The long off-season, due to the postponement of the first round of the Victorian Rally Championship in Neerim, has seen many changes within the Garrioch Rallysport team and with the rally car.

After the retirement of long time co-driver and Leigh’s father, Ken, a new co-driver had to be sourced.  It is with great delight that the team welcomes Jenna Kelley to sit alongside Leigh for the season.  Jenna is a vastly experienced and talented co-driver who has competed at all levels of the sport, from trials right through to international tarmac rallies, such as Targa Tasmania.

The Cyborg Mirage also had some major attention while taking a well earned break over the summer months.  The straight-cut gearbox required a rebuild after the last event of 2008, and the engine had a freshen-up by Crankshaft Rebuilders in Blackburn earlier in the year.

The East Gippsland Stages rally on May 16 is the first event the team will contest in the 2009 season, and both the car and driver have a good record on the roads around Bairnsdale.  In 2008, Garrioch finished the event fourth outright, and first in the two wheel drive car category against some of the fastest crews in Australian rallying.

“I would love to be able to back up last year’s result in the same event, but at the first rally there are always some new crews and new cars.  It’s sometimes a surprise how much you can be ahead or behind on pace after a few stages out in the bush,â€� Garrioch said.

Garrioch has obtained some great support from businesses for the 2009 VRC through a professional promotional campaign.  The campaign has been fuelled by the energetic design studio, Moko Creative, located in Fairfield, and Directors Ines and Aaron have provided Garrioch Rallysport with new sponsorship proposals, identity development and a racey webpage.

“We needed a way to stand out from the crowd when it came to promoting such a crazy sport.  The solutions that Moko provided were fresh and innovative which made it easy for me to market my team, and rallying in Victoria.â€�

Other businesses proudly supporting Garrioch Rallysport for the VRC in 2009 include Auto Palace Automotive Refinishers in Thomastown, Bar 53 in Epping, AAAA signs in Eltham, Suburban IT in Watsonia, Meridian Land Surveyors in Eltham, Campbellfield Bin Hire, Crankshaft Rebuilders in Blackburn, Nissco 1600 Workshop in Bayswater and Bundoora Radiators.

Look out for the screaming Cyborg Mirage with new sponsors decals out in the forest this year. To keep up with the latest news and events for Garrioch Rallysport visit www.garriochrally.com.au