ParcFerme.Com

Melbourne couple Simon and Sue Evans are the 2007 NEC Australian Rally Champions after winning Heat One of the NGK Rally of Melbourne today.

Needing only to finish 18th in either heat of the NEC Australian Rally Championship season finale, the Evans' secured the championship in style in the Yarra Valley.

After taking the lead in the second stage of the day, their Toyota Racing Developments Toyota Corolla built a significant advantage to end the day with a victory margin of one minute and three seconds.

Today's result adds to the husband-and-wife pair's love affair with their home event.

"It's very satisfying, but I'm not going to relax now," Simon Evans said.

"Coming to the Rally of Melbourne, it wasn't about the championship; it was always about the event.

"It was a challenging day, the roads are really tough, especially on Blowhard when we had a downpour - there were rivers all across the road.

"It was bloody hard work, we were all on hard compound tyres and had moments in the wet, but it's those sorts of things that make rallying so enjoyable."

"We're still not satisfied, we want to finish the year well tomorrow and take a clean sweep for the year."

Second place in Heat One went to Spencer Lowndes and Chris Randell on home turf in a Mitsubishi Lancer, finishing well clear of Neal Bates and Coral Taylor in the second factory Corolla.

The Brett Kipling / Fred Gocentas Mitsubishi avoided the trouble which eliminated numerous competitors to secure fourth, ahead of the recovering Michael Guest and David Green Ford Fiesta.

Guest hit a rock in the second stage of the day, puncturing two tyres, and sustained damage to the Fiesta's sump while travelling back to the service park on deflated tyres.

While unable to join Guest in recovery mode, his Ford team-mates Darren Windus and Jon Mortimer shone early.

Windus won the opening stage of the day - his first in the NEC ARC - and was running in second place until suffering engine failure on Special Stage Four.

Another driver striking trouble on Special Stage Four, Victorian young gun Brendan Reeves and his sister Rhianon Smyth crashed heavily.

The pair, who were fourth at the time, emerged unharmed from the crash, but extensive damage to their Subaru means their weekend is over.

"Things were going well, but we slid wide, ran into a ditch and rolled over several times," Reeves said.

"We were in fourth gear at the time so it was pretty quick, the front end and side of the car are extensively damaged."

Local team Brenton Kaitler and Simone Bachman led the Victorian Rally Championship and rally.com.au Rally Challenge classes and ran in the top five outright before crashing on Special Stage Eight.

It allowed Mark Fawcett and Simon Ellis to top the Victorian Rally Championship competitors, finishing clear of fellow Subaru Impreza drivers Paul Batten and Craig Jones, who took out the rally.com.au Rally Challenge.

The NGK Rally of Melbourne continues tomorrow, with eight stages around the YarraValley including two Super Special Stages and podium presentations at the Don Road Sporting Complex at Healesville.

For full NGK Rally of Melbourne spectator information, head to the event's website, www.rallyofmelbourne.com.au

NGK RALLY OF MELBOURNE, HEAT ONE CLASSIFICATION

1. Simon Evans / Sue Evans (Toyota Corolla), 1h18m13.6s
2. Spencer Lowndes / Chris Randell (Mitsubishi Lancer), +1m3.3sec behind

3. Neal Bates / Coral Taylor (Toyota Corolla), +1m56.7s
4. Brett Kipling / Fred Gocentas (Mitsubishi Lancer), +4m50.2s
5. Michael Guest / David Green (Ford Fiesta), +5m34.9s
6. David Hills / David Callagan (Mitsubishi Lancer), +5m50.6s
7. Craig Brooks / Daniel Wilson (Subaru Impreza), +5m54.4s
8. Paul Batten / Craig Jones (Subaru Impreza), +7m09.5s
9. Justin Dowel / Matt Lee (Mitsubishi Lancer), +7m28.3s
10. David Nutter / Catherine Taylor (Subaru Impreza), +7m44.5s