Former Australian Rally Champion, Ed Ordynski, will be driving the works TRD Corolla that won the 2007 Australian Rally Championship at this year's Sprint Auto Parts Rally of South Australia.
The Toyota, driven by current Champion Simon Evans in 2007, will be entrusted to Ordynski to use as Car Zero, running just a few minutes in front of the actual rally field to ensure everything is in place and set-up for competitive speeds.
Ordynski last contested Rally SA in 2005, on that occasion celebrating his thirty years of Australian Rally Championship competition, in a similar Corolla organised by long time rival, Neal Bates, who heads the factory Toyota outfit.
"It is just fantastic to be behind the wheel again and at my home event," enthused Ordynski.
"I know the role of the zero car is to run at 80% competitive speed but the opportunity to have a go in the current champion's car on some of the best stages in Australia is a very rare privilege – besides, 80% of the way the troops a few minutes behind will be driving is certainly not hanging about!"
Clerk of Course for the rally, Ivar Stanelis, says he is delighted to have Ordynski in the role and that Toyota have put their support into making it happen.
According to Stanelis, "Few people, if any, know these roads like Ed and he is a former winner of the event, including as recently as 2003. I am sure he will not only do a great job in the zero car but he also has a huge following in SA and a great relationship with the Toyota team."
Ordynski will be joined by the 2005 and 2006 South Australian Rally Championship winning codriver, Craig Adams, the first time the pair has competed together.
"My usual codriver, Iain Stewart from Qld, has retired and is competing in a fishing tournament," explained Ordynski. "But what more could you want than the codriver who has been dominating things here in SA. I think it will be great to see how the current breed of young competitors do things – Craig was in primary school when I won the South Australian Rally Championship!"
Interestingly Ordynski's first ever rally car was a Toyota Corolla, the 1968 KE10 model in which he contested his first ever Australian Rally Championship event, the SA round in 1975.
"I bought my Corolla for $200, rallied it for three years, sold it to the Deputy Principal where I was teaching and after he used it as a road car for two years, I bought it back and used it as my road car for some time," recalls Ordynski. "It was a competitive rally car back then with 1100cc and 40kw. It is amazing to see the development that has taken place in my thirty-four years in the sport."
The Sprint Auto Parts Rally SA starts on the evening of Friday 25th of July with a competitive tarmac special stage in Angaston from 5:30pm onwards and runs on the traditional gravel rally roads and Mount Crawford forest tracks, throughout the weekend.
Article: Rally SA
