Skip to Navigation

The 2011 asp Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally provisional results

ahtr3.jpg
ahtr2.jpg
ahtr1.jpg

The 2011 asp Adelaide Hill Tarmac Rally has been run and provisionally won. It was a hectic and intense weekend of rallying, with competitors having to deal with diverse stages and sometimes very difficult conditions. The winner of the event outright is the team of Matthew and Dennis Sims in their Nissan R35 GTR. Second went to Matthew Selley and Claire Ryan in the Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, with third place going to Andrew Burnard and Tim Margach in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII.

It must again be stated that the results are provisional as there is currently a protest lodged that is being looked into and considered. Notwithstanding, all teams did a phenomenal job in completing the event that by all accounts was one of the toughest that they had competed in. Andrew Burnard said, “The conditions proved very challenging and due to the varying grip levels throughout the weekend, the level of concentration required ensured this was the most demanding event that I have entered to date. A huge thank you to the Organisers and Volunteers for another outstanding asp Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally.” With Matt Selley adding “This is probably the most challenging rally I have ever done. The conditions at times were diabolical with Claire and I needing to drive accordingly”

The first round of the 2011 Australian Modern Tarmac Championship has Matthew and Dennis Sims in first position, with Matt Selley and Claire Ryan again in second with James Rodda and Marcus Piristi taking out third.

Round one of the 2011 Australian Classic Tarmac Championship had three L’s in the top three with André Lukasz and Chris Ferguson in their 1971 240Z in first place, Roger Lomman and Annie Bainbridge in the 1972 Z in second with Michael Lamprell and Adam Tillett’s ’64 Mustang in third. Lukasz and Ferguson have been knocking on first place’s door for a number of years now, and it was great to see them bring it home with a consistently quick drive, even though both Lomman and Lamprell were hot on their heels.

The inaugural running of the Thoroughbred Challenge had some very tight competition whilst having to contend with some very strict rally guidelines. The competitors wrapped their collective heads around the timing criteria and the required controlled speeds early on and were all formidable as they dealt with both the events stages and the rules that were in place. The Amos family in their Lancer Evo X came out as the Challenge’s winners with Richard Davis and William Best in the HSV 427 running second and Kristian Downing and Clayton Webber in their Porsche 911 Carrera rounding out the top three. It was heartening to see all Thoroughbred Challenge teams complete the event with their vehicles in good order and having had a great time participating. It demonstrated that the Thoroughbred Challenge was both a safe and rewarding motorsport experience and a great way to get a taste of competitive Tarmac Rallying.

The Southern Districts Car Club’s Junior Development Program graduates, James Rodda and Daniel Day performed exceedingly well as expected, with James achieving fourth outright and Daniel fifth. Our congratulations go to both James and Daniel.

Though the event is now over, and winners announced, we must also revisit the very serious accident that both Milan Filo and Jason Rowley were involved in on Saturday afternoon. Milan is an accomplished rally driver having competed and been very successful in the Slovak Republic Rally series, whilst Jason is well known in South Australian and National Rally circles as an accomplished and experienced competitor.

Last reports advise that Jason has regained consciousness and will soon be on the road to recovery. Milan is still in a very serious condition, though we have been advised that there has been a slight improvement in his condition. Though it is early stages, we all hope and pray than the slight improvements become more pronounced with every passing hour. Our thoughts still remain with both Milan and Jason and their families and loved ones.

As most are aware, the accident happened on the second run though of the Crow’s Nest Stage, 300 metres after a speed restriction chicane. Officials on the stage reported the accident immediately and emergency procedures were put into place with medical assistance on site within two minutes. Both Milan and Jason were attended to at the scene and were airlifted to the Flinders Medical Centre. We thank IMS, SA Police, SA Ambulance, Medstar, SES, CFS, MFS, Flinders Medical Centre and the event officials for their quick action and presence of mind when dealing with the accident and supplying both Milan and Jason with the best care possible. Currently an investigation is being held into what occurred by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport and is in early stages.

The 2011 Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally presented 28 stages over 3 days, delivering almost 190 competitive kilometres. Friday started with the prologue at Collingrove, followed by 6 stages that headed towards Penny’s Hill Winery at McLaren Vale through the magnificent Adelaide Hills. Saturday’s 12 stages ran just south of McLaren Vale down to Victor Harbor with another 10 stages on Sunday taking place north west of McLaren Vale, travelling through the picturesque towns of Meadows, Macclesfield and Strathalbyn before returning to McLaren Vale in the late afternoon, completing the event at Penny’s Hill Winery.

The 2012 Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally has been scheduled for the 27th through to the 29th of May.

For more details on IMS Ambulance Services please visit www.imssa.com.au

For more details on the 2011 Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally please visit www.ahtr.com.au

For more details on Variety SA please visit www.variety.org.au/sa

Or phone Andrew Admiraal on 0403 116 400, email [email protected]