Phew. What a way to wrap up a season.
I had my usual concerns, plus a few extra, going into Bog-a-Duck. The event was Slightly shorter than usual, at around 105 competitive kilometres versus the typical 120 or so. I knew there was a lot to lose, but also plenty to gain as those 100 or so kilometers would go by in a flash. As we left the service park, I reminded myself that consistency and no unnecessary risk were the priorities for the day. We needed a clean run to stay in contention for the Novice title.
The day began with four stages, including a quick blast around the local speedway. We warmed up quickly and got straight into it, posting competitive times from the outset. SS4 was a particular highlight, even though we only got to run it once. None of the stages were overly long or punishing, but each offered a fun and challenging rhythm in the moment.
Our ever reliable service crew were ready for us during the 45 minute service window. Andrew and Ken gave the Lancer a thorough once-over, checking fluids and making sure everything was ship-shape. The times looked promising. We noticed a bit more degradation on the front tyres than expected but opted to keep them on — the Magna rims up front are stronger than the aftermarket set on the rear, and i wasn't taking any chances.
Heading back out for the final three stages, the plan was simple: hold position and repeat the consistency and pace from the morning. A light sprinkle of rain reduced grip, and the worn tyres didn’t help, but we stayed composed and put in solid times through SS6 and SS7, focusing on maximising corner speed without overdriving the car.
Final result: 8th overall and 3rd in class — a huge result for us, especially with some seriously strong competition turning up for this event. And best of all? The car’s still straight and ready to fight another day
OUTRIGHT PLACING: 8TH / 30
CLASS PLACING: 3RD
I wasn’t sure about Valley Stages to begin with. Being a rally we hadn’t done before, I was more nervous than usual — we had a lot to lose, but also a lot to gain. Coming into the weekend, we were holding the right placing in the series standings to accomplish the goals we’d set at the start of the season. More than ever, the focus was on finishing clean.
On the first stage, I wanted to carry over the development from previous outings and hit the ground running with more confidence — to catch some sleeping and warm up quicker. It worked perfectly. A bit of loose surface gravel called for some caution, but overall we got moving and posted strong times straight out of the box.
SS2 and SS6 were nearly 30 minutes of flat-out driving. The changing road conditions — gravel, soggy dirt, and mud — were a real challenge. On the first pass, I was running out of puff halfway through, but on the second run I found a groove with the car and managed to push the whole way. It felt amazing.
Nic got back up to speed quickly on his side, this being his first rally back in a few months. He found his rhythm early and we worked really well together across the six stages and liaisons.
Yarra Valley Stages was a comprehensive test — a mix of fast, flowing roads, slippery terrain, and some treacherous rough sections. It was a fantastic challenge and incredibly rewarding to finish. To top it off, this was our best VCRS result of the year.
A huge thank you to our service crew, Andrew and Ken, for looking after the car so thoroughly as always. Thanks also to Kiz and Mitcha for capturing the weekend behind the lens, and to the Garrad family for their constant support and company. We’re lucky to have you all.
One more to go for the season. Bring on Aka!
Outright Placing: 8th / 25
Class Placing: 2nd
Rally Gippsland delivered a brilliant weekend for the Crest team, with a mix of fast flowing stages, tricky damp sections and even more challenging rough spots, a strong result capped it off.
We kicked things off with recce on Friday, pushing through all 10 stages before joining the rally show @ Sale in the evening. Competition began Saturday, with six stages through the afternoon followed by four more under the stars to wrap up the event.
Conditions were near perfect. Mostly sunny skies made for grippy, fast roads, although some shaded sections still held standing water and moisture from overnight rain.
Taylah was back in the navigator's seat and our crew of Mitch, Ray, Glenda and Jaidyn had us covered in service. Having that little family behind us is something I'll never take for granted. Rallying is about the team as much as it is the car and it's an incredible feeling knowing you're driving back into safe hands.
The little Lancer didn't miss a beat the whole day. Some of the rougher sections had us concerned, but the car's lightness combined with a conservative racing line kept us clear of the stumps that unfortunately caught a few others out.
Our goal was the same as Rally Barossa: finish, learn, and continue building the partnership in the car. I focused on pushing harder in SS1 and SS2 to get into rhythm earlier, and it paid off. Our pace felt strong from the start. The biggest challenge came at night. Limited bonnet mounted lighting meant that my vision on climbs and dips was shortened, forcing me to back off at times. Even so, SS7 and SS9 stood out as real highlights alongside some of the fast and flowing stages from the first loop.
Best of all, there was no shortage of laughs in the car with Tay, and having the crew meet us at remote refuel was a real morale boost. We went well beyond what I'd hoped for and to come away with such a solid result was so incredibly rewarding. A huge thank you to our sponsors, and to MPM for capturing the weekend with some really awesome video.
Onwards and upwards,
Matt & Tay
Outright Placing: 15th / 32
2WD Placing: 6th
Class Placing: 1st
Coming into Rally Barossa, I set some fairly simple goals: stay open-minded, learn as much as I could, and most of all, just aim to finish. This was my first time rallying to pacenotes, as well as my first event with new navigator Taylah Garrad — a good friend and last year’s ARC Junior Cup Champion.
Tay and I decided to split reconnaissance between Thursday and Friday, making use of the 15-hour window available across the two days. I found straight away that the practice we’d done over the past few months really paid off. I was able to settle into calling corners reasonably quickly and accurately. I spent some time figuring out whether or not to call certain brows and fast short corners, but Tay provided some guidance and we worked through it. Recce was a completely new experience for me — tiring in a different way — but we made the most of the opportunity and turned it into a really positive learning curve.
The rally opened with three special stages under the cover of darkness. We approached them cautiously, not wanting to overstep in a cold car, and worked up a rhythm as we went. Picking up the pace in SS2, we rolled into SS3 hot and had a solid crack — and the times showed it. After service and a thorough once-over from Ray, Mitch, and Jaidyn, the Lancer was parked up in parc fermé sitting 10th outright.
Come daylight, we charged harder with growing confidence, picking up even more speed throughout the day. The format saw us complete three stages, a service, three more, another service, and then two to finish. With a surprising number of retirements and our increasing pace, we steadily made up positions throughout the day.
In the end, we finished 6th outright out of 17 starters, and 2nd in the 2WD class. We were chasing P1 all day and made up solid margins after the first service, but it just wasn’t quite enough to clinch the top spot. That said, we were absolutely thrilled with such a strong and positive result from the weekend.
A huge thank you to our crew — Mitch, Ray, Jaidyn, Matt, Molly, Guy, and Kiz. The weekend wouldn’t have been the same without you all.
Onwards and upwards,
Matt & Tay
Outright Placing: 6th / 17
Class Placing: 2nd
We knew what the goal was from the start, and that was to simply make it to the end. And that's exactly what we did. Heading out into the stages around 7pm, darkness had enveloped the forests around Heathcote only interrupted every two minutes by the blinding lights of a rally car. Both Matt and Nic had to push through as fatigue was a big challenge but with a little bit of grit and solid teamwork, they brought it home completing 7 stages and around 160 competitve kilometers in the gravel.
Outright Placing: 22nd / 54
Class Placing: 5th / 12
Grading Placing: 5th / 13
Our first outing at Ada River was a huge success. The roads around Noojee in North East Victoria really presented the opportunity for Matt to play with how he sets the car up for corners with regard to his driving style, both the slow and high speed types. Flowing and easy to read roads, along with heaps of seat time this year gave Matt the confidence to push a bit harder than he typically would, particularly in the last three stages. Nic was on-song doing a sensational job on the notes which provided further performance from the duo. The Lancer as always, performed flawlessly. We asked quite a lot of it on long charges uphill, and it hung in there the whole time sitting for extended periods at high revs. Good little car.
Outright Placing: 10th / 32
Class Placing: 2nd / 5
Grading Placing: 2nd / 11
