2009 Australian Rally Championship


The 2009 Australian Rally Championship season is the 42nd season in the history of the competition.
It is also the first since the mid-1980s to take place with no significant manufacturer support after Toyota withdrew its support of the Bates Motor Sport rally team which has competed as Toyota Team Australia since the early 1990s. Toyota did fund the team's final appearance at the tarmac Rally Tasmania, but after that Neal Bates had to find other sources of funding for his Corolla. Simon Evans left the team, taking up the reins of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX under the banner of his own personal building business. Despite this setback, Evans and his wife Sue regained the title they had lost the previous year to their now former boss. Bates could only manage third in the title, finishing behind one of the Corollas he had previously built to the Group N+ regulations, driven by an ever-consistent Glen Raymond. Evans younger brother Eli slipped to fourth in the standings after beating Simon into second position last year.

The Rallies

The 2009 season featured six rallies, the first five of which contribute to the drivers' title. The sixth, the newly reinstated Rally Australia, will contribute only to the manufacturers standings.
RoundRallyDate
1Rally Tasmania13–15 February
2Rally of Canberra7–8 March
3Quit Forest Rally3–5 April
4Rally Queensland9–10 May
5Sprints Auto Parts Rally SA31 July-2 August
6Repco Rally Australia3–6 September

Teams & Drivers

The following are the competitors from the 2009 ARC season.
TeamManufacturerNumberDriverCo-DriverClass
Bates Motor SportToyota1Neal BatesCoral TaylorSuper 2000
Bates Motor SportToyota3Simon EvansSue EvansSuper 2000
TankformersSubaru2Eli EvansChris MurphyGroup N
Simons BuildersMitsubishi3Simon EvansSue EvansGroup N
Spencer LowndesMitsubishi4Spencer LowndesChris RandellGroup N
Raymond Partner AccountingToyota5Glen RaymondMatt RaymondGroup N P
Maximum MotorsportSubaru6Dean HerridgeGlen WestonGroup N
Activ RallysportMitsubishi7Justin DowelMatt LeePRC
Les Walkden RallyingSubaru8Brendan ReevesRhianon SmythGroup N
Wauchope MotorsSubaru9Michael BoadenHelen CheersPRC
Kumhyo TyresSubaru10Tony SullensJulia BarkleyPRC
OzTec SuspensionMitsubishi11Steven ShepheardJohn McCarthyPRC
Kiplings BakeryMitsubishi12Brett KiplingDarren MastersPRC
Nathan QuinnMitsubishi12Nathan QuinnDavid GreenGroup N
Total MotorsportSubaru12Craig BrooksTony JacksonGroup N
Matt van TuinenSubaru14Matt van TuinenDaniel WilsonPRC
Fullerton Financial ServicesMitsubishi16Bruce FullertonHugh Reardon-SmithPRC
Fullerton Financial ServicesMitsubishi19Ryan SmartRebecca SmartPRC
Allquip AustraliaFord17Barney HoganDarren GraingerGroup N
Marlin AustraliaSubaru24John Murray SeniorBob Selby-WoodPRC
Barry Kirk RallyingMazda
Mitsubishi		32Barry KirkLisa Reed White

Drivers Championship