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McRae’s Coffs Coast Rally Call

By Timothy Neal

Young Subaru Rally star Max McRae’s unfortunate end to the Adelaide Hills Rally will see the Production Cup title go down to the wire at the ARC’s Coffs Coast finale.

Ronald Bustard and Carey Cahal sit above the highly pedigreed rally driver, while the FIA’s Rally Star Pacific winner, Taylor Gill, has leapfrogged the #7 WRX into third following his P3 class finish, to now sit first in the production cup.

18 year-old McRae and his co-driver Mac Kierans were going for a hat-trick of class wins, which included an outright podium at the Gippsland Rally, but the pair hit trouble on the seventh stage, sliding off the road.

They also suffered gearing problems on the Friday and went into Saturday with a fix, but an error cost the WA entry a chance to continue.

“We run a racing-specification sequential gearbox in the car,” McRae explained, who has dropped down to seventh in the production standings, but remains a chance if he wins at Coffs Coast.

“The gearbox was damaged on Friday night and we lost fifth gear. That’s one of those things, this is a mechanical sport and these things happen. The Maximum Motorsport guys did a brilliant job installing a spare – h-pattern – gearbox for us for the next day.

“Sadly I braked a touch later than I should have in one corner and we went off the road. I’m really sorry for the team, they all worked so hard and deserved more of a result than I gave them. 

That result now leaves the production championship wide open with the Coffs Coast Rally due for November 25-27. The battle between himself and Gill will make it a tantalising final round, with the outright between the Bates brothers also going down to the wire.

Max McRae and Mac Kierans finished third outright and won the White Wolf Constructions ARC Production Cup at the Gippsland Rally. Photo: Rally Sport Magazine

“It’s a tough way to finish a rally, we needed a good result for the championship and now it’s a bit more complicated,” McRae continued.

“Basically we need to win the class last time out on the Coffs Coast Rally and then hope our rivals hit trouble. That’s not ideal, but all we can do is get our heads down and drive.”

“This sport is so much about experience and, trust me, I learned a lot again this weekend. Apart from the gearbox – which isn’t a Subaru part – the Impreza was perfect again and I was feeling really positive coming into the event.

“Now it’s over to Coffs Harbour for the final round, another event I’ve never done – but an event with some legendary roads from the World Rally Championship.” 

The Coffs Coast Rally, the final round of Max’s programme and the final ARC round of the season runs from November 25-27.