Victoria beckons for fast-improving Rullos

IntelliSpatial Fleetcare Racing heads to Victoria this weekend to continue their Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) campaign.

After three of the six rounds, both cars are sitting pretty in strong positions in comparison to their rivals.

The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally provides the team with yet another opportunity to improve on their place in the standings.

For Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney, their goal is to move closer to the front, and if recent events are a guide, then the higher steps of the podium aren’t out of the question.

For Peter Rullo and James Marquet, returning to the event brings back some fond memories of their time at the event 12 months ago.

This time around, Peter is looking to hit the ground running and challenge the top five positions.

Gippsland’s winding roads are known for their challenging nature, and it’s a rally of two completely different days, with road profile changing drastically from Saturday to Sunday’s action.

Alex Rullo/Steve Glenney (#5 Hyundai i20 N Rally2)

Alex said: “We’re hoping to get through the event first and foremost after we fell short with a stage or two to go last year.

“I think we've definitely picked up some speed since this event in 2023 and we’re hoping for a good event.

“Last Tuesday we got former WRC driver Chris Atkinson to Western Australia again to do some more testing, and we found some solid gains. He's a lot more happy with the performance of the car now, so it shows it’s come a long way in a short space of time. 

“I think it shows, shows we're heading in the right direction.”

Peter Rullo/Jimmy Marquet (#13 Hyundai i20 N Rally2)

Peter said: “I'm looking forward to getting back out there. I did see some footage last week and there was snow up in the hills on the stages…

“As much as I like snow, I hope it doesn’t stay for the rally. If there is some snow around, it will be very tricky!

“We have an allocation of soft tyres now, which we haven't for the last two events, and that’s a positive heading to cooler conditions. I know what they're capable of, and I'm definitely going to come out of the gates a bit faster than I have been in the last few events.”

Alex and Steve sit fourth on the Championship standings on 149 points, while Peter and James have sit sixth on 118.

The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally starts with the BSR Automotive Rally Show in front of fans in the heart of Sale on Friday evening before the action centres around Heyfield for the weekend’s fast paced action.