Brad Markovic has finished fifth in the FIA Asia Pacific Championship (APRC) competition of the National Capital Rally in Canberra at the weekend.
The WA driver was the highest-placed Australian in the APRC division of the event which featured competitors from nine countries.
“We entered this one as an APRC team for the extra challenge and exposure,” Markovic said. “Plus any time you get the chance to go up against the internationals is great.”
The event was not without its challenges for Markovic, who also placed sixth in the CAMS Australian Rally Championship (ARC) section of the event.
“We struggled through the rally with a few issues, but we were able to preserve our speed and keep the car straight, so we were really happy with that,” he said.
While the Maximum Motorsport team has been yet to identify the cause of the problems, Markovic explained the Auto One Subaru WRX STI was low on power from the get go.
“We first felt the problem at shakedown on Friday, but we persevered and we’re thrilled to finish a really challenging event,” he said.
“The National Capital Rally has a lot to take in because you’ve got the fast, flowing stages on Saturday and then the tight, technical stages on Sunday.”
Rain was an addition test for competitors in Heat Two.
“It rained quite heavily on Sunday morning and, because we were car five on the road, we copped the brunt of it,” Markovic said.
“We had to be quite cautious because it was so slippery and there was no room for error.”
Markovic remains the highest placed West Aussie on the ARC leaderboard ahead of round four, Lightforce Rally SA in September.
With such a big gap between ARC events, Markovic will keep his seat time up by competing in some CAMS Onslow Contracting WA Rally Championship events, including next Sunday’s MRF Boddington Rally.
