After what felt like an eternity, finally the day rolled around that would see us kickstart our 2026 rally campaign. The EX Lancer had been given a lot of love over the off season and we were keen to see if the refresh and upgrades would do what we were hoping they’d do. Here’s how it all went down….
A stunning clear dewy morning and zero wind had an ominous sense that dust was going to play a major factor early on, and it did. There were times through SS1 (Te Akau South 1 at 28.24km in length) where we struggled to see the road for more than 20m ahead which can be quite daunting when flat out in sixth gear! The plan? Just get through it, all other competitors would have to deal with the same conditions.
SS2 was a repeat of the same stage. We started behind the 4WD Mirage Cyborg of Shaun & Haylee Wade who unfortunately were forced to stop mid- stage due to an ECU gremlin. On the bright side, we now had a 2 minute gap to the car in front and NO DUST! The net result, we charged and our stage time was a full minute faster than our first run through. Makes quite a difference when you can see as it turns out….
SS3 (19.2kms of Woodleigh 1) was a blast, we were running at a good pace and starting to get into the flow of the rally. The roads so far had been nothing short of amazing, Woodleigh taking us right out to the West Coast overlooking the ocean. It’s no wonder the World Rally Championship use these roads! Next up was SS4 (19km of Te Karaka) and we struggled to find any rhythm through the stage and came away from that one a bit perplexed as to why as we headed back to the Service Park.
SS5 and SS6 were a repeat of the previous two stages. We knocked 28 seconds off our first run through Woodleigh, and then managed to find some sort of pattern to SS6 making it much more enjoyable and we took 26 seconds out of our previous attempt. That was us – job done for the day. A very hot, long day it must be said.
We brought the EX Lancer home 13th overall and 3rd in Class D which we were stoked about. Things we definitely won’t forget…. The heat (we were both absolutely soaked by the end), the dust through SS1 was so bad it was borderline sketchy, and too many blue Powerade’s throughout the day makes you feel worse, not better!
The car was just amazing all day, the changes we made prior to the event worked an absolute treat, and we can now keep pushing to increase the pace further with confidence. Just putting it out there, the Dunlop tyres were unbelievable!! We do also have to say a massive “thank you” to Steve and Brent for servicing the rally for us.
Up next is the Rally of Waitomo on May 17 which has the team heading back to the King Country around PioPio and Waitomo for more fast, flowing, epic roads. Cheers team, so awesome to have you on board with us.
Tony & Jayson
Photo credit Dylan Byrne
