Quinn adds Alpine Rally to glowing resume
Monday 02 December, 2019
Photo: B Team Rally Media
Nathan Quinn and Ray Winwood-Smith have won the 2019 Alpine Rally of East Gippsland in what was a well-deserved victory in difficult conditions.
With more than 100 crews taking on the prestigious biennial event, Quinn and co-driver Winwood-Smith powered through the competition with a number of stage wins to eventually secure the title.
In second place, just under a minute slower was Kade Barrett and David Guest, while Carl Stewart and Matthew James rounded out the podium a further two minutes behind.
Behind the wheel of a 1970 Mazda RX2, the 2017 CAMS Australian Rally Champion won the opening stage before engaging with an intense battle with number one seeds Ben Barker and Damien Long on Saturday.
Both cars exchanged stage wins before Barker and Long failed to finish the second last stage, which saw their chances for back-to-back Alpine Rally titles over.
From there Quinn and Winwood-Smith cruised to the victory, their three-minute buffer shortened to one after receiving a two-minute penalty, but it wasn’t enough to dampen the mood.
Following his victory, Quinn was stoked to win his maiden Alpine Rally, despite the weather wreaking havoc on the event, which saw it shortened from its original format.
“It was a pretty challenging weekend,” Quinn said post-event.
“It was pretty ironic having bushfires on one side and flooding the next day. It was quite slippery conditions actually but I feel being up the field definitely helped us.
Photo: Bruce Keys
The Alpine Rally of East Gippsland will return in 2021 for its Centennial anniversary celebrations.