A new sponsor and a new era!
After three years of a 2WD ARC, this year saw a return to 4WD cars. The move back to 4WD was largely precipitated by the relative lack of manufacturer support, originally the primary motivation for the adoption of a 2WD only championship. As if to confirm the change, the 2WD Championship continued but attracted only one registered entrant late in the season, Adam Kaplan in a Mazda RX7, who consequently won that award.
But it was not just a move back to 4WD. It was also the wholesale adoption of new vehicle categories, specifically G4, intended to allow G2 cars to be converted to 4WD, and AP4, a joint CAMS/MANZ initiative based on Argentina’s Maxi car concept and intended to allow the development of home-grown kit cars similar to FIA R5 and S2000. From the outset, Justin Dowel campaigned a G4 Hyundai i20 and Mark Pedder the Peugeot 208 Maxi under AP4 rules. Two S2000 Corollas were resurrected for Harry Bates and Adrian Coppin. And a whole gaggle of Subarus re-joined the series, some with factory support, including last year’s runner up, Molly Taylor. The favourite for the series was nevertheless four times Australian Rally Champion, Simon Evans, also in a Subaru.
It turned out to be a three way battle between Simon Evans/ Ben Searcy, Harry Bates/ John McCarthy and Molly Taylor/ Bill Hayes. With only five rounds and all points to count, consistency was vital, and the trio occupied the podium on most rounds. Going into the crucial final round, Rally Australia with 101 points on offer, a mere 6 points separated the three, with Evans holding 5 point advantage over Taylor.
On Day 2 of Rally Australia, Evans had several punctures and finished only seventh. Taylor had also struggled, only finishing fourth on the heat while Bates won the heat and took a points lead, What happened on the final day of 2016 Rally Australia will be talked about for years to come. Evans picked up maximum points on the heat, finishing second behind local Nathan Quinn who was not registered for ARC point, but placed fourth on the overall event. Bates finished the heat sixth and third in the event. Taylor finished third on the heat and looked like finishing second overall to Mark Pedder and Dale Moscatt in the Peugeot, by a mere 21 seconds after three days and almost 300 km of special stages. The points would then be Evans 327, with Taylor and Bates both on 321. But after the excitement died down, it became apparent that Pedder and Moscatt had booked in one minute early at the control prior to the final Power Stage, incurring a 1 minute penalty. This dropped them behind Taylor on the heat and overall, giving Taylor and Hayes 329 points and the championship!
Many years later Simon Evans reflected on the events of November 20, 2016, saying “They say it’s an accident and all that sort of stuff. That’s cool. We know it wasn’t. Dale doesn’t make those mistakes, he’s better than that.” CAMS investigated the incident against its National Competition-Fixing Policy, but found no basis for further action.
The Classic Challenge was again closely fought between Bates and Taylor in the RA40 Celica and Queenslander Clay Badenoch and new co-driver Eoin Moynihan in a similar Celica. But thsi year Bates was dominant, winning al four rounds in which they competed.
To see other years of the ARC, go to the series page
