2008 Australian Rally Championship

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The 2008 Australian Rally Championship Season is the 41st Season in the history of the competition. [1] This year once again there will be 6 classes in the competition and over 50 official drivers and 48 teams.

The Rallies

The 2008 Season has once again featured a total of 6 Rallies across Australia starting at the QUIT Rally until the final event at Coffs Harbour. [2]

RoundRallyDate
1QUIT Forest Rally5–6 April
2 Rally of Canberra 10–11 May
3Coates Rally Queensland21–22 June
4 Sprints Auto Parts RallySA 26–27 July
5T.A.S Tarmac Challenge4–5 October
6Coffs Coast Rally15–16 November

Teams & Drivers

Officially, this season, there will be only one factory-built team competing in the competition. This will be the TTR (Toyota Team Racing) Team. They win the Manufacturer's title for the 3rd consecutive season by default, this is due to the Ford-based Focus RS team of last season pulling out and instead deciding to field a Subaru and changed their Name to PIRTEK LWR Rally Team.

There are other manufacturers competing as Privateer teams which don't represent the manufacturer unlike the TTR team which represents Toyota, such as the Evans Motorsport Team which uses a Subaru but isn't backed by the manufacturer. All in all, there will be over 50 drivers competing across numerous classes. The Super 2000 class will once again be the Top-Category which is followed by the Group N and the Privateers competition which sees privately owned teams competing. [3]

TeamManufacturerNumberDriverCo-driverClass
TTR Toyota 1Simon EvansSue Evans Super 2000
2 Neal Bates Coral Taylor Super 2000
Simon Evans Motorsport Subaru 3Eli EvansChris Murphy Group N
Pirtek LWR Rally Team Subaru 4Michael GuestDavid Green Group N
Japanese Wholesales Spares Ford 5Darren WindusJon Mortimer Super 2000
Access Hardware Mitsubishi 6Spencer LowndesChris Randall Group N
Raymond Partner Accountants Toyota 7Glen RaymondMatt Raymond Group NP
Daikin Motorsport Mitsubishi Nathan QuinnCraig Jones Privateers
Driver Skills Australia Subaru 15Mark ButcherLisa White Privateers
Fusion Motorsport Subaru Mitchell Hall Privateers
Dennis Dunlop Racing Mitsubishi Dennis DunlopJacqueline Dunlop Privateers
Ralliart Mitsubishi Molly Taylor Privateers
Activ Rallyesport Mitsubishi 10Justin DowelLisa White Privateers
KME Rally Sport Mitsubishi Brendon KaitlerVivek Samy Privateers
Kipling's Bakery Point Wakefield Mitsubishi Brett KiplingDarren Masters Privateers
Fullerton Financial Services Mitsubishi 11Bruce FullertonHugh Reardon-Smith Privateers
12Ryan SmartRebecca Smart Privateers
Australian Plastic Profiles Mitsubishi David HillsDavid Callaghan Privateers
Secure Glass Racing Subaru Roman WatkinsToni Feaver Privateers
GSA Motorsport Mitsubishi Steven StepheardTom Smith Privateers
Redline Oil Subaru 17Alex StoneDianna Madlener Privateers
RMS Service Centre Subaru 19Leigh HynesStuart Percival Privateers
Oz2000 Rallyesport Volkswagen S2000 Marius SwartGerard McConkey Privateers
Barry Kirk Rallying Mazda 14Barry KirkJahmeil Taylor F16
Molly Taylor Rallysport Mitsubishi 22Molly Taylor F16
SR Automotive Toyota Stewart ReidJohn AllenPrivateers
Rally Power Motorsport Daihatsu James RoddaNaomi Tillet F16
Marlin Australia Holden John Murray SeniorJeffrey StevensAussie Cup
Cullen Motorsport Ford Ben CullenMathew CullenF16
Houghton Team Racing Subaru Richard HoughtonAndrew HoughtonPrivateers

2008 Rallies

Broadcasting

The series will once again be broadcast on the Australian channel, Channel 10 which will have a 1-hour magazine-type show on Sunday afternoons, on the same week as the events are actually taking place and concluding. All of the events will be broadcast between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m on Sunday. [4]

Drivers Championship

PosDriverTeamCarForestCanberraQueenslandRallySAT.A.S.Coffs CoastTotal
Heat1Heat2Heat1Heat2Heat1Heat2Heat1Heat2Heat1Heat2Heat1Heat2
1 Neal Bates Toyota Racing Developments Toyota Corolla S2000 344040344031343040412727418
2 Eli Evans Simon Evans Motorsport Subaru Impreza WRX 223034304030405160337
3 Simon Evans Toyota Racing Developments Toyota Corolla S2000 401304040353034607.5318.5
4 Spencer Lowndes Access Hardware Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 1226222620262626343333284
5 Glen Raymond Raymond Partner Accountants Toyota Corolla Sportivo 1022201222221422302151246
6 Michael Guest Pirtek LWR Rally Team Subaru Impreza WRX 934123434102239194
7 Justin Dowel Activ Rallyesport Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 301814162022309159
8 Dennis Dunlop Dennis Dunlop Racing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 20181820201830144
9 Nathan Quinn Daikin Motorsport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V 922204545141
10 Molly Taylor Molly Taylor Rallysport
Ralliart
Mitsubishi Mirage
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
1066126181813.521110.5
11 Ryan Smart Fullerton Financial Services Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 16101618639105
12 Darren Windus Japanese Wholesales Spares Ford Fiesta S2000 2610263092
13 Brenton Kaitler KME Rally Sport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 2016262688
14 Barry Kirk Barry Kirk Rallying Mazda RX-7 141256712124.5678.5
15 John Berne Subaru Impreza RS 979899913.573.5
16 Bruce Fullerton Fullerton Financial Services Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 1816152473
17 Ben Cullen Cullen Motorsport Toyota Sprinter 758716141269
17 Simon Knowles Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 1091010121869
19 Richard HOughton Houghton Team Racing Subaru Impreza WRX 8881210.51561.5
20 Mark Butcher Driver Skills Australia Subaru Impreza WRX 1614161460
21 Matt van Tuinen Subaru Impreza WRX 14162454
22 Steven Shepheard GSA Motorsport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo XI 14221652
23 David Hills Australian Plastic Profiles Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 18141244
24 John V. Murray Marlin Australia Subaru Impreza WRX 64787.510.543
25 Roman Watkins Secure Glass Racing Subaru Impreza WRX 182038
26 Marius Swart Oz2000 Rallyesport Volkswagen Polo S2000 12671035
27 Brett Kipling Kipling's Bakery Point Wakefield Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 142034
28 Stewart Reid SR Automotive Toyota Corolla Sportivo 2626
29 John Goasdoue Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 1818
30 Mitchell Hall Subaru Impreza WRX 55

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References

  1. "Official website of the NEC Australian Rally Championship". Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
  2. "Official website of the Australian Rally Championship". Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  3. "Official website of the NEC Australian Rally Championship". Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  4. "Official website of the Australian Rally Championship". Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.