In their Mazda RX7, Dean Lillie and Chris Exner finished the two-day event over four minutes ahead. Second place went to Jonathan Moir and Brad Jones in their Ford Escort Mk2 after a remarkable charge in Sunday’s wet conditions. Matt Gibbens and Tim Jurd (Lotus Exige) were third ahead of the Wrights aboard their Nissan Skyline R35.
Based out of Marysville in Victoria, the Great Tarmac Rally had 73 entries and is the last ATR event for 2025 after the Lake Mountain Sprint, the Mt Baw Baw Sprint and Snowy River Sprint.
The GTR utilises the Eildon/Jamieson Road with 10 stages over 130 competitive kilometres on Saturday before the Reefton Spur and six stages on Sunday covering another 105.5 competitive kilometres.
Lillie took out the first five stages before Jeremy Dennison and Casey Rumble (BMW M140i) won the next. Lillie won another three before the last for the day went to Brent and Gary Coleman (Subaru Impreza WRX STi).
At the end of Day 1, Lillie led by 1:16.3 over Coleman with Wright third ahead of Gibbens, Dennison, Xavier Franklin/Jaidyn Gluskie (Porsche GT4), Neil and Sue Cuthbert (Mitsubishi Lancer), Mark Griffith/Bernie Webb (Mercedes Benz AMG), Moir and Justin Waterhouse/Adrian Bryant (Mitsubishi Evo X).
On Day 2, Lillie continued to lead, despite just one stage win. The hard charger was Moir with two stage victories as he climbed from ninth at the beginning of the day to second. Coleman scored two stages and Wright one.
Dennison finished the event fifth ahead of Franklin, Cuthbert, David and Jackie Thirlwall (Audi RS3), Waterhouse and Griffith in 10th. The Colemans were running second until they failed to finish the penultimate stage.
Regularly among the front runners in the Australian Rally Championship, Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney were entered in a Lotus Exige Targa GT. They had dramas on both days and ultimately DNF’d.
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