2001 Australian Rally Championship

Table of Contents

Series Regulations
Events
Pointscores
Class Winners

The makeup of the ARC became a matter of some controversy this year as Rally South Australia was re-launched as a round. But the television deal with Network Ten did not extend to six rounds, requiring a round to be dropped. The popular Coffs Harbour round was axed, ostensibly on the basis of some “safety issues”, but it was an unpopular decision with many competitors.

Uncontroversial was Possum Bourne’s dominance of the season. Back with fellow Kiwi Craig Vincent as co-driver from Round 2 and in the final year of the WRC Subaru, Bourne won nine of the ten heats. Bates and Taylor in the WRC Corolla won the first heat in WA and then consistently placed second. Cody Crocker and Greg Foletta in the Group N Subaru continued to impress and won the Group N award from Ed Ordynski and Iain Stewart in the Lancer Evo7.

Subaru won the Manufacturers title which we believe also included Rally of Canberra and possible also Rally Australia.

To see other years of the ARC, go to the series page.

Series Regulations

Eligibility was Australian PRC and Group N.

Points were awarded down to outright tenth, 20-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 on each heat with a 50% bonus on the two heats of the final round. The best four events (up to 8 heats) were counted.

Classes were the same as the previous year with four 2WD and two 4WD class within PRC, four capacity classes within Group N. The two 4WD PRC classes were not based on capacity but on lists determined by ARCOM, essentially based on technology and cost. Points in classes used the 9-6-4-3-2-1 for each heat with a 50% bonus on the final round, again with the best four events to count. Class awards required points to be scored in at least two rounds.

The Manufacturers award appears to have been opened up to both PRC and Group N.

Events

There were again only five rounds this year with South Australia rejoining the championship at the expense of NSW. Each round had two heats. Click on each round to see results and more details.

Forest Rally (WA), results in May Unicar
Rally Queensland, results in June Unicar
Rally SA results in July Unicar
Saxon Safari (Tas) results in August Unicar
Rally of Melbourne

Pointscores

Outright Drivers Pointscores

Place	Driver	State	WA		Qld		SA		Tas		Vic		Total
1	Possum Bourne	NZ	16	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	30	30	180 (216)
2	Neal Bates	ACT	20	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	24	24	148 (180)
3	Cody Crocker	Vic	12	14		14	12	14	14	14	21	21	124 (136)
4	Ed Ordynski	SA	14	12	14	12	14	12	12	12	18	9	108 (129)
5	Dean Herridge	WA	10	10	10		10	6	10		15	18	89
6	Stuart Warren	WA			1	2	6	4	8	4	12	15	52
7	Spencer Lowndes	Vic			8		8	8	4	8	9	6	51
8	Mark Thompson	NSW		8		6		10	1	10	6		41
9	Simon Evans	Vic				8			6	6		12	32
10	Scott Pedder	Vic			12	10							22
11	John Goasdoue	Qld	7		6								13
12	Alex Stone	WA	4	6									10
13=	Stewart Reid	Qld	7										7
13=	Sam Brand	SA			2	4	1						7
15=	Michael Boaden	NSW					2				3	1½	6½
15=	Martin Lintott	NSW								2	1½	3	6½
17=	Tolley Challis	WA		4				1		1			6
17=	Brett Middleton	NSW					4	2					6
19=	Steven Sheheard	Qld	2						2				4
19=	Adrian Bukmanis	Qld			4								4
21	Stephen Handbury	Vic		2									2
22=	Osamu Yamaguchi	NSW	1										1
22=	Steve Winwood	SA		1									1
22=	Peter Roberts	NSW				1							1

Outright Co-drivers Pointscores

Place	Co-Driver	State	WA		Qld		SA		Tas		Vic		Total
1	Craig Vincent	NZ			20	20	20	20	20	20	30	30	180
2	Coral Taylor	NSW	20	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	24	24	148 (180)
3	Greg Foletta	Vic	12	14		14	12	14	14	14	21	21	124 (136)
4	Iain Stewart	Qld	14	12	14	12	14	12	12	12	18	9	108 (129)
5	Jim Carlton	WA	10	10	10		10	6	10		15	18	89
6	Darryl Judd	NSW			1	2	6	4	8	4	12	15	52
7	Chris Randell	Vic			8		8	8	4	8	9	6	51
8	Mark Stacey	Qld	16	20									36
9	Sue Evans	Vic				8			6	6		12	32
10	Dave Boddy	NSW						10	1	10	6		27
11	Paul Humm	Vic			12	10							22
12	Glen Weston	Qld	7		6								13
13	Dianna Madlener	WA	4	6									10
14	Dale Moscatt	NSW		8									8
15=	Michelle Murphy	NSW	7										7
15=	Tim Batten	SA			2	4	1						7
17=	Helen Cheers	NSW					2				3	1½	6½
17=	Tony Jackson	Tas								2	1½	3	6½
19=	Rita Thompson	NSW				6							6
19=	Andrew Benefield	NSW					4	2					6
21=	Dominic Corkeron	Qld	2						2				4
21=	Elio Madelena	WA		4									4
21=	John Ahern	ACT			4								4
24=	Justin Hunt	WA		2									2
24=	Bill Hayes	WA						1		1			2
26=	Phillip Dodd	NSW	1										1
26=	Lofty Drews	Qld		1									1
26=	Jack Terp	NSW				1							1

Class Winners

[P1] PRC 2WD 0-1400cc: David King, Proton Satria, co-driver Brian Reed (with Todd Reed)
[P2] PRC 2WD 1401-1600cc: Andrew Hannigan/ Duncan Jordan, Daihatsu Charade DeTomaso
[P3] PRC 2WD 1601-2000cc: Darren Crozier, Toyota Corolla Seca RV
[P4] PRC 2WD over 2000cc: Andrew Kreig/ Matthew Sanders, Holden Commodore
[P5A] PRC 4WD: Possum Bourne/ Craig Vincent, Subaru Impreza WRC
[P5B] PRC 4WD: Darren Masters, Mazda 323 GTX
[N1] Group N 0-1400cc: Barry Rowe/ Natasha Rowe, Suzuki Swift GTi
[N2] Group N 1401-1600cc: Denise Collins, Honda Civic
[N3] Group N 1601-2000cc: Jim McGough/ Mail Saunders, Nissan Sunny GTi
[N4] Group N over 2000cc: Cody Crocker/ Greg Foletta, Subaru Impreza WRX