The Hindu : Ordynski-Stewart duo triumphs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 06, 2002

Sport

Sport - Racing : Motor

Ordynski-Stewart duo triumphs

By Sanjay Rajan

CANBERRA MAY 5 . Because he had seen all this before, it affected him strangely. It made him think, he knew not why, of his long past. Ed Ordynski (co-driver Ian Stewart) of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart-Australia had last won the Subaru Rally of Canberra in 1993.

And on Sunday, as he led the field in the final leg through the Uriarra Forests, which has 4100 hectares of pine trees and the beautiful Brindabella mountains as backdrop, and later through the Bluetts range, just outside the Australian capital here, he said he saw all manner of things: quaint, impressive, terrible, amusing and unexpected.

The last leg (104.64 km of special stage in a total of 241.76 km) of the Rally, which also happens to be the first round of the seasons Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), was by far the most difficult of the three. It had innumerable crests, many downhill slides and the terrain, for most part, was dangerously slippery.

Ordynski managed to regain the overall title while also winning the Group N 4 crown, after a gap of all these years and he said he was fortunate that his Mitsubishi Lancer EvoVII did not give him any problems, pointing out to the fact that the ruthless third leg turned out to be the graveyard for 14 drivers.

It included defending champion Possum Bourne (co-driven by Mark Stacey) of Subaru Rally

Team-Australia who was running a close second, Spencer Lowndes (Chris Randall) of Mitsubishi Ralliart-Australia who was third overnight and Chris (and brother Ben) Atkinson in a Mitsubishi EvoV who was fifth overnight.

In the end, Australian Scott Pedder (Paul Humm) finished second and New Zealander Geoff Argyle (Steve Smith) third in the overall classification.

Accident puts paid to Naren's hopes

Team MRF's Naren Kumar (D. Ram) went out in the Special Stage 16 (day's fourth stage) when a huge stone hit the left wheel, bending the lower arm, and breaking the drive shaft. This was at Bluetts, and he had just three more stages left. Had Naren finished the Rally, he would have ended 11th overall in this Rally and third in the APRC overall (and 2nd in Group N 4), which is for registered FIA drivers.

For that matter, only 13 out of the 42 starters in the three-day meet were registered with the FIA for the APRC.

In fact, the winner of this Rally from the APRC point of view is Italian Nico Caldarola (Giovanni Agnese) in a Mitsubishi EvoVII in both overall and Group N 4. The other registered driver who finished the Rally was New Zealander Brian Green (Jane McKay) in an EvoVI, in the Group A 8 category.

Said Naren, "Not completing the Rally is not a nice feeling. It would have been good had I garnered some points. There was nothing much I could do in terms of averting the accident. I was clearing a big crest, and I couldn't see much, driving blind so to say. I'm getting to understand the car better. The locals and the regulars here are at an advantage for they know the terrain. For first-timers like us, it is tough. It will be better next year".

Naren, who gained one APRC bonus point, would have garnered four more had he finished the Rally.

The other Indian and Team MRF entry, Arjun Balu, completed the third leg, but he happens to be a re-starter, hence no points. He said, "We couldn't fix the overnights turbo problem. We were slower, but remained consistent.

The next Asia Pacific Championship is the Rally of New Caledonia (France) between May 30 and June 2, but Team MRF gives this a miss and contests the third round _ the Rally of Rotorua in New Zealand between June 28 and 30.

The overall placings (Rally of Canberra): 1. Ed Ordynski & Ian Stewart (Aus, N 4, Subaru Team-Australia, 2:54.46.1); 2. Scott Pedder & Paul Humm (Aus, N 4, Pedder Suspension-Aus, 2:59:06.3); 3. Geoff Argyle & Steve Smith (NZ, A 8, Race Tech Seats-New Zealand, 2:59:16.6); 4. Martin Lintott & Tony Jackson (Aus, N 4, Lincorp Automotive, 3:01:18.8); 5. Nico Caldarola & Giovanni Agnese (Italy, N 4, Top Run, 3:03:18.6); 6. David Hills & David Callaghan (Aus, N 4, Australian Plastic Profiles, 3:06:39.1).

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