GOOSEBERRY Hill driver John O’Dowd will be vying for the WA Rally Championship title when he competes in the rough and tough Carringtons Safari Rally around Chidlow this weekend.
“It’s going to be a fight to the end,” he said.
O’Dowd and co-driver Ken Sheil are second on the 2017 CAMS Onslow Contracting WA Rally Championship leaderboard ahead of the sixth and final event of the season.
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READ NOWThe pair is trailing Tom Wilde and Madelin Kirkhouse, who have provided strong competition all year, but there are still 80 points available for a win.
“We’ve had some great battles,” O’Dowd said.
“What Ken and I need at the safari, though, is a strong finish and a little bit of luck so we can steal the championship.”
While O’Dowd is a stalwart on the WARC scene, it’s the first year he’s competed with Irish import Sheil. The pair gelled straight away and have claimed four podium finishes from five WARC rounds so far.
O’Dowd and Sheil have also challenged themselves by heading interstate to compete against the best rally teams from around the country.
Three weeks ago they finished fourth in round four of the CAMS Australian Rally Championship, Lightforce Rally SA.
The Carringtons Safari Rally is regarded as the most gruelling event of the WARC and is run over challenging roads around Chidlow.
“It’s a really technical rally,” O’Dowd said.
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