Heat One Toyota Rally SA

An excellent 2nd place marked the return of the PBR Team of Paul Batten and John Anderson to the Subaru Rally Challenge. This result followed an exciting battle between the leading drivers of the series – who traded stage times all day with the heat victory going to Eli Evans and Matt McAdam, and 3rd place going to Gavin Mosher and Rita Thompson.

Team driver Paul Batten commented “It was really satisfying to be able to mix it with the top drivers today. We didn’t expect to be this competitive after missing Tasmania, and never having competed in SA before, so second place in today’s heat is incredible for us”.

Suspension settings were an area that Paul hadn’t had the chance to fully explore, but with the experience of the team’s first test under his belt he was able to improve the car. “I started out the day with some settings I had decided on from our recent test in Taree, but I realised early on that they weren’t ideal. I made a few changes at the first service, and that really transformed the handling. It was really nice to drive from then on. It was great to have the confidence that I could change the car setup without taking a backward step.”

The day’s excitement was dampened with the crash of Will Orders and Toni Feaver on the second stage, with all RS challenge competitors slowing to transport speed over the stage.