Two times Targa Tasmania winner Jason White has confirmed he will compete in the inaugural Rally Calder presented by East Coast Bullbars.
White will pair up with his uncle, John White, once again in the 2011 spec Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera for the opening round of the CAMS Australian Tarmac Rally Championship and says he’s looking forward to conquering the challenge.
Rally Calder will host both the opening round of the CAMS Australian Tarmac Rally Championship and the opening round of the 2012 Bosch Australian Rally Championship The exciting addition to the CAMS Tarmac Rally Supplementary Regulations for Rally Calder is the ability for Targa eligible vehicles to enter the event and win event awards- all of this designed to bring the very best tarmac rally cars to an event designed to showcase the sport of rallying.
“I’m very excited for a few reasons. Rally Calder is a completely different environment and a new challenge.” he explained.
“It’s a very different event to the Targa events we usually compete in. In some places it is much tighter than the roads of Targa so it gives us the chance to tune the car for lower speeds and there is also the opportunity to see how fast we can hit on the banked Thunderdome. We have over 600 horsepower so hopefully we can go quick enough to scare us.
“It’s an event with real character and it’s great to see both types of Rally come together for one event. Instead of sitting out in the bush all day there are three days of action which are easily accessible for the fans.
“Unlike Targa events where you do a stage and then wait around for the next stage, there is so much that will be going on at Rally Calder we will be spectating between stages.”
There was no doubt Jason White and his Lamborghini had speed towards the end of 2011. At Mt Buller’s Targa High Country event in November, White and his co-driver uncle John White finished with a four second lead despite crossing the finishing lane in flames – causing close to $20,000 damage to the new car.
Rally Calder is only the second event for White since the fiery finish in the High Country with the Calder event falling in between January’s Targa Wrest Point and April’s Targa Tasmania.
This year White is hoping to repeat his 2010 performance by winning all four Targa events in the same year as well as hoping to take victory at Rally Calder.
Scott Pedder, CEO of the Bosch Australian Rally Championship, says the addition of White to the Rally Calder line up is an indication the event will be of the highest class.
“To have the interest from the likes of Jason White for Rally Calder presented by East Coast Bullbars is a massive coup for the event,” said Scott Pedder.
“The response we have had for ECB Rally Calder has been extremely encouraging. There are solid entry numbers across the various events taking place over the weekend and the quality of the field will be second to none.”
White is an Australian Tarmac Rally regular and comes off back to back wins in the Targa Wrest Point and Targa High Country events.
According to Scott Pedder, White’s entry is an indication of the credibility that Rally Calder presented by East Coast Bullbars has gained from the motorsport fraternity.
“Rally Calder presented by East Coast Bullbars has received astounding support. Already it is attracting some of the big names in Australian rally from both the Bosch Australian Rally Championship and the CAMS Australian Tarmac Rally Championship and is shaping up to be one of the standout events for 2012,” he said.
Rally Calder will be featured via a very special 2-hour national television broadcast of the event on Network Ten with repeats on Channel ONE with the Bosch ARC, CAMS Australian Tarmac Rally Championship, Australian Side by Side Rally Challenge and ARC Just Car Insurance Forum Battle all featured within. Rally Calder, presented by East Coast Bullbars, is round one of a 3-round 2012 CAMS Australian Rally Championship with the Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally and QUIT Targa West part of Australia’s most diverse tarmac rally championship with separate championships for both modern and classic cars.
For more information on Rally Calder, presented by East Coast Bullbars, please follow the Rally Calder links onwww.rally.com.au
Photos courtesy of tarmac-mag.com.au
