IT has attracted four of the fastest drivers outside the Australian Rally Championships, but local crews are still hoping to make their presence felt in Saturday’s Bathurst Rally.
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When the 26-strong field departs in a ceremonial start from Jack Arrow Oval at 10am and heads towards Sunny Corner State Forest for the racing, it will mark the first time in over a decade Bathurst has held this type of rally.
Not only will the event see Bathurst Rally victors crowned, but it doubles as the penultimate round of the MTA NSW Rally Championship.
Tom Clark, JJ Hatton, Glen Brinkham and Tim Wilkins will all be looking to enhance their chances of claiming the NSW crown, with their very fast Mitsubishi Lancer EVOs expected to battle for outright honours.
But three local crews and another car featuring a Bathurst navigator and current Australian Rally champion will be in action as well.
Bathurst father and son Ron and Lachlan Moore, who will race a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6, are seeded eight.
They placed third at the John Giddings Memorial Rally in Orange two weeks ago and Ron Moore said he’s “looking for a reliable finish” in Bathurst.
While he is not expecting to match the speed of the top seeds, Moore is looking forward to battling fellow Bathurst crew Joe Chapman and Adrian Grabham (Subaru Brumby WRX). They are seeded ninth.
“We’ve got to keep the pressure on them [top seeds],” Moore said.
“These guys have got pretty quick cars, but Joe and I will keep the pressure on them, we’ll be keeping them honest as they say.
“Local knowledge makes it comfortable, but it's a pretty rough place out at Sunny Corner, it’s what we call a car breaker in some places.”
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The third all Bathurst crew is that of father and son Mark and Harrison Hudson in a Subaru Brumby WRX. They are seeded 22nd.
“They’re just a good, old fashioned family team that have only just come into the sport the last couple of years and are having a ball doing it,” Moore said of the Hudsons.
“Father and son and they are showing that anyone can do it. They are good local people out there having a bit of fun, they finish, they are very reliable.”
The other Bathurst touch for the race is linked to the sixth seeded Australian champion Nathan Quinn. His navigator in the Mazda RX2 is the man who coached Souths’ men’s Premier League Hockey side – Ray Winwood Smith.
For more information, including spectator instructions, see the NDDC 2018 Bathurst Rally Facebook page.