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Caltex's Championship Leader Heads to the West |
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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 |
Defending NEC Australian Rally Champion, Simon Evans, will be out to extend his championship lead when he climbs aboard his Caltex-backed Toyota Corolla Sportivo to contest the Quit Forest Rally in Western Australia this weekend.
The Quit Forest Rally WA is the second round of the 2007 championship. After securing a perfect points score in the opening round earlier this month in Queensland Evans is aiming to continue his good form this weekend.
Evans and co-driver wife Sue, one of the most formidable line ups in
Australian Rallying, won every stage during the opening round in
Queensland. The pair has twice won the Western Australian round of the
series, in 2004 and again last year, making the event one of their
favourites.
"The roads in Western Australia are really challenging - fast, flowing
and really slippery. I thoroughly enjoy them because the ball-bearing
surface means the car moves around quite a lot in the corners,” said
Evens.
“It's like driving in the rain. I've heard Europeans say it is more
slippery than driving on snow! I've always done well in WA - it has
always just seemed to click for me there
“My plan is to treat it like any other rally and only focus on what I
have to do. I'm not really looking at what anyone else is doing."
Team-mate Neal Bates was impressive in the very first outing for a
Caltex-backed Toyota Super 2000 car on the Sunshine Coast, finishing in
a formidable second place in Heat Two.
Bates, who will be joined in the Caltex-Backed Toyota by long-time
co-driver Coral Taylor, anticipates the Western Australian event's
roads will suit the characteristics of his new car.
"I've never really enjoyed rallying in Western Australia but, for some
reason, my results there have actually been quite good in recent
years,” said Bates.
“It is a magnificent event but I just do not like the total lack of
grip on the roads. However, the extra wheel slip in the corners may
prove a small benefit for my S2000 car as it could help in getting the
car on power quicker.
“We haven't made any changes to the car for WA because our focus is to
use it solely as a mule for making the brand new car faster."
Quit Forest Rally WA, round two of the NEC Australian Rally
Championship, begins with a Super Special Stage in Busselton on Friday
27 April, before heading to the forests surrounding Nannup on Saturday
28 April.
A second Busselton Super Special Stage will kick-off Heat Two on
Saturday night, before the remainder of Heat Two sees crews return to
the forest on Sunday.
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