When it comes to winning a national championship, everyone remembers their first and former RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Champion (ARC) Scott Pedder is certainly no different.

 

Having made his national rally debut in 2000 and then competing in the sport as both a privateer entry and factory driver for many years after, the popular driver finally struck gold in 2014 following a few years of heartbreak.

 

In the lead up to the title winning season, he had enjoyed is best season in the ARC a year prior in 2013, finishing third. 

 

But in 2014, behind the wheel of the Walkinshaw Performance Rally Team prepared Renault Clio R3, and alongside co-driver Dale Moscatt, Pedder fought his way to his maiden titles with a number of victories, including consecutive wins in Queensland, South Australia and at Rally Australia.

 

The Victorian had finally reached his goal and decided to call time on his colourful career in Australia before setting sail for a stint on the world stage, where he spent the next two years in the FIA World Rally Championship – his best result being 14th at the 2015 Neste Oil Rally Finland.

 

Speaking with Adrian Coppin on the latest instalment of ARC Service Park, Pedder revealed some of his most joyous moments from the aftermath of winning his only ARC title.

 

“It was incredible,” Pedder said.

 

“If you see the in car footage of me crossing the line, you can see it’s just pure joy and delight because it was lot of years of hard work.

 

“I was also so excited in the interview with Dean Herridge at the end. Dean is a good mate and was a competitor as well, who unfortunately never won a championship despite being very talented, and you can see in the interview that he was more emotional than I was.

 

“It was incredible time. A lot of years trying to win a title both as a privateer and a factory driver against strong competition. To finally get there was amazing.”

 

And with the one national title to his name, the success certainly allowed for plenty of banter between ARC champions

 

“I wasn’t greedy like Simon or Eli (Evans) either and didn’t want or need three or four titles. I am happy with one,” Pedder joked.

 

Watch the full episode of ARC Service Park below.