It’s ‘back to the future’ for Dean Herridge, as he winds back the clock to jump back into a Maximum Motorsport Subaru WRX STI at this weekend’s Kennards Hire Rally Australia.
With regular Maximum Motorsport driver Brad Markovic sidelined after back surgery, the opportunity arose for Dean to compete in a WRC event for the first time in 11 years.
“The last time was here in Perth back in the 2006 Rally Australia. I grabbed one of my best results with third in PWRC and first Aussie home. But I’m not expecting to match that result this time!”
“I’ve only had few outings on gravel in the last couple years. But with Brad out until next season and John O’Dowd competing for the ARC2 title in Coffs Harbour, the opportunity was there to dust the helmet off and once again compete against the world’s best.”
Joining Dean in the #71 Subaru WRX STI is Sam Hill, who is no stranger himself to WRC events having co-driven at previous Rally Australias, the last time in 2015 with Mark Beard.
“It will be great having Sam in car. He’s done a few of the Safari events with Dad over the last couple of years, as well as co-driving for Tom Wilde in our team last year. So he’s got plenty of experience. Although we’re competing in the WRC category, there’s no pressure to come away with a result. The plan is to do the best we can, drie hard and get some exposure for our supporters along the way.”
The Kennards Hire Rally Australia starts this Friday in Coffs Harbour, with podium finish on Sunday afternoon.