Faber I.T. Rally Team

Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally 2009

2009 forced a change of co-driver and it was great to welcome experienced navigator Andrew Challen on board. This event was my first tarmac rally and the weeks leading up to the event we were flat out getting bits and pieces sorted out for the change of surface. New semi-slick R-Spec tyres were fitted to some 16" Subaru rims to provide the required corner grip.

Recce was fun for the event. We completed it in the morning of the Sunday prior to the event. Sure is quicker to pace note than the longer gravel events.

The event contains some classic South Australian south coast roads. I didn't know many of them from experience but certainly know Old Willunga Hill well from my cycling days and had a blast up there.

We made steady progress throughout the day, getting used to the new co-driver and sorting out a couple of bugs with the car during the service break at Victor Harbor. Just when we were getting into the groove the event was finished. The last stage running up the hill from Port Elliot was a real treat and we benefited from the extra power we had got in the Subaru since the last event.

We look forward to competing in some more tarmac events and learning how to drive quickly on that surface.

A big thank you to Mike Dale from Mike Dale Automotive who did a great job installing the Haltech Platinum 1000 computer to the car. The installation was seamless and Mike has been more than willing to help out with advice and fine tuning since. We highly recommend him as the man to see for work on your road or race car and he has the skill and knowledge to work on early Subaru WRX and RS Turbos which we have been unable to find elsewhere here in Adelaide.

The South Australian Rally Championship continues at Robertstown for Round 2 of the competition late in June.