazda RX7) dominated the class from the start, winning nearly every stage and facing little challenge for the lead. Mark Balcombe and Anthony Carr (Mazda RX7 FD3S SP) fought for second against Roger Lomman and Annie Bainbridge (Nissan 350Z).
Lillie finished a remarkable 8 minutes ahead of Balcombe, who managed to secure second by 1:30 over Lomman.
Classic Super Rally:
Fan favourite Jonathan Moir and Brad Jones in their pristine blue Escort MK2 initially expected an easy win against Meng Chung and Doug Fernie (BMW E30 M3), who struggled at first. Moir consistently posted impressive times, building a nearly 5-minute lead.
However, a broken exhaust on day two hampered the Escort's performance, and Chung dug deep to fight back, getting the gap down to 90 seconds. Moir held on just enough to take out the class.
Classic
In a contest that could easily have taken place on a racetrack or at a car show, a small but determined field of three classic vehicles fiercely competed. Thomas Dermody and Mac Kierans (Escort RS1600) surged ahead early, winning every class stage and establishing a commanding 7-minute lead over Keith Morling and Rhys Llewellyn (Escort RS1800) and Hugh Feggans and James Callahan (Porsche 911).
Dermody faced little opposition, while Morling and Feggans battled closely for second place, with only 0.6 seconds separating them at one point.
Ultimately, Morling's stronger performance in the latter stages secured him second place, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Feggans.
Rally Challenge
Another small but action-packed field featured Joel and Ben Argentino (Holden VU SS) going head-to-head with Oliver Ridge and Morgan Wright (Nissan Silvia). Argentino initially established a 24-second lead, but Ridge fought back, winning most of the stages on day one and narrowing the gap to just 6 seconds. David Currow and Colin Carati (Fiat 124 AC Coupe) struggled throughout, losing several minutes per stage but maintaining consistency.
On day two, Argentino extended his lead to nearly a minute before running off the course in the final stage, which allowed Ridge to claim victory, with Currow finishing a well-deserved second.
Rally Sport
Debutant Michael Chora and Rachael Ferrante (Subaru WRX STi) started strong, heading into SS3 with a 13-second lead over Scott Innes and Julie Winton-Monet (Subaru WRX STi RA), while Ian Watson and Marc Lyall (VW Polo GTi) trailed by another six seconds.
Jeremy Dennison and Casey Rumble (Holden Commodore) faced challenges, as Dennison's reliable BMW let him down, but he managed to borrow a car shortly before the event. Innes found his rhythm and moved to the front, while Chora lost momentum and fell behind. Dennison gradually adapted to his new car, moving into second and winning several later stages on day one, ultimately building a lead of over a minute from Innes.
Despite a dramatic spin, Dennison grew more comfortable and clinched the class victory by over four minutes, with Innes finishing six minutes back, while Chora's event ended with a mechanical failure on SS12.
Overall
Dean Lillie and Chris Exner (Mazda RX7) made their intentions for overall victory clear from the outset, taking an early lead and establishing themselves firmly at the top of the leaderboard. Jason and Fiona Wright (Nissan R35) and Xavier Franklin and Jaidyn Gluskie (Porsche GT4) engaged in a fierce battle for second place throughout the event, with both teams trading stage wins and times. Lillie concluded day one with a 30-second lead over Franklin, who was just 3 seconds ahead of Wright.
The wet conditions on Sunday favoured Wright, who overtook Franklin to ascend the leaderboard. However, as the weather improved and the roads dried, the competition intensified. Heading into the final stage, Lillie held an 8-second advantage over Wright, while Franklin was nearly a minute behind.
In a nail-biting finish, despite Wright's faster time on the last stage, Lillie managed to secure the victory by just 3.7 seconds.
The crews now have eight weeks to regroup before heading to the iconic Mt Baw Baw Sprint, where they will face stages featuring winding forest roads and sharp straights, designed to test the limits of both drivers and their vehicles.
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