Following back to back Heritage Class wins in Rally Tasmania and the Sun Coast Classic,
Steve Hoinville and SEW Eurodrive have once again partnered, aiming for a trifecta
with their entry in Classic Adelaide.

In both Tasmania and Noosa, the SEW Eurodrive RS1600 Escort finished ahead of the likes of Porsches, Mustangs and Panteras. Classic Adelaide consistently draws a strong field which Steve and co-driver Rob Gilpin know will be tough to beat. “Looking at the entry list there are several teams who could win the event” said Steve. “However, given our recent performance and the car’s reliability we have a good chance of a strong result”. The RS1600 Escort last ran in Adelaide two years ago where it finished second outright. “Second place was great for us, but this year we really want the win to make it a clean sweep in 2007 for the SEW Eurodrive team”. The team heads to Adelaide in three weeks to begin their reconnaissance for the four day event. Since the Sun Coast Classic in July the car has been fitted with a new and more powerful Cosworth engine. “The Escort has had a complete overhaul and we feel very confident with the package,” reports Steve. “This will be Rob’s first time at Classic Adelaide so we have been practicing our pace notes to ensure the best chance of winning.” Steve is also looking forward to bigger and better things for the future. Plans are on the drawing board to campaign a new car in the “modern” category of tarmac events such as Targa Tasmania. “It’s going to be a real challenge to run at the front with the modern cars.” said Steve. “However, the vehicle we are looking at will be unique to tarmac rallying and should prove to be very competitive. It means the budget gets bigger, but so too does the recognition. It is an exciting development for the team.” Before Classic Adelaide, the SEW Eurodrive team is heading to the Mount Buller Sprint with their BA XR6 Turbo Falcon. Buller will be a role reversal, with the service crew, Keith and Greg, behind the wheel and Steve swinging the spanners. “The XR6 Turbo is a great vehicle for this event due to its huge amounts of torque. The guys should have a lot of fun with it.” The Mt Buller Sprint is a challenging 16km run up the Mt Buller tourist road finishing in the ski village at the summit. In past years it has been won by Jim Richards and the Whites in their Lamborghini.

An overall summary of tyres used for the major events from 2004-2007 can be viewed HERE