Rallying

Good weather greeted the 77 entrants in the 2009 Bega Valley Rally. Despite the loss of the shire roads from the event due to beaurocracy gone mad, the forest roads around Eden are proving to be a challenge for competitors. Matt Swan and Paul Franklin retired after stage 2 with a turbo failure.

Many hands could not fix the turbo on Matt and Paul's WRX..

Follow up:

Stage 3: Reeves is out! Rock damage to a brake caliper means the very quick Subaru is retiring early.

As at 4pm, 2008 champion Mark Fawcett was still running as is championship hopeful Jesse Robison. Warren Lee set a blistering time on stage 3 despite a broken front strut top, beating Ian Martin and David Nutter. More news from the Bega Service Park as it comes to hand...

Rain on Stage 4 created carnage for 2wds on stage and many cars returned caked in mud.
Martin ran wide and lost time which compounded time lost when co-driver Ros left her roadbook at the start table.
Lee put in a quick stage 4 despite a blown front strut top beating both Nutter and Martin.
Legg-Stoker has cooked his engine and is frantically at work in the service park to fix it. It looks like he will not be starting the final stage.

Stage 5: Jesse is off! SLippery conditions on the final stage have caught Jesse out, and resulted in a triple roll. Another win for Fawcett?
Lee has arrived at the stop point of the final stage with damaged rear suspension. Did it slow him down, and will he make it all the way back to Bega 75km away? It looks safe enough to drive on.

Results:
Win for Fawcett in the VRC with Warren Lee in 2nd.
Hold that! Dark horse Allen has come through for second in the ageing Legacy. What a brilliant drive!
1st: Fawcett
2nd: Allen
3rd: Lee

matt swan