Dusty roads for O’Connell in Australia

Perth-based Kenmare co-driver Murish O’Connell and his driver Glenn Cawood finished fourth on Saturday’s Bakers Hill-based Winvale Park Rally – the  opening round of the Western Australia Clubman’s Rally Championship. 

The Mitsubishi Lancer crew overcame a faulty handbrake system and air intake issues but also managed to set some fastest times on the event that used stages that were previously part of the Rally Australia WRC route.  

 
“We had a bit of a mixed day, but happy with our pace and to finish,” said O’Connell. “The stages were very loose in places , and very dusty  and rutted. We went round a hairpin on stage eight  and the air intake scooped up a pile of dust , and stalled the engine so we were stopped for three minutes to clean out the filter. We had a minor issue with the hydraulic handbrake getting stuck-on during the fourth stage which made some corners interesting , but we got it sorted for stage wins on three stages.” 

Meanwhile, David Thomas, who was driving the Killarney Autos Pty sponsored Subaru Impreza finished eighth place overall.