Reeves says ‘Let’s Play’ and finishes on the podium in Championship opener

Victorians Brendan Reeves and Kate Catford put in an impressive performance at day two of the Netier Rally of Canberra, finishing with a place on the podium.

The duo, driving a Hyundai i20 N R5 for the first time, started the second day of the opening round of the 2022 Australian Rally Championship (ARC) in fourth place but with stage wins on the first and fourth stages of the day, and second fastest time on another, they stormed up the leaderboard and finished the event in third position.

 

 

After finishing day one’s stages in the Kowen Forest on a high, Reeves and his team worked on the car at the overnight service, with advice from former Hyundai World Rally Team driver, Hayden Paddon, proving invaluable.  Reeves admitted he needed to get more front end grip, and Paddon, who has previously driven the car, happily shared his insights with positive results.

 

Deciding to treat Sunday’s stages like a new event, Reeves and Catford started day two with confidence and made their intentions known when they beat reigning ARC champions Harry Bates and John McCarthy (Toyota GR Yaris AP4) on the opening stage, and again on the fourth stage of the day.

 

“We really enjoyed the Wamboin stage,” Reeves said. “We had a great feeling in the car and the notes were working really well.”

 

“I particularly enjoyed the Kowen Forest stages and was happy that the adjustments we made to the set up had an immediate impact and we could up our pace today."

 

In the afternoon stages, when the roads offered more grip, Reeves dialled down the front end grip so he could stay on the throttle into the corners to maintain his pace without understeering.

 

 

Reeves was stoked to finish the event on the podium - a remarkable effort in his first competitive drive in the ARC for six years.

 

“It was great to see so many spectators and officials out and about at the rally,” he said.  “Lots of people were really excited to see the Hyundai i20 N R5 in action and we received a very warm welcome throughout the weekend.”

 

“Kate did a fantastic job reading the pace notes again, too, so I’d like to say a huge thanks to her.”

 

Reeves and Catford would also like to thank Hyundai Motor Company Australia, N Australia and Hyundai Genuine Parts for their support this weekend, and Walkem Motorsport for the use of the car.

 

Results - Netier Rally of Canberra 2022

1. Harry Bates / John McCarthy (Toyota GR Yaris AP4), 2:00:10.6

2. Shane van Gisbergen / Glen Weston (Skoda Fabia R5), +01:26.6

3. Brendan Reeves / Kate Catford (Hyundai i20 N R5), +3:44.4

4. Taylor Gill / Kim Bessell (Subaru WRX), +8:10.9

5. Tom Clarke / Ryan Preston (Ford Fiesta R5), +9:51.0

Images: Wishart Media

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