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LAKE MOUNTAIN SPRINT A TARMAC RALLY WITH SOME SNOW

By Bruce Williams

Date posted: 14 May 2023

Tarmac Rally events are alive and well, illustrated by the running of round two of the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship, the Lake Mountain Sprint.

Based out of Marysville in the Victorian High Country, the AASA-sanctioned event was held over May 6/7 and saw 59 competitors take on 14 stages between Marysville and Cumberland.

Covering 194kms of competition, wet weather and even snow would greet the competitors, creating challenging conditions for the crews competing.

What a stunning image of Simon Kelly and Sally Davis in their 1958 Austin Healey 100-6 make as they race through the snow covered Lake Mountain roads.

What a stunning image of Simon Kelly and Sally Davis in their 1958 Austin Healey 100-6 make as they race through the snow covered Lake Mountain roads.

It was slippery conditions that greeted the crews as they lined up for SS1, an 8km untimed shakedown to allow teams to acclimatise to the conditions. This test saw several crews suffer from mechanical gremlins which put them on the back foot.

SS2 was the first timed stage, which saw the crews climb the 9km scenic rollercoaster to the peak of Lake Mountain. With rain and fog a factor, several cars found the barriers lining the road.

The Porsche GT3RS crew of Paul Dowie and Bernie Webb took advantage to top the scorecard by a mere 3.7 seconds over the Mercedes A45 of Perini/Perini.

Paul Dowie and Bernie Webb Porsche GT3 RS

Paul Dowie and Bernie Webb set a smart pace in the opening stage aboard their Porsche GT3 RS and were winners of the Modern RWD 2008+ class at the 2023 Lake Mountain Sprint

Descending the mountain for SS3, the crews raced back through the entire 14.5kms to Marysville for their first full run across Saturday’s course. They would repeat the course a further two times with a combination of short stages and full-length runs to wrap up the first days’ competition.

At the conclusion of day one, the Subaru WRX STi of Michael Harding and James Thornburn had shown the field their speed, holding a 16-second lead over the Porsche of Dowie/Webb, followed closely by Barrie Smith and Anthony McLoughlin in their Audi TT RS.

Winners of the Lake Mountain Sprint, car 955 Michael Harding and James Thornburn Subaru_WRX Sti

Winners of the Lake Mountain Sprint, car 955 Michael Harding and James Thornburn in their Subaru_WRX Sti

Championship defender and early series leaders Jason and Fiona Wright, in their Nissan R35 GTR, found the conditions did not suit their tyre choice and finished the day in fourth place, 48 seconds behind Harding/Thornburn.

Defending Champions Jason Wright and Fiona Wright, in a Nissan R35 GTR found the conditions a little tricky

Defending Champions Jason Wright and Fiona Wright, in a Nissan R35 GTR found the conditions a little tricky early on but fought back with some fast runs.

The coldest Victorian day in May for three years greeted the crews on Sunday morning, with reports of the summit climb to Lake Mountain having a thick layer of snow. 

Whilst the conditions were assessed, the organisers brought forward the last two stages of the day, the full run from Marysville to Cumberland and back, allowing the event to continue.

The Harding/Thornburn duo pulled an impressive gap on the field, heading to the lunch stop some 56 seconds clear of Dowie/Webb, with Smith/McLoughlin nearly a minute and a half behind. The stages up the mountain were shortened, allowing the crews to race to the ticket booth without having to attack the snow-affected areas at speed, instead transiting to the top for service and lunch. 

Winners of the Modern AWD 2008+, were Barrie Smith and Anthony McLoughlin in a Audi TT RS

Winners of the Modern AWD 2008+, were Barrie Smith and Anthony McLoughlin in a Audi TT RS

With refreshed crews, some even partaking in a full competition snowball fight, the final three stages began.

Defending champions Wright/Wright made their move, taking out all three remaining stages to claw back over 20 seconds on Harding/Thornburn, but after trailing by nearly two minutes their impressive run was in vain.

The crew of Harding and Thornburn (Subaru WRX STi) would take outright victory for the event, followed by Dowie/Webb (Porsche GT3RS) 43 seconds behind, and Smith/McLoughlin (Audi TT RS) 1:20s in arrears.

Greg Bass and Peter Cooke took a solid third in the Super Rally Class in the fast little Toyota Yaris GR

Greg Bass and Peter Cooke took a solid third in the Super Rally Class in the fast little Toyota Yaris GR

The teams now have a few months off to prepare for round three of the championship, with entries open for the Snowy River Sprint (9-10 Sep 2023) before the final round, the Great Tarmac Rally wraps up the championship on 21-22 Oct 2023.

Images: ATR-Angryman Photography.

Final podiums were:

Super Rally

955       Michael Harding/James Thornburn-Subaru WRX Sti

1          Jason Wright/Fiona Wright-Nissan R35 GTR

940      Gregory Bass/Peter Cooke-Toyota Yaris GR

Modern AWD 2008+

857      Barrie Smith/Anthony McLoughlin-Audi TT RS

842      Allan Hines/Kerry Hines-Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X

850      Greg Burrowes/Rhonda Burrowes-Toyota Yaris GR

Modern RWD 2008+

781      Paul Dowie/Bernie Webb-Porsche GT3 RS

710      Neil Cuthbert/Sue Cuthbert -Lotus Exige 350 Sport

726      Xavier Franklin/Jaidyn Gluskie-Porsche GT4

Early Modern AWD 1986-2007

584      Greg McDonald/Samuel McDonald-Subaru WRX Sti

590      Hugh Zochling/Steve Glenney-Mitsubishi Evo

583      Ryan Verner/Tristan Sterling/Cameron-Mitsubishi Evo

Early Modern 2WD 1986-2007

Andrew Bollom and Jon Roberts in car 577, winners of the Early Modern 2WD 1986-2007, 2023 Lake Mountain sprint

Andrew Bollom and Jon Roberts in car 577, winners of the Early Modern 2WD 1986-2007, 2023 Lake Mountain Sprint

577      Andrew Bollom/Jon Roberts-Mazda RX8 SP

571      Paul Buccini/Claire Buccini-BMW 1M

564      David Blunden/Rob Sheppard-Nissan R33 GTS-T

Classic Modified to 1985

Classic Modified to 1985 class winners Meng Jung and Lynda Leigh BMW E30 M3, 2023 Lake Mountain Sprint

Classic Modified to 1985 class winners Meng Jung and Lynda Leigh BMW E30 M3, 2023 Lake Mountain Sprint

424       Meng Chung/Lynda Leigh-BMW E30 M3

453      Michael Reynolds/Phillip Smith-Holden Commodore

475      Adrian Cauchi/Tina Cauchi-Ford Escort

Classic 1972-1985

Car 376 Keith Morling and Tracey Dewhurst Ford Escort winners Classic 1972-1985 Lake Mountain Sprint

Car 376 Keith Morling and Tracey Dewhurst Ford Escort winners Classic 1972-1985,  2023 Lake Mountain Sprint

376      Keith Morling/Tracey Dewhurst-Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800

340      Bruce Power/Russel Hannah-Mazda RX7

355      Peter Gluskie/Ray Farrell-BMW E30 325e

Rally Sport

Car 114 Scott Coppleman and Matt Van Rooye Subaru WRX Sti winners of Rally Sport

Car 114 Scott Coppleman and Matt Van Rooye Subaru WRX Sti, winners of Rally Sport 2023 Lake Mountain Sprint

114      Scott Coppleman/Matt Van Rooye-Subaru WRX Sti

134      Jamie Whitmore/Peter Hellwig-Porsche Cayman

198      Laura Rogers/Gavin Rogers-Lotus Exige

Rally Challenge

Jeremy Dennison and Casey Rumble, winners of the Rally Challenge in their BMW M140i

Jeremy Dennison and Casey Rumble, winners of the Rally Challenge in their BMW M140i, 2023 Lake Mountain Sprint

111      Jeremy Dennison/Casey Rumble-BMW M140i

189      Paul Poulter/Sharon Poulter-Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 10

103      Shane Ratcliffe/Amanda Ratcliffe-Subaru WRX Sti

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