Fourth victory secures Rullo title in Western Australia

A dominant performance at the Experts Cup Rally has confirmed IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing as West Australian Rally Champions.

The team’s lead driver, Alex Rullo, won every stage of the final rally to get maximum points and clinch the 2024 championship.

Not only did the result net Rullo and his co-driver, Jimmy Marquet, the title, their performance near Collie got them their fourth win in five attempts.

Aboard their Hyundai i20 N Rally2, they edged out multiple state round winner Craig Rando by more than a minute.

“To win the championship is amazing and to finish with a win to end the state season is the icing on the cake,” Rullo said.

“The stages at Collie were awesome and in really good condition. Besides being a bit dusty, the roads were really good. They’re super high speed with a lot of brows, crests and blind corners.

“Our pace notes were really good, and I think that's where a lot of our speed came from.

“Unfortunately Jimmy lost his voice after the first two stages, so that made it a little bit more difficult, but we managed to bring it home in the end.”

Alex and Jimmy’s win caps of a stellar season in Western Australia for the team.

In the year’s five rounds, IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing has won four times and secured five podiums – a remarkable feat in what’s been labelled the most competitive state championship in Australia.

The team’s other pairing, Peter Rullo and Ben Searcy, retired from the rally on stage two, but thanks to their four earlier podiums, had enough points to remain second in the championship for a much sought-after 1-2.

They’ll return to their trusty Hyundai for the team’s final two rallies of the season – a car that Alex is confident they’re nearing the limit of.

“This package is getting better and better,” Alex Rullo added.

“I think it certainly would have been easier if we went out and bought a Skoda or a Toyota Rally2 car, where you can plug in their setups and be right on the pace, but we’ve put a lot of time and effort into the Hyundais now, and I think we're starting to reap the rewards of that. 

“There's still more in it though. This latest engine upgrade will be super beneficial to us, and I'm keen to see how that reflects in Tasmania for the next ARC round.”

IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing now turns its attention to an all-new challenge at the Adelaide Rally in just under two weeks.

Both the team’s Hyundai i20 N Rally2s will be converted to tarmac specification for the huge three day event that runs from November 8-10.

From there, the team will head to Tasmania to finish their season at the final round of the Australian Rally Championship from November 22-24.