This year’s ARC promised to be closely fought and so it proved to be. Subaru had Imprezas for Cody Crocker and Dean Herridge. Reigning champion, Possum Bourne, embarked on a program in the WRC Group N championship, which sadly was cut short by his tragic death in April. Mitsubishi fielded two Lancer Evo7s for Ed Ordynski and Spencer Lowndes. Young Finnish hopeful, Juha Kangas, came to Australia to get plenty of experience, and would prove to be very capable in a Ralliart Lancer Evo7. Toyota was developing its Corolla Sportivo protoype car, debuted by Neal Bates at the final round in 2002, and two cars would driven by Neal and brother Rick. Then there were a host of promising privateers, the most notable being Simon and Sue Evans in a new Impreza. Chris Atkinson had been a possibility but took up an offer to drive a Suzuki Ignis S1600 in the APRC. Sydney driver Mark Thompson, after a year competing in the UK, would run Atkinson’s Subaru. The Pedders team were fielding a Lancer Evo6 for brothers Scott and Mark.
Crocker and Foletta showed the best early form taking five straight heat wins before Ordynski, with co-driver Iain Stewart, took the next three, including Ordynski’s home round in South Australia. Rally of Melbourne went to locals, with Evans taking Heat 1 and Scott Pedder Heat 2. Crocker and Foletta sealed the championship with a win on Heat 1 of the final round in Tassie while Kangas, with co-driver Julia Rabbett, won the final round to take third in the championship behind Ordynski and Stewart.
Perhaps the disappointment of the year was the performance of the Corollas, still under development and unable to match the pace of the Subarus and Lancers. Neal Bates’ best heat performances were fifth in Rally SA and fourth in Tassie.
Subaru again 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.
