Subaru

After a 2009 season that they would rather forget, the Fusion Motorsport team is back in 2010 with a hunger to prove that they have what it takes to be real contenders for this years South Australian Rally Championship (SARC).

With mechanical issues impairing all six of their contested events last year, 23 year old Mitchell Hall seems somewhat relaxed as his first round of the 2010 season - the ASP/Cut Price Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally - approaches, and with good reason.

South Australians, Matt Selley and Claire Ryan, are ecstatic having finished 15th outright, 6th in Group N, 2nd Non-priority ( Privateer) and 2nd Australian crew at the 10th round of the 2009 World Rally Championship, Repco Rally Australia which was run in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales over the weekend.

Competing in their Possum Bourne Motorsport built 2003 Subaru Impreza Sti, the team was one of the much depleted field to complete the 35 special stages (totalling 344kms) and cross the podium on Sunday evening.

Following a 2008 Australian Rally Championship (ARC) campaign which presented a few challenges, Mitchell Hall and his Fusion Motor Sport team are tackling the 2009 season with optimism and enthusiasm.

“We had many unfortunate mechanical dramas last year which caused us to DNF in our last few events however, our data shows that up until the retirements we had set some very competitive stage times so it is encouraging to have those statistics heading into a new season” says Hall.

Subaru has announced its decision to withdraw from the 2009 World Rally Championship.

This sudden decision was in response to the widespread economic downturn that is affecting the entire automotive industry, and follows Suzuki’s withdrawal announced yesterday.