Bourne cleans up in mud bath

SUBARU'S Possum Bourne won both heats of Rally SA in appalling conditions last weekend head of Toyota's Neal Bates to extend his lead in the Australian Rally Championship.

However, victory wasn't easy for the Subaru Impreza WRC driver, as Bates put in a number of concerted chargers in his Corolla to keep the Kiwi on his toes, while the relentless weather ensured that no driver could relax.

Showroom production Group N was another tie between Subaru's Cody Crocker and Mitsubishi's Ed Ordynski, with both drivers scoring a heat victory.

The margin for Bourne and navigator Craig Vincent on Saturday over Bates and navigator Coral Taylor was 34 seconds, and second time over the nine stages they stretched that out to 54 seconds on Sunday.

"We came here this weekend to score maximum points and we've got all 40, were going home ecstatic," exclaimed Bourne after his fifth win in six heats this year.

"That was a really tough weekend of rallying because conditions were so slippery and so variable.

"Yesterday was bad but today was far worse. It was a matter of showing the roads plenty of respect because they were full of traps.

"We got through cleanly in the end. The car was great. I had to drive it a little differently but it's all part of the learning curve of having a new car.

"The Championship is unfolding exactly as we would like. With two rounds left we're not home yet, but this weekend was another confidence booster for the team."Bates was left to philosophise after Sunday's defeat: "We pushed hard and we were very close at times, today was a much better day than yesterday which was promising but we still obviously have a major disadvantage in machinery to Possum." Crocker went to South Australia for the first time in his relatively short career knowing the vastly experienced Ed Ordynski would be hard to beat on his home roads.

The Victorian stated before the event that he would learn in heat one and then push harder in heat two. That was exactly as it worked out and Crocker was in control from the start.

"We made a good choice of tyres early and got away to a flyer," Crocker said.

"It was a really rewarding weekend to come away with a victory. That makes it three wins apiece for Ed and me this year so the round in Tasmania next month is going to be super important."Provisional Results Heat One Cooper's Rally SA
Bourne/Vincent Subaru Impreza WRC2000 P5 1:04:49
Bates/Taylor Toyota Corolla WRC P5 +34
Ordynski/Stewart Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 N4 +2:48
Crocker/Foletta Subaru Impreza WRX N4 +3:52
Herridge/Carlton Subaru Impreza WRX N4 +4:11
Lowndes/Randell Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 N4 +4:12Provisional Results Heat Two Cooper's Rally SA
Bourne/Vincent Subaru Impreza WRC2000 P5 58:59
Bates/Taylor Toyota Corolla WRC P5 +54
Crocker/Foletta Subaru Impreza WRX N4 +2:36
Ordynski/Stewart Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 N4 +3:02
Thompson/Body Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 N4 +3:19
Lowndes/Randell Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 N4 +4:33Next round: Tasmania, August 04-05