Top left: John O’Dowd in the Rally.
Camera IconTop left: John O’Dowd in the Rally. Credit: Supplied/Supplied, John Doutch

Australian Rally Championship: capital experience for Hills drivers

Lucy JarvisMidland Kalamunda Reporter

Kalamunda driver Brad Markovic said his confidence was high as he prepares for the National Capital Rally from May 26-28.

The event follows Markovic’s first ARC podium finish in third place at the Make Smoking History Forest Rally last month in the South-West.

“It was such a great feeling and a huge achievement so early in the season,” he said.

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“We went out in the Auto One Subaru and just tried to find our own pace, rather than focusing on stage times.

“It was a strategy that worked really well for us, so we’ll use the same plan for the National Capital Rally.”

The Canberra event has attracted 49 entries, including 16 teams from nine countries for the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) division.

Markovic, who is the highest-placed Australian driver in the APRC competition, said he entered the top-tier section for the experience and the international exposure.

“It’s an opportunity to gain further experience and for both us and our sponsors to feature in media coverage across the Asia Pacific region,” he said.

The National Capital Rally is a technical event and Markovic said he and co-driver Toni Feaver were up for the challenge.

“It’s a unique event because the road surface used on Saturday is quite different to what we use on Sunday,” he said.

“There’s two different types of gravel and it almost makes it two events in one.

“The variety and challenge that presents is something we’re really looking forward to.”

Gooseberry Hill driver John O’Dowd will also compete in the APRC section, lining up with drivers from India, Finland and Japan.

“It’s really exciting because ARC is the highest tier I’ve done up until now,” he said.

“It’s a huge opportunity and I’m really excited about sharing the roads with some very talented international drivers.”

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