WORLD
OF MOTORING
LATEST MOTOR RACING RESULTS AND NEWS
WORLDWIDE
LATEST MOTOR RACING RESULTS AND NEWS
WORLDWIDE
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WORLD
OF MOTORING LATEST MOTOR RACING RESULTS AND NEWS WORLDWIDE |
2005 AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP |
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MITSUBISHI RALLIART PRESS RELEASEApril 7 2005New-Look Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Aiming High in 2005 Rally Season A new-look Team Mitsubishi Ralliart launched today will field an all-wheel-drive, turbocharged Evolution VIII Mitsubishi Lancer in Australian rallying this year with Scott Pedder – who has been one of the sport’s top privateers – at the wheel. The relaunched factory-supported Team Mitsubishi Ralliart (TMR), based at Dandenong in Melbourne, is headed by Alan Heaphy, the renowned touring car engineer and team manager who last year returned to his roots in rallying. Ross Dunkerton, arguably Australia’s greatest rally driver who made a comeback in 2004 and won the Australia Cup for Mitsubishi Ralliart in its first year under Heaphy, will be the new-look team’s “coach”. Benefiting from Dunkerton’s 43 years in the sport will be Pedder and his co-driver Glen Weston, as well as extrovert young star Jack Monkhouse, who will have Darren Masters as his co-driver in a TMR-assisted Evolution VII Mitsubishi Lancer previously campaigned successfully by Pedder and long-time Mitsubishi driver Ed Ordynski. TMR is aiming high for the season starting in Canberra on April 22-24 with its new-look line-up - 28-year-old Pedder is 192cm while 24-year-old Monkhouse is 197cm! Pedder has been the leading Mitsubishi-driving privateer in Australian rallying in recent times, but he wants to win a national title by the time he is 30 and believes that being signed by the Heaphy-led TMR is the way to achieve that goal. Mitsubishi has a long and proud history in motor sport, especially rallying, both internationally and in Australia, and Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd. President Tom Phillips said the company always wanted to be active in competition. “Motor sport, and in particular rallying, is a big part of Mitsubishi’s culture. It proves – and improves – the performance credentials of the cars we build and has enormous flow-on benefits for everyday motorists in the development of our future cars,” Mr Phillips said. Alan Heaphy wants TMR to become a world-class motor sport business that will be a platform for growth of the Ralliart road-car conversion business. Heaphy is not making any outlandish predictions for TMR in the 2005 Globalstar Australian Rally Championship, especially in view of the stiff competition against Subaru, Toyota and possibly from mid-year Ford, but testing so far has given him a quiet confidence. “We first ran the Evo VIII late in 2004, with Ed Ordynski driving it, and were instantly pleased with it, and we’ve done some more work on it and now Scott Pedder’s had a chance to try it and we’re even happier,” Heaphy said. “It’s a ‘David and Goliath’ challenge for us this year, but we’ll give it a big shot. “Rallying is vitally important for the promotion of Mitsubishi and Ralliart product, and it’s the only production-based motor sport which we can go into and take out a national championship – although we know that’s not going to come easily or quickly, as Australia’s Group N-based championship (with showroom production cars the premier category) is the most competitive national rally series in the world. “In building the Evo VIII we’ve concentrated heavily on weight, weight distribution, centre of gravity, fuel tank positioning and contents, driver comfort – and simplicity.” Heaphy has a well-credentialled and experienced crew of six full-time staff at TMR, with Pete West and Alan Swanson his senior “lieutenants”. It is essentially the crew that built and campaigned the all-wheel-drive Magna VR-Xs that ran almost faultlessly in last year’s Australia Cup, and they will be supplemented with other mechanical expertise at events. TMR anticipates making sponsorship announcements in the near future. Pedder, of Melbourne, is looking forward to being the focus of a bigger and more professional outfit than the family-based team he has previously had around him, and to rallying what he has already called “a very special car”. “The big differences from the Evo VII the Pedders team ran last year are in suspension, weight – this car would be 50kg lighter - and the tyres. I’d never driven with world rally tyres, but when we popped some Pirelli WRC tyres on at our recent test in Canberra the difference in stage times was just phenomenal. “There’s a lot of support for the driver in a set-up like this. It’s a bigger step up from a privateer team than what I realised, and I’m thrilled to be part of it. “In the past I’ve had cars that have been pretty competitive, but sometimes I probably over-drove a bit. The key now is going to be consistency. The first two rallies are in Canberra and Western Australia, and I’ve had two podiums at each of those events in the past three years, so we will start in a very positive frame of mind.” Pedder’s new co-driver, Glen Weston, is a 35-year-old Brisbane endodontist – or root canal specialist – who has previously called the pace notes for John Goasdoue and Stewart Reid. The Evo VII which Jack Monkhouse and Darren Masters will campaign is that driven last year by Pedder and in 2003 by Ed Ordynski, who won the New South Wales and South Australian rounds of the ARC in it and led Group N at Rally Australia until a freak rollover at Perth’s Gloucester Park. Monkhouse has become something of a cult figure in the ARC the past two years in a Mitsubishi Galant VR4. “I know I’ve got to knuckle down when the serious stuff starts, but I still want to enjoy the lighter side – rallying is a great buzz and you want to enjoy the whole experience,” Monkhouse said. “In terms of goals, I want to win a stage this season and I’d love to win an event. They’re lofty ambitions, but you’ve got to set your goals high.” The legendary Ross Dunkerton will attend most ARC rounds this year to mentor Pedder-Weston and Monkhouse-Masters. “I’d like to think that I’ve got something to offer these guys. They’ve been identified as having the talent for a team like this and I may be able to help out with tactics and fine-tuning some of the things they do,” Dunkerton said. “Scott has shown great promise. He has done some terrific stage times. He’s been knocking on the door of winning a big rally for some time, and hopefully he will get to do that – and more – with TMR. “I’ve already spent some time in the back seat of a road car while Scott and Glen pace-noted and I’m really keen to work with them, just when things need a little tweak or the advantage of some of the wisdom that might come from 40-odd years in rallying. “I’ve got a soft spot for Jack Monkhouse because he’s been driving my favorite car – the VR4. He might need to be a little less flamboyant now and concentrate more on the job at hand, but he’s got the potential to be very, very good. “We can all do a lot together in TMR. We’ve got the nucleus of something really special here.” For further information
contact: Alan Heaphy Geoffrey Harris ALAN HEAPHY – Team Mitsubishi Ralliart principal Age: 56 (DOB 26.10.1948) Lives: Melbourne, Sydney 2005
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1965-1972 ROSS DUNKERTON - Team Mitsubishi Ralliart ‘coach’ Age: 59 Lives: Perth, Western Australia. 2004 Australia Cup Champion in all-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Magna VR-X in comeback from almost a decade in semi-retirement. Five-time Australian Rally Champion, two-time Asia-Pacific Rally Champion, outright winner of 100 rallies, four-time West Australian Rally Champion, four- time Malaysian Rally Champion. Began rallying in 1962 and retired from Mitsubishi Ralliart in 1995, having won 33 international events for Mitsubishi in seven years. Then competed sporadically up to 2003, including in the ARC’s classic division in a turbocharged, rear-wheel-drive 1979 Mitsubishi Galant. Holds record for highest-placed Australian in a world championship event (third outright in Rally of New Zealand) and is the only Australian to have won a world championship special stage (also at Rally of NZ). The only Australian to have held an A seed. Mitsubishi’s 1988 International Driver of the Year. Competed in six Australian Safaris for Mitsubishi between 1985 and 1990, winning the event outright in 1988 and coming second two other times. Second overall in 1996 London-to-Mexico Marathon. GLEN WESTON 2005 Team Mitsubishi Ralliart co-driver to Scott Pedder Date of birth: April 2, 1969 Lives: Brisbane, Queensland. Motor sport ambition: To be Australian Rally Champion co-driver. Height: 180cm Weight: 80kg Marital status: Married to Susan. Children: Sons Sam, 4, and twins Christoper and Nicholas, 2. Occupation: Endodontist (root canal specialist). Education: University of Queensland (Dentistry Degree). Achievements outside motor sport: Operates his own specialist clinic, lectures dentists and has done presentations at international conferences on his specialty. Hobby: Cycling. Glen Weston began rallying in 1987, working in a service crew for a Queensland state competitor. He built a clubman from a 1972 Honda Civic and participated in night runs, motorkhanas and autocross events while completing his dentistry studies. In 1991 Glen bought an ex-Murray Coote Mazda 323 FWD and drove in the Queensland Rally Championship until 1994, when his work took him to Tasmania – where he joined the North-West Car Club and began co-driving a Mazda RX-3 in the state championship with Roger Brownrigg. Having moved back to Brisbane and completed his specialist dentistry training by the late 1990s, Glen joined John Goasdoue’s service crew for his first year of competition in the Australian Rally Championship. When John’s co-driver hung up his helmet at the end of that season Glen was invited to take on the role for 1999. Glen soon realised he was better at calling pace notes than he had been behind the wheel, but he felt his rally driving experience gave him an appreciation of the timing of pace note calls to suit the speed of the car and the upcoming road conditions. Glen has remained a regular co-driver in the ARC, mainly for John Goasdoue in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III and more recently in the Subaru Rally Challenge. He has also sat beside Stewart Reid in his 2004 Subaru WRX STi and was a co-driver in a Hyundai Elantra rally press car. Glen Weston’s results include: 2004 Subaru Rally
Challenge 2002 ARC WA 2002 ARC Qld 2002 ARC SA 2002 ARC Tas JACK MONKHOUSE 2005 Team Mitsubishi Ralliart-assisted driver, Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII Jack Monkhouse, entering his seventh season of rallying, grew up in his father Bill’s automotive business, spending countless hours as a youngster driving customers’ cars around the workshop in Adelaide to entertain himself. A 24-year-old toolmaker for Carr Fasteners, a leading automotive component supplier, Jack loves to drift a rally car and has been happiest when his cars have been way too sideways and the spectators running for cover in the forests. Jack was once congratulated by a prosecutor on his ability to drive a car in an unorthodox manner! His first car was a Suzuki Alto rebuilt from a customer’s wreck and fitted with a roll cage and loud exhaust. His first competition car was a self-built Datsun 180B used to good effect in the Millicent Pines Enduro. His first rally car was a Datsun 1200 acquired from the late Mike Armitage in 1999. In his first year of motor sport Jack won South Australian P1 (two-wheel-drive up to 1,400cc) Championship, Castrol motor sport rookie-of-the- year, the Stewart McLeod medal and P1 class of the Autosport Cup. He won state class championships in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. Driving a Mitsubishi Galant VR4 in 2003 and 2004 he won the P6 (older four-wheel-drive class) national championship, was second in the privateers’ championship and 11th outright in the 2004 Globalstar Australian Rally Championship (GARC). Jack’s most embarrassing moment was rolling his freshly-painted VR4 at a South Australian autocross in front of a new sponsor’s wife two weeks before the 2004 Forest Rally. His most frightening moment was jumping a blind crest in the 2003 Robertstown rally to find that the landing zone was among mallee trees and 20 metres past the corner. His most disappointing moment was breaking a fan belt on his trusty Datsun 180B SSS when he was one stage away from winning the SA Championship outright in 2001. His most enjoyable moment was rolling the Galant VR4 down a bank in the 2004 Rally of Melbourne, hearing it start again when he pushed the button and then blasting back up the bank, scattering spectators - and only losing 12 seconds in the process. Returning to the service park to face his father and Mitsubishi Ralliart chief Alan Heaphy after that roll was his second most frightening moment. Jack, who lives with his parents and two brothers, wants to run high up in the GARC field in 2005 to provide support for Mitsubishi, and he has his sights on winning a stage and a rally. Jack Monkhouse’s co-drivers - Darren Masters (GARC) and Rebecca Cochrane (SARC) Darren Masters is a well-known motor sport identity in South Australia, owning and operating the import business Jaustech. He was SA rally champion in 1997 and 1999 as well as 1997 Australian motorkhana champion. He has competed at World Rally Championship level in the Rally of New Zealand. Darren lived in Japan for nine years and received Mazda factory support for his efforts in Japanese rallying. He has been a great supporter of Jack Monkhouse and has halted his driving career to co-drive for Jack in 2004 and 2005. Darren has excellent technical knowledge with expert understanding of Motec and other systems used in the Evolution VII Mitsubishi Lancer. He would love to be the GARC champion co-driver to Monkhouse. Rebecca Cochrane is no stranger to most things automotive, having grown up in the transport industry. The logistics manager with Cochrane Transport, Rebecca was co-driver for Penny Swan in the 2003 Australian Rally Championship and in various events on the historic rally calendar. She was competitor relations officer on the 2004 London-to-Sydney rally. Well-known for her direct approach to problems, including motivating late truckies, Rebecca will compete with Jack Monkhouse in any South Australian Rally Championship rounds he does in 2005 and will be a back-up for GARC events. SCOTT PEDDER 2005 Team Mitsubishi Ralliart driver, Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII Date of birth: May 28, 1976 Lives: Melbourne, Victoria. Co-driver: Glen Weston, of Brisbane, Queensland. Motor sport ambition: To be Australian rally champion by age 30. Height: 192cm Weight: 97kg Marital status: Married to Caroline. Children: Brianna, born August 11, 2003. Occupation: Group Marketing Director, Pedders Suspension. Education: Haileybury College and Deakin University (Bachelor of Commerce Degree). Non-motor sport achievements: Three holes in one playing golf; Haileybury College tennis captain 1993; McDonald’s and Shell tennis squads 1986-1992. Hobbies: Family, jogging, AFL, movies, camping, golf. Scott Pedder’s career results: (VRC) = Victorian Rally Championship; (ARC) = Australian Rally Championship 1998 6th Outright Round-Australia
Rally – Holden Commodore utility 1999 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution I 1st outright Begonia
Rally (VRC) 2000 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III 1st outright WIN TV
Rally (VRC) 2001 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III 4th outright Falken
Tyres Rally of Queensland (ARC) 2002 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI 2nd outright Subaru
Rally of Canberra (ARC) 2003 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI 3rd outright Heat
2 Respect Yourself Forest Rally (ARC) 2004 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII 1st outright Heat
2 Respect Yourself Forest Rally (GARC) Team Mitsubishi Ralliart-built Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII Body Engine Performance Clutch Transmission Differentials Fuel System Suspension Wheels Tyres Brakes Seats |
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