Rallying finally to resume at Valley Stages rally

It will be a welcome return to competition for Brendan Reeves and Kate Catford when they cross the start line of the Western Victorian Crane Trucks Valley Stages next weekend.  After a five month hiatus thanks to Covid-19 lockdowns, the pair are raring to go and eagerly awaiting the start of the event.

The Valley Stages is a fully route chartered, event and will be based around Healesville, 1 hour from Melbourne’s CBD, and will consist of two heats totalling a 135 kilometres of competitive stages. It is  round 4 of the 2021 Victorian Rally Championship.

Reeves has competed in the Valley Stages on three previous occasions - twice in a V8 Commodore and once in a Ford Escort - and will this time drive his highly modified Datsun 1600.

The Datsun has received plenty of attention during the competitive lay off with Reeves determined to develop the car to make it faster and more reliable.  Many hours have been put in tuning the engine to get more torque, and to improve the set up and handling, and Reeves is happy with the progress that’s been made.

The Valley Stages traditionally uses forest roads as well as a few Shire roads, offering a variety of surfaces and driving conditions.  Reeves knows the stages well and with just 10 kilometres of new stages in this year’s rally, he is confident of finishing with a good result.  He has won the 2WD class at the event on two previous occasions which should stand him in good stead.

Currently sitting third outright in the Victorian Rally Championship and leading the 2WD title race, a positive result at the Valley Stages would add valuable points to Reeves’ tally with just one round of the Championship to run.

The Western Victorian Crane Trucks Valley Stages will take place on Saturday, 6 November with rally headquarters and the service park once again at the Yarra Glen Racecourse. Due to Covid restrictions, there will be no spectator access at the racecourse.