New season battle commences in Canberra

A strengthened IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing will join the fastest rally cars in Australia in Canberra this weekend, aiming for a repeat of their podium efforts 12 months ago.

Equipped with updated Hyundai i20 N Rally2s, the team will begin the new EROAD Australian Rally Championship (ARC) season at the Rally of Canberra, and cover more than 220 competitive kilometres over the two days of action.

Starting with a dealer visit at National Capital Hyundai on Wednesday, the team launched its 2025 program and revealed its new livery to adorn its cars this season.

Alex Rullo is joined yet again by co-driver Steve Glenney in season 2025, and will look to build on his progress from last season.

Peter Rullo has a new co-driver, Ben Searcy, who is experienced all over the world and has previously won an Australian Rally Championship.

In collaboration with Race Torque, both crews are feeling comfortable with their improved cars, and are eager for the season to begin.

“We want to get through Canberra this weekend and see how we go, but I ultimately want to win a round of the series this year,” Alex said.

“We think we can be competitive, and I probably wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could win.

“Canberra's a little bit of a rougher event, so we need to look after the car a little bit and make sure we don't get punctures.

“Obviously we've got some fast locals here, so they'll be tricky to beat, but we’ll see if we can do a good job on their home turf and then we'll head back to ours at the next round.”

For Peter Rullo, the confidence gained from the pre-season test helps put his crash in Tasmania last November to the back of his mind.

“I can't wait for the year to begin,” he said. “Obviously it wasn't a perfect end to last season and it's been a bit of recovery since our crash in Tasmania, but I’m definitely looking forward to the season.

“The back and leg has healed up and the wrist is on the way there. I wasn't really thinking about the injuries while I was in the car at the test and got through it without issue.”

Ahead of the Rullo pairing on the entry list are new cars and rivals in what’s tipped to be the closest and fastest ARC battle in years.

A new stablemate will also join the Race Torque team for 2025 in the form of New Zealander, Hayden Paddon.

Paddon, a one-time World Rally Championship round winner, has committed to the full season in Australia and will drive his own Hyundai i20 N Rally2 alongside both IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing cars.

Through the newly-formed partnership, both Alex and Peter will work with Paddon to gain vital knowledge and speed as the season progresses.

The fruits of the alignment are already showing, based on improvements made at the pre-season test day held last week.

“One of the biggest things Hayden has brought so far is his suspension knowledge,” Alex shared. “They do a lot of in-house tuning there at Paddon Rallysport, so that's been really useful so far.

“We are sharing data with one another, so that will help to understand what areas we need to find the speed.”

Testing for the Rally of Canberra is on Thursday, alongside the team’s sponsor rides, followed by reconnaissance of the stages on Friday.

A pre-event rally show will see the cars on display in the centre of Canberra on Friday evening, before the rally starts in the Brindabella Ranges on Saturday.

Sunday action will be to the east of Canberra in the Kowen Forest, known for its unmatched spectator access.