Victorian driver Rowan Wollard and South Australian driver Sandy Nott have taken the honours in the Kumho Future Champions Award at round three of the Bosch Australian Rally Championship, the Scouts Rally of South Australia in the Barossa Valley.
The Kumho Future Champions Award is this year being presented to the winners of the Rallyschool.com.au Junior Australian Rally Challenge at each round of the championship.
Sandy Nott, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV, took the honours in the four wheel drive section of the Junior Challenge while Rowan Wollard powered his Datsun P510 to a win in the two wheel drive section of the series.
The pair have now qualified for the final of the Rallyschool Junior Australian Rally Challenge which will be run as part of the Bosch ARC section of Rally Australia, the Coffs Coast Rally at Coffs Harbour in September, with the respective winners of 2WD and 4WD categories receiving drives and assistance in the final round of the Bosch ARC in November at Rally Victoria.
For winning the Future Champions Award both Wollard and Nott each receive four Kumho rally tyres or use in a future event, the prize having a total value of close to $2000.
Nott, a 27 year old driver from Adelaide, was co driven by fellow South Aussie David Langfield, the pair taking equal second outright in the South Australian Championship section of the rally after a close rally long tussle with Tristan Kent in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II, the young Canberra driver falling just two points short of Nott's total across both heats.
The Rallyschool Junior Australian Rally Challenge allocates points to the contestants with three points for fastest on each stage, two for second fastest and one for third in both the two-wheel drive and four wheel drive categories.
Nott scored six fastest times while Kent was fastest Junior Challenge 4WD driver on five stages across the weekend giving the South Australian the final 4WD spot in the final at Coffs Harbour.
Rowan Wollard and co-driver Phil Hurle dominated the 2WD category in their Datsun being fastest 2WD challenge competitor on seven of the 14 stages securing the Kumho Future Champions Award as well as a spot in the two wheel drive final at Coffs.
They will be joined at Coffs Harbour by the second qualifiers Brendan Brown/Adam Wright in their Datsun 180B along with third placed Matthew Amos/Zoey Gillies in their Holden Ute who take the final 2WD qualifiers spot for the RJARC.
Nott praised Kumho's backing of the Future Champions Award adding that the assistance is a major boost to junior rallying where every bit of assistance is important in paying all the bills.
"The Kumhos were really impressive, they performed brilliantly and it will be great to use the ones we have won here in SA when we get to Coffs Harbour in the final," said Sandy Nott.
Rowan Wollard was equally impressed and is eager to go to the final to try and win the fully paid drive at the final Bosch ARC round and his home event Rally Victoria at the end of the year.
The Kumho Future Champions Award has been designed to assist and encourage the young drivers taking part in the Rallyschool.com.au Junior Australian Rally Challenge helping them to step up to the top levels of the sport and give an incentive to continue in what is a demanding and expensive sport.
As control tyre supplier, Kumho is putting its backing into the Australian Rally Championship with a reduction in the cost of tyres, encouragement awards and a significant rights fees going to the sport.
The three highest points scorers from each of the qualifying rounds, along with a 'wildcard' to be chosen by a Bosch ARC appointed panel, will be eligible for the ten spots available in the two wheel drive final in the Bosch ARC section the Coffs Coast Rally at Rally Australia.
In the four wheel drive section the highest point scorer from each of the three qualifying rounds plus a 'wildcard' will be eligible for the four positions available for the category final.
The winning two wheel drive crew at Coffs Harbour will receive a fully paid drive in a Rallyschool.com.au Unrestricted ARC Car in the outright section at Rally Victoria along with a full day's tuition with reigning ARC champs Simon and Sue Evans.
The overall four wheel drive winner in the RJARC will receive a free entry at this year's Rally Victoria, with eight rally tyres from Kumho, $2000 to assist with conversion of their car from PRC/Group N to ARC Car and a full day's tuition from Simon and Sue Evans, a package totalling more than $6000.
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