Trevor Stilling and Larisa Biggar have set their sights on securing a 2WD class win at the Kennards Hire Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour on 14-17 November. Stilling and Bigger are in good form having won the 2WD class in Round 5 of the Australian Rally championship in Adelaide last month. Rally Australia hosts the final rounds of the world rally championship and the Australian Rally championship series.
Despite started his season late in 2019, Stilling's second place 2WD class in his first outing in the Nissan Silvia at Ballarat and his 2WD win in the Adelaide Hills event cemented his second place in the 2WD Australian Rally Championship series, within striking distance of the leader.
Ethan Pickstock currently leads the 2WD championship after completing three rounds in the series. Pickstock with navigator, Lisi Phillips will be competing in BMW 318ti car 97 starting behind second place series contender Trevor Stilling at Coffs Harbour.
Third placed 2WD ARC series contender, Jason Lennan, aboard the Proton Satria, also has his eye on the 2WD top three championship positions and is expected to put pressure on Stilling and Pickstock for the final placings.
With over 30 years of experience as a rally driver, Trevor Stilling will not let the strong competition distract him from his overall goal of finishing the event with enough points for the 2WD series championship. 'We need to win the 2WD class and try and get as many points as possible', said Stilling. Stilling is no stranger to championship competitions as he was the run-away winner of the 2017 Australian Classic Rally Challenge series driving a Datsun Stanza.
When asked about his strategy for the event and the 2WD battle for the top three placings Stilling said, 'We have to do our own thing. We need to make sure we get it right and make it to the end of the rally.'
Stilling's Nissan Silvia rally car was a crowd favourite in the last two rounds of the Australian rally Championship series with the car paintwork of 'Lightening McQueen'. It is also expected to gain attention of the spectators at Coffs harbour with its distinctive design. 'The previous owner designed the car for his children,' said Stilling. 'Our fans liked it, especially the families, so we kept the design'.
Trevor Stilling with co-driver Larisa Biggar attributes Waterhouse Performance Sydney, Endurance Automotive Queanbeyan and V Sport Canberra for preparing their Nissan Silvia for the Rally of Australia event. 'The team have put in a huge effort to get our car right and ready for the action, so we are cautiously optimistic. It's a big ask we have some strong competition however we are going there with the intention to win our class so we will be giving it our best shot', said Stilling.
Sponsor Simply Music Management stated, 'we knew the car was still being developed but Trevor's win in the Adelaide 2WD Championship round exceeded our expectations. We back the Stilling and Biggar team not just for their competitive spirit but also for their generosity with their fans and support for us sponsors'.
Stilling is counting on the work completed on the Nissan Silvia, the experience of navigator Larisa Biggar and support from his team to give him a good chance for the 2WD championship. 'It was great to get my first win in the 2WD class at Adelaide this followed closely after our second place 2WD result in Ballarat placed us in second overall position in the championship with a shot at the title', said Stilling.
The other competitors expected to be closely contesting the Australian Rally Championship (ARC) series in the Kennards Hire Rally Australia is Subaru do Motorsport's Molly Taylor and Malcolm Read, with the duo locked in a tight battle for outright runner-up honours with Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia's Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin. There is also an exciting duel for the World Rally championship (WRC) manufacturer award between Toyota and Hyundai with WRC leader Ott Tanak recently announcing a move from Toyota to current leading manufacturers team Hyundai in 2020. Rally of Australia hosts some of the worlds and Australia's best rally teams. Spectators can purchase tickets to Kennards Hire Rally of Australia Coffs Harbour from Ticketek.com.au.
