RSport Rally driver Scott Trinder and navigator Bill Westhead were on the podium finishing in second place at the Cochrane Rally of the Ranchlands held on March 13, 2005! The result puts the RSport team 2nd overall in the 2005 Western Canadian Rally Championship. This podium finish came sooner than the team anticipated, as it was only Scott’s second time driving the right hand drive rally car!

Practice, practice, practice… “I never expected to podium in this event because it was only my second event in the new rally car. After rallying for 13 years in the left seat the adjustment of all of the natural inputs which I have done without thought like shifting and car placement have had to be re-learned. It was not until the last 2 stages of this event that I found myself driving the car naturally and not over thinking,” Scott said. Scott’s increased comfort level showed in the team’s final 2 stages where their speed increased by over 4 seconds per kilometre!

A huge snowstorm transformed the rally route on Saturday night from mostly mud and ice to 7 inches of fresh powder and glare ice patches. The snowstorm covered the back roads making it impossible to get the team’s service vehicle into service. “Thanks to Warren Currie we were able to transport our fuel into service with their 4x4 truck,” Scott said.

Scott was car number 1 and subsequently became the rally snowplow, clearing the single-track roads for the other cars behind. “We seriously considered entering the first stage 2 minutes late, incurring a 20-second road penalty in order to become car 2 on the road and no longer the first competitive vehicle to clear the way. In the end we chose not to and in hindsight feel that this decision and the 20 seconds would have been easily re-gained once a rally line was cleared,” Scott said.

“Scott drove smart this weekend and it would have been very easy for him to try to get up to speed sooner in the right seat but as we did not have our service vehicle he decided to concentrate on a finish looking ahead at our main goal the Western Canadian Rally Championship,” Bill said. The teams finish secured valuable points and the balance of the Championship looks exciting with stiff competition from those dedicated to the season.

The next event for the Team will be the Oregon Trail Pro Rally where Bob Trinder will be driving the car with Andy White as navigator. The next event in the Western Canadian Rally Championship is the Rocky Mountain Rally held in Calgary, Alberta this May.

For more information on rallying logo onto:

RSport Rally RallyBC Special Stage Western Driver Magazine

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