MECHANICAL problems and stage cancellations conspired against Wedderburn driver Brendan Reeves during round four of the Australian Rally Championship.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Reeves battled hard in tough conditions at Scouts Rally SA in the Adelaide hills last weekend, finishing the three-day event second overall behind Scott Pedder.
He went into the race with a 16-point lead over Pedder in the 2014 ARC series, but has now fallen five points behind his rival.
It was a frustrating result for Reeves and his co-driving sister, Rhianon Gelsomino.
The pair lost the use of the windscreen wipers on their Mazda3 during heat one on Friday, suffered battery and balance problems in the early stages of heat two on Saturday, then lost a wheel during heat three on Sunday.
With several stage cancellations each day due to accidents and impassable roads following heavy rain, Reeves was never able to truly hit his straps in the muddy, slippery conditions.
He remained upbeat afterwards, posting on Facebook he was already looking forward to his next race.
“It’s nice to end a difficult weekend with second outright,” Reeves wrote.
“Eight cancelled stages, broken wipers, flat battery, broken alternator, losing a rear wheel (were) some of the things thrown at us, but very happy to recover well... Bring on Rally Australia.”
The next round of the Australian Rally Championship is the Coates Hire Rally Australia, to be held around Coffs Harbour from September 11 to 14.
Pedder leads the ARC series on 301 points, with Reeves close behind on 296.
