News November 27 2006

Lamborghini whitewash at Mt Buller...

...and De Tomaso puts in a good showing too

Tasmania's Jason and John White have taken the honours at the Mt Buller Sprint, breaking the record for the fastest run in the process. The nephew-and-uncle duo (2006 Lamborghini Gallardo) posted an 8m42.82s run on stage seven of the eight runs up the 16km tourist road to the Victorian alpine village, eclipsing the previous record of 8m45.50s posted by Jim Richards and Barry Oliver in January 2005 in their 2003 Porsche GT2.

White/White finished with a total time of 1:11:00.91 for the eight runs that made up the event which was run over three days, November 4-6 inclusive.

In second place, making their tarmac rally debut, were gravel rally specialists Cody Crocker and Ben Atkinson (Les Walkden Rallying/Subaru Motorsport), with a total time of 1:11:06.48. On the seventh stage, the three-time Australian rally champion and 2006 Asia-Pacific champion actually broke Richards' record, with an 8m44.49s run.

Crocker and Atkinson (2006 Subaru Impreza WRX Spec C) held the honour for exactly 30 seconds until the Whites crossed the finish line. The Subaru duo posted their quickest run on the final dash, with an 8m43.62s. Third place went to Warwick Rooklyn and Linda Long (Team Mitsubishi Ralliart) in a 2005 Evo 9 with a total time of 1:11:21.32. Their quickest run up the 16km stage was their seventh, 8m47.11s.

Ray Vandersee and Jahmeil Taylor finished fourth (1:12:04.10) in Vandersee's creation, the Skelta G-Force sportscar, while husband and wife duo Matt and and Casey Close rounded out the top five, finishing with a total of 1:12.20.92 in their 2000 Porsche Turbo. Vandersee's 8m46.61s on the final stage was the third fastest time of the weekend.

In the classic division (pre-1981), first place and 18th outright went to the father/son combination of Laurie and Daniel Burton in a 1978 Morgan Plus 8, second (20th outright) to Keith and Mary-Anne Callinan in a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera and third (30th outright) to Hamish Gibson and Ben Scott in a 1980 VC Commodore HDT.

This is the fourth time the Mt Buller Sprint has been run, and the second time this year. The event was moved from its traditional January long weekend date to the new time slot in November, to allow for cooler and safer road conditions.

Eighty cars started the event with 53 entries completing the full eight stages. Others crossed the finish line of Stage Eight after repairing mechanical problems or panel damage from offroad excursions - but there were no injuries. The most high-profile non-finisher was the two-time winning partnership (2005, January 2006) of Jim Richards and Barry Oliver. The pair entered a brand-new Porsche 977 Turbo but a glitch in the engine management computer prevented them posting a result on the very first stage (Friday, November 4) and proved too difficult to repair in the service park.

Runners-up in the January event and starters in this round were Tony Quinn and Keith Wenn in another Porsche 977 Turbo, but they had fuel surge problems in Stage Two. They re-started but were never again in contention for final honours.

Event director Peter Washington would like to thank clerk of course Wayne Kenny and his team, the volunteer officials, Mazda and Mitsubishi, Motorsport Safety and Rescue, Mt Buller CFA and the Mt Buller Resort Management Board.

The Mt Buller Sprint is a fully CAMS-sanctioned event for driver and co-driver (navigator). Competitors must have a high-level competition licence and wear fireproof racesuits and helmets. Their vehicles must meet stringent safety guidelines, including rollcage, fire extinguisher and safety harnesses.

More information and full results are available on the website: www.mtbullersprint.com