First and foremost, a huge thank you to the people who made it possible for us to even be on the start line.
Ethan Pickstock led the charge, putting in countless hours in the shed, pulling the engine, coordinating suppliers, sourcing parts, and working closely with the engine builder to ensure we had the right spec and a properly tuned package. I learned how to use wrap on a car too.
A big thanks to Mike Dale from Mike Dale Automotive for the engine rebuild. Professional as always.
Appreciation to Larry’s Garage for giving us the opportunity to shake the car down before the event. That test session was invaluable.
Darren Button, Craig Lambert, Lachlan Lambert, Jordan Lambert, Cameron Bishop, Wayne Bishop… DH Rallysport Service Crew (and moto riders) absolute super stars as usual.
That drive, back and too, to Kudla Lachy… 😆😆😆
Special mention to Luke, Rose and Levi, who served as our officials across the weekend, with Rose also handling media duties, and all three stepping in to help with the car whenever needed.
Thanks to all of our amazing rally officials who work so hard keeping us on track and safe.
And of course, thank you to our supporters and sponsors, MSS Safety, Beltenick, certified+, Teng Tools, PIAA, and Easywrite.
The Event
We started strongly.
Across the opening stages, we were consistently posting times in the lower half of the top 10, as high as 6th, matching our seeding of 7th and feeling comfortable in the car.
That momentum carried through until Stage 8, where things changed.
The stage was particularly rough, rough enough that it was later downgraded for SARS and despite backing off to around 30 km/h through the worst sections, we ripped a rear strut off the car.
With around 4.5 km to go, we initially thought it was a puncture. After stopping and assessing, it became clear it was suspension damage.
At that point, the only option was to nurse the car to the finish.
We limped through the remainder of the stage at low speed, being overtaken by other competitors, losing at least 10 minutes. That single stage dropped us from a relatively strong position back to 49th out of 50 at the end of Day 1.
The Turnaround
That night, the real effort began.
Lachlan and I drove back to Kudla in the STi to remove struts from Ethan’s Evo, a 3.5hr return trip (allegedly) then returned to Burra late in the night. The team rebuilt the car Saturday morning.
It was not identical spec or setup, but it was close enough to keep us in the rally.
Massive credit to the crew:
Craig “Choppy” Lambert, keeping everyone fed and Jordan and Lachlan Lambert, leading the rebuild. Cam Bishop, Darren Button and Wayne Bishop, hands on getting the car turned around
We rolled out just in time for Saturday’s stages.
Clawing Back
Saturday saw us back on pace, again running times in the lower top 10 bracket, steadily climbing back into the top 30 over the three stages.
Sunday was always going to be tough.
We started well, but the stages continued to punish the cars. Early in the day we identified a crack in the chassis, and on the second stage of the day we lost fourth gear.
From that point on, it was about survival and smart driving.
Running with only 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th, we adapted, kept the car grounded over jumps, and avoided further major impacts.
Despite everything, we kept pushing.
By the end of the rally, we had worked our way back to 12th, a result that, given the circumstances, we are incredibly proud of.
Aftermath
Post event inspection revealed three significant chassis issues, all linked to heavy impacts over the weekend.
Ethan already has the engine out, and the car is heading to a body shop for jigging and repair.
A Personal Note
The week leading into the rally, I reactivated a back injury from 2007 (actually a psoas injury), and by Thursday I could barely walk. My therapist, Louise Marland, worked her magic to get me some kind of normal, both pre-event and post.
I drove the entire event with ongoing muscle spasms through my back, particularly on Friday and Saturday.
Through it all, Adam performed exceptionally. We have both been underdone over the past 12 months, but he was outstanding in the car all weekend.
Despite the challenges, I felt completely at one with the car, something I have not felt in a long time.
That is a big positive to take forward.
Looking Ahead
With the recent engine rebuild, upgrades, and new gearbox, the car has taken a significant step forward, not just in performance, but in feel and confidence.
It looks different, and it drives different.
Now we focus on the next round of the SARC, the MSS Safety Rally Barossa, our home event.
