Whitey
05-01-2007, 08:53 PM
Farrant uses past FWD experience to great effect.
The winner of the inaugural Excel Series Event ,the PCYC Charity Rally, was the pre-event favourite Glenn Farrant/Jason Wood, who put their previous front wheel drive experience to great use to take 8 of the 9 stages and win the event from David White/Rob Edwards and Luke Anderson/Mick Ryan 3rd.
SS1 proved to be very slippery thanks to overnight rain and patches of red clay, the three crews exercising a little caution. Farrant got a flat towards the end of stage, but was still able to win the stage from Anderson/Ryan in the blue automatic excel.
SS2 was a blast down part of the old highway and saw all three Excels finish within a second of each other.
After a brief service in Wauchope, the cars headed for two long stages to the main service at Comboyne. Farrant attacked on these stages taking a good lead. Anderson/Ryan got a puncture a couple of km into SS4 and had to stop to change it, managing to change the flat in under 3 minutes in spite of the car falling off the jack.
SS4 was a long uphill run to Comboyne, where Farrant/Wood took over 30 seconds from regular Gemini Series Front runner Adam Phillips, whom he had been matching times with until that point.
SS5 & 6, two short stages, run back towards Wauchope saw Farrant/Wood and Anderson/Ryan post times within seconds of each other. White/Edwards had a couple of minor off road excursions and headed back to the final Wauchope service requiring new brake pads.
The final three stages were repeats of the first two and a rerun of part of SS3.
On the way to SS7 (the repeat of the slippery red clay SS1) the rain began falling making the stage diabolical. Anderson/Ryan suffered the worst in this stage, as their Excel (built in two weeks) had no working demister and they crawled thru the stage wiping the windscreen with Mick's socks, eventually being passed by the car behind.
Stage 8 saw Anderson/Ryan take a stage win by a couple of seconds from Farrant who had backed off a little, with a huge lead. SS9 was a repeat blast down the old highway, again the stage times were relatively close as all three Excels headed for a first outing finish.
The result was a well deserved, run away, win to Farrant/Wood. White/Edwards finished 2nd in front of Anderson/Ryan, who would have collected second if it had not been for the puncture and demister problems in their rapidly prepared auto Excel.
The next round at Bathurst should see a closer finish as Anderson/Ryan will have replaced their auto for the more traditional 5 speed.
The winner of the inaugural Excel Series Event ,the PCYC Charity Rally, was the pre-event favourite Glenn Farrant/Jason Wood, who put their previous front wheel drive experience to great use to take 8 of the 9 stages and win the event from David White/Rob Edwards and Luke Anderson/Mick Ryan 3rd.
SS1 proved to be very slippery thanks to overnight rain and patches of red clay, the three crews exercising a little caution. Farrant got a flat towards the end of stage, but was still able to win the stage from Anderson/Ryan in the blue automatic excel.
SS2 was a blast down part of the old highway and saw all three Excels finish within a second of each other.
After a brief service in Wauchope, the cars headed for two long stages to the main service at Comboyne. Farrant attacked on these stages taking a good lead. Anderson/Ryan got a puncture a couple of km into SS4 and had to stop to change it, managing to change the flat in under 3 minutes in spite of the car falling off the jack.
SS4 was a long uphill run to Comboyne, where Farrant/Wood took over 30 seconds from regular Gemini Series Front runner Adam Phillips, whom he had been matching times with until that point.
SS5 & 6, two short stages, run back towards Wauchope saw Farrant/Wood and Anderson/Ryan post times within seconds of each other. White/Edwards had a couple of minor off road excursions and headed back to the final Wauchope service requiring new brake pads.
The final three stages were repeats of the first two and a rerun of part of SS3.
On the way to SS7 (the repeat of the slippery red clay SS1) the rain began falling making the stage diabolical. Anderson/Ryan suffered the worst in this stage, as their Excel (built in two weeks) had no working demister and they crawled thru the stage wiping the windscreen with Mick's socks, eventually being passed by the car behind.
Stage 8 saw Anderson/Ryan take a stage win by a couple of seconds from Farrant who had backed off a little, with a huge lead. SS9 was a repeat blast down the old highway, again the stage times were relatively close as all three Excels headed for a first outing finish.
The result was a well deserved, run away, win to Farrant/Wood. White/Edwards finished 2nd in front of Anderson/Ryan, who would have collected second if it had not been for the puncture and demister problems in their rapidly prepared auto Excel.
The next round at Bathurst should see a closer finish as Anderson/Ryan will have replaced their auto for the more traditional 5 speed.