Sullens takes maiden ARC heat win

The Citroen driver had some things go his way during the first day of running at the Capital Rally, the major turning point coming when the Evans brothers Eli and Simon both hit trouble.

The problems started on the second special stage of the day, with Eli Evans’ Citroen losing power after blowing off a turbo pipe. As a result he needed to limp through the stage, which in turn caused problems for Simon Evans’ Honda, which developed and engine problem thanks to sucking in dust following the Citroen.

While it was bad news for the Evans brothers, it was great news for Sullens and Taylor. The pair took over the battle for the lead, fighting it out until the end of the day. In the end, just two seconds separated them, with a 35-second penalty for leaving service late proving costly for Taylor.

“That was a good day” said Sullens.

“I think we’ve earned a celebration for our first heat win. It’s been a day of drama, but we had a clean run.

“I know I’m not the fastest driver out there, however I’ve been much closer and today we proved that we can be on the pace when it’s required.”

The second heat continues in the Australian capital today.