The 2006 Rally of the Manning Valley, held around Coopernook and Taree saw the Lancer Evolution III of Wingham’s Dave Darby and Sydney co driver Jamie Neale take Dave’s first ever state championship victory in the first round of the 2006 season. Despite an intermittent heat related engine drama the pair held off last year’s winner and NSW Rally Champion Michael Boaden, from Wauchope, co driven by his sister, Helen Cheers, in their newer Lancer Evolution VII.
Second in the rally means that Boaden takes the lead in the NSW State championship as Darby is only registered for the Northern NSW Series.
Third outright was the new car owned by Michael South, a Spec C Impreza co driven by the current Australian co drivers champion, Dale Moscatt. Steve Slade and Con Constantine took fourth in their newly acquired Lancer Evolution IV. Rounding out the top five was Sydney’s Darren ‘Dasha’ Williams and Grant Geelan in an ex works Ralliart Lancer Evo III.
An inter Canberra stoush between the Lancers of Richard Leitis and Robin Mules and Mark Sessions and Martino Ellero was decided in the favour of Leitis. Both drivers refused to look at their stage times during the event, neither knowing who had beaten whom until the presentation at the end of the event!
Tenth and the first 2WD car was the Corolla Levin of Steve Forsberg from the Central Coast and co driver Tommi Flegl. They also won class P2. Class P4 and eleventh was Peter Ewing and Lizzy Ferme and their Datsun Stanza. Class N4, and 12th outright, was won by Armidale driver Richard Opie and Sydney co driver Nigel Walters in their Lancer Evo IV.
Class P3 and 18th outright was up and coming lady driver Molly Taylor, daughter of ex Aussie co driver champion Coral Taylor and rally driver dad Mark Taylor. P6 was won by Pete Neal and Megan Quin in their Subaru Legacy, along with 13th outright.
The Excel series was a battle between Glenn Farrant and Anna Ritson from Sydney, until they went off on Stage 8, so the win was taken by the revitalised Excel of Mick Gillett and Marek Dzidowski.
The rally was organised by the Central North Coast Sporting Car Club, who would like to thank the following businesses and organisations, who without them the rally would not run – Mid Coast Ford, Taree Leagues and Sports Club, Total Automotive Services, Manning Communications and State Forests of NSW.
Full results can be found
here.
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