The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally 2024 has concluded with spectacular action. The fight for outright victory was within seconds as the field entered the final stage at the Boisdale Hillclimb Track.
Rally leaders Harry Bates and Coral Taylor in their Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris needed to have a perfect run to maintain the lead. Scott Pedder and Glen MacNeal were hot on their heels but pushed too hard. They hit a tree which tore the left rear suspension and driveshafts, dragging the wheel behind them.
This handed second place to Lewis Bates and Anthony McLouglan in their Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris as they posted a clean drive to maintain the gap to the next place, Eddie Maguire and Zak Brakey in their Maguire Motorsport Skoda Fabia.
Forth place overall and first in the ARC MainFix Production Cup was Molly Taylor and Andy Sarandis in their Subaru Impreza. The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Japan team did an amazing job to drive to third place. Their rally began with Nao Otake and Hideki Takeyabu crashing in Thursday’s testing session which had the team rebuild the front of the car and install a new engine, sent from Sydney overnight.
The winner of the two wheel drive cup was Maffra driver Nick Seymour and Matt Whitten in their Wilmour Motors Ford Fiesta. They placed sixteenth overall in this forth round of the national championship.
The rally began with the BSR Automotive Rally Show situated at the Port of Sale on Friday evening. One thousand people took the opportunity to meet Australia’s best teams and check out their cars. It was an event in itself with Heyfield Pizza and Takeaway and Neirbos East providing great food, and Sonax and Racer Industries displaying their fine products for purchase.
The Mayor of Wellington Shire Council Ian Bye officially welcomed all attendees and competitors. He flagged away the field as they prepared for the next day’s competition.
Seven thousand people attended The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally. On Saturday, spectators saw the speed of the rally cars at the spectator point just north of Cowwarr Weir. Pedders Rally Cenrtral at Gordon Street Recreation Reserve in Heyfield hosted the teams service their cars with crucial repairs and performance adjustments.
Kennedys Flat hosted one of Sunday’s spectacles and the Boisdale Hillclimb Track hosted close to two thousand people to witness the final stage of the rally. In the final dash to the finish, some drivers pushed their cars past their limits, which contributed to the spectacle.
The organising team sincerely thanks everyone who helped make this event possible. Over 250 volunteers saw the event run to schedule and its recognised as one of Australia’s best run motorsport events.
Full results are available here, and take a look at our photo galleries by Nishimachi Photography.