Hellyer Rally 2008

With 2 rounds down in the 2008 Tasmanian Rally Series the Shiftlock crew embarked on its biggest journey yet. Two cars on trailers, tools, spares and crew loaded into 3 vehicles for the 4.5 hour trek to Burnie for the Hellyer Rally. Nick Shaw would have a new co-driver for the event in Scooter Cresswell, taking his old seat in the left hand side of the Commodore as usual co-pilot Helen Blake was snowed under with university exams. Timmy Kulhanek was once again joining me in the Charade while Anthony Shaw was co-driving for first time entrant Luke How in his newly built Hyundai Excel. The Hellyer Rally saw the largest field assembled for a TRS round in quite some time. 23 crews made for a great sight on the Burnie waterfront with 5 crews even making the trip from Victoria. One of these was another Charade the same model as mine which would make for some interesting competition. The advantage of a waterfront start is simply stunning views as the sun rose over Bass Straight. You simply couldn't help but be in a good mood and it made the early start a lot easier. Burnie local and TRS front runner Craig Brooks' suggestion that ocean views be mandatory at all future TRS driver's briefings certainly had merit, although perhaps a little challenging logistically for those events held further inland.
A short trip north found the field lined up at the start of the first stage. Those of us at the back were facing a slightly longer wait than normal but thankfully the first stage allowed the cars to be heard and seen for the first minute or so of competition. The conditions were great, damp from overnight rain (nothing worse than dust) yet clear skies and cool conditions. New tyres and new brakes on the car meant the car felt a little different so a few nerves were present. Unfortunately we passed competitor Nathan Newton on the first stage, his Skyline ground to a halt just past the first spectator point. Thankfully it was a minor issue and they continued to the end of the day. More surprises were to come with Ben Sheldrick parked his Datsun 1600 in a ditch only a couple of hundred metres from the start of stage 2. He continued after extraction by the recovery crew and all competitors made it to the first service safely. The usual stories are swapped about scary moments and the nature of the stages until I get a smack across the head from crew chief Cam for not checking the tyre pressures before the start, which now read 45psi! Given the car felt quite balanced it gave me confidence that Tim and I could push a bit harder in the coming stages.
The Hellyer stages were brilliant. Very "rhythmic" and flowing, not very rough and quite fast. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with few incidents to be reported and the increased number of special stages meant there was rarely a moment for rest. We struck trouble on the transport heading to the lunch break with a strange noise coming from the right hand front wheel. My immediate thought was driveshaft (it turned out to be wheel bearings!) but after inspection at the lunch break the service crew found nothing really amiss so I thought I would just try and take it easy and nurse the car to the finish. Nick was doing another great job with he and I taking turns to beat one another on each stage. He was ahead overall and leading his class. Anthony and Luke in the Excel were getting faster with each passing kilometre. Unfortunately this performance was soon to come to an end with Luke rolling the car heavily on the first stage after lunch. He and Anthony escaped uninjured however the same could not be said for Luke's previously pristine Hyundai. The damage was extensive enough that a new shell would be required but happily his enthusiasm was not dampened and he is already back competing in club events in a new car!
The afternoon stages were the highlight of the day with high speed sections meaning 5th gear was frequently visited in the little Charade. We had a good rhythm going and the horrible noises coming from the right front didn't seem to slow us down. Every start and slow corner was taken with extreme caution, ironically this smooth approach seemed to gain us time. Once we saw rival Aaron Reader off the road in his Mirage the tension increased as if we finished we would win our class. The fading light led to the cancellation of stage 10 but also meant Nick could blind some spectators with his flashy driving lights, hell he had dragged them 400km he might as well use them!! It also meant our ailing Charade had one less stage to survive before the finish. The last stage also had drama when rally leader Craig Brooks threw his WRX off the road despite a huge lead. The incident and subsequent flat tyre cost him 15 minutes and dropped him from 1st to 10th in the results. Competition over we begun the trek back to Burnie as night fell, Tim and I grimacing everytime the Charade protested at going any further with failing wheel bearings.

The relief at finally crossing the finish line was enormous especially as the results for the Shiftlock clan had made the event very worthwhile. Nick Shaw/Scooter Cresswell first in P4 and 7th outright. Scott Newman/Tim Kulhanek first in P2/P1 and 8th outright. The only thing left to do was sample the Burnie nightlife! A great feed at Mallee Grill and a few (dozen??) drinks at the after party topped off a great day. Little did we know the highlight of the weekend was still to come!! The sight of Crew Chief Cam trying to order a McDonalds breakfast with no voice resulted in hysterics and a very bemused McDonalds employee.

The Hellyer Rally was a credit to its organisers!! Definitely worth the long trek, stay tuned for Shiftlock's next adventure in the Huon forests. Can we reproduce these great results a little closer to home?