1980 Celica amongst classics to feature in Queensland Rally
The International Rally of Queensland on 25-27 May will feature a special Australian Classic Rally Challenge for pre-1986 cars. As such, spectators can expect a journey back in time experience that will bring them up close with classics such as the Ford Escort RS1800, Porsche 911, Datsun Stanza, and Datsun 240Z.
One of the bigger attractions of this category, at least for the local crowd, will be the return of four-time Australian Rally Champions Neal Bates and Coral Taylor from a two-year hiatus in a 1980 RA40 Toyota Celica decked with the proper red-and-white ‘works’ livery of its era.
Bates had bought the car from eBay, and converted it into a faithful replica of the Celica WRC racer from the confines of his workshop in Canberra. The car had already seen action last week, winning the Classic Challenge at Rally Calder in Melbourne last weekend.
Event Director Errol Bailey spoke enthusiastically of the Classic car category, saying that, “The Classic cars might be ‘old’ in the strict sense, but the fans love to see them because they slide much more and make more noise than modern rally cars and are usually beautifully presented in the original liveries of the era.”
“Neal and Coral have always been especially popular with Queensland fans not only for their wins here in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2008 but also for their approachability. They are two of the biggest stars in the sport, yet always make time for their supporters wherever they go,” Bailey added.
That weekend will also see action from the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and the Bosch Australian Rally Championship and other supporting categories. Drivers racing in the APRC category will hail from 10 different countries, and they include Proton drivers Alister McRae and P-G Andersson in addition to Malaysian hero Karamjit Singh.
As an aside, it is also interesting to note that the rally’s organizers have selected the Proton Satria Neo S2000 as its ‘poster car’ on the event’s official website.
KON
Pictures: Official International Rally of Queensland release.
