Mitta Mountain Rally returns

THE annual Mitta Mountain Rally will return to the Mitta Valley for the seventh time since 2016 with over 90 entries ready to ride the valley. This year it is on March 4, only one week before the Mitta Muster. It will be the opening round of the Motorsport Australia Till Hino Victorian Rally Championship and the Hoosier Tyres New South Wales Rally Championship, as well as incorporating the Mitta Masters, a rally for classic cars over thirty years old and classic elderly crews. It is also round 1 of the East Coast Classic Rally Series with rounds in four states, and then there is also a shorter sub event as the opening round of the Victorian Club Rally Series. Overall there will be 80 starters; 34 are entered for the Victorian Championship, 16 for the NSW Championship, 11 for the Mitta Masters, and 22 for the Victorian Club Rally Series event. Outright victory is likely to be fought out by top seeds Riley Walters/Andrew Crowley in a Subaru and Tim Wilkins/Jim Gleeson in a Mitsubishi, both from NSW and Jamie Pohlner/Adam Branford also in an Evo 9 from SA. The Victorian challenge will be in the two–wheel drive and come from Adrian Stratford/Kain Manning in a Toyota Corolla and Brendan Reeves/Kate Raymond in a Datsun 1600. The Mitta Masters looks to be dominated again as in previous years by the classy classic BDG Ford Escorts, in the hands of previous winners all the way from Ireland, Tom Dermody/Eoin Moynihan, and former champion Ian Hill/Phil Bonser. Local crews include Jason Lennane/Jasmine Lockley in a Honda Civic from Myrtleford, and the two car Wodonga Car World team of Lochy Reed/Lucas Reed in a Ford Fiesta and Thomas West/Steve Dunbar in a Hyundai Excel. Event sponsor Gordon Douglas is making a return to the sport after many years out of the action in his Ford Escort, accompanied by Will Murphy. The rally will be based at the Mitta Recreation Reserve, looping out into surrounding forest and shire roads for closed road competitive stages and back to the service park for rest, refreshment and car maintenance. Starting at 8.30am the first loop will head north in and around the Bullhead Range, while the final loop will head south towards Mt Wills. Crews will arrive for the finish from 3pm to 6.30pm, when a champagne presentation will be held for the podium finishers. The day's activities will conclude with a presentation function at the Mitta Pub on Saturday night, where the event patron, Warwick Smith, a former national and state rally champion will present trophies, including a cup in his name for the winner of the Mitta Masters event. Anyone wanting to venture out the bush to see the cars in action can grab a spectator guide from the Eskdale, Mitta or Dartmouth stores from Friday morning. The rally organisers, the Albury Wodonga and District Car Club in partnership with the North Eastern Car Club have appreciated the sponsorship of Border Oils and Batteries and the local cooperation from the Mitta Recreation Reserve committee, Towong Shire, Forest Fire Management Victoria, VicForests, Police, CFA, SES and Ambulance as well as local landholders.

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