November 23, 2015
It’s been at least a decade since the Brisbane Sporting Car Club last held a rally on the forestry tracks around Benarkin and Yarraman.
The last round of the Queensland Rally Championship was to be held on November 14 with 27 competitors coming to Benarkin from all over south-east Queensland.
And then it rained.
The rally was to be run over 11 stages, including three night stages.
The day started in bright sunshine but after the end of Stage 3, a string of wild storms came through the Blackbutt area, with heavy rain, some hail and strong winds.
Clerk of the course Ian Gorski told southburnett.com.au he had hoped to get the cars back out on the course to get a little bit more distance so the drivers could earn at least half-points for the rally.
In the meantime, the cars and drivers gathered at the rally headquarters, Benarkin State School, waiting patiently for a decision from the stewards about the state of the track.
However, the event was eventually cancelled after just the first three stages.
Ian said he was disappointed with the weather but everything else had worked out well, especially the support from the Benarkin State School and the P&C committee.
“The school has been absolutely marvellous,” he said.
“The principal invited us in, has given us rooms to work out of, and the P&C has been catering for us.”
The grounds of the school ground were turned into a temporary camping ground for many of the competitors.
Ian said the South Burnett would not have to wait another 10 years to see the rally drivers return … the club has already booked in for September 24 next year for Round 5 of the 2016 Queensland Rally Championship.
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Results:
P6 Class
1. Ian Menzies / Rob McGowan (Mitsubishu EVO 6)
2. Kim Acworth / Ian Swinbourne (Subaru Liberty)
3. Todd Webster / Ryan Preston (Subaru WRX)
P5 Class
1. Wayne Menzies / Chris Baxter (Mitsubishi Lancer)
2. Melinda Bergman / Larisa Biggar (Subaru Liberty)
3. Shaun Dragona / Annette Dragona (Subaru Impreza)
P4 Class
1. Brad Hurford / David Gregory (Ford Falcon XR6)
P3 Class
1. Tim Dillon / Debbie Dillon (Hyundai Lantra)
2. Shaun Cassidy / Christopher Cassidy (Datsun 1600)
3. Michael Reynolds / Grant McCoy (Datsun Stanza)
P2 Class
1. Jamie Yule / Ron Peters (Mitsubishi Mirage)
2. Doug Foster / Debbie Applewaite (Toyota RunX)
3. Lachlan McKenna / Kent Lawrence (Suzuki Swift)
Classic
1. Mark Byrne / David Byrne (Datsun Sedan)
Ian Menzies and Rob McGowan, Brisbane, were crowned 2015 QRC Champions. McGowan was named co-driver of the year.
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Rally Entrants
