Brilliant result for Brendan at Gippsland Rally

Brendan Reeves and Kate Catford have claimed victory in both the Classic Cup and the 2WD class at round 5 of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), whilst also finishing an incredible sixth outright.

 

The pair entered the event in Reeves’ highly modified Datsun 1600 as a warm up for the Alpine Rally in November and despite a minor hiccup on day 1, they were happy with their weekend.

The Gippsland Rally started in Heyfield in Victoria’s far east on Saturday with four competitive stages each run twice, totalling around 120 kilometres.

 

Saturday’s stages were the same as those used in the same event last year (before it was upgraded to ARC status) so Reeves and Catford were able to call on their pace notes from 2021 with a few adjustments required for this year’s wetter road conditions.

 

During the morning’s four stages, one of the Datsun’s control arms bent, causing it to open up and crack. With a welder on hand, the service crew were able to make some repairs at the mid-day service break.

 

After a solid performance during the afternoon’s stages, Reeves and Catford finished the day in eighth outright.

 

 

Day 2 of the rally was held on new stages around the Maffra area and after a small adjustment to the car before the start, the pair were ready to tackle the final 50 kilometres of stages.

 

The day’s opening stage was run on tight and twisty roads which didn’t really suit the Datsun, but the following stage - on fast and flowing roads - was more to Reeves’ liking. 

 

Both stages were repeated after a short service break, before the rally’s finale, the 3.7 kilometre-long Power Stage.

 

Reeves was happy to get more time at the wheel of the Datsun before the Alpine Rally and was stoked to finish in 6th outright, an impressive result in a classic rally car.

 

“We had a lot of fun this weekend,” Reeves said.  “The can ran really well today and it was great to get in some more practice before the Alpine.

 

“Thanks to Mark and Brad for preparing the car and engine, to Kate, who did a great job with the pace notes, and to our service crew.”

 

Gippsland Rally 2022, Final Results

 

1. Lewis Bates / Anthony McLoughlin, Toyota GR Yaris AP4

2. Troy Dowel / Bernie Webb, Hyundai i20 G4

3. Max McRae / Mac Kierans, Subaru WRX Sti

6. Brendan Reeves / Kate Catford, Datsun 1600

 

Photo: Wishart Media

 

See more photos from the Gippsland Rally in Brendan's Photo Gallery.