Subaru WRX STI Narrowly Defeats Mitsubishi Lancer EVO in TRS

In rally racing, only seconds can separate the first and second place drivers and teams. That’s what happened this weekend in the Tasmanian Rally Series (TRS) in Australia. Molly Taylor and the Subaru do Motorsport team recorded their first win at the Eastern Autobody Tasmanian Rally Series. Molly Taylor and Bill Hayes, in the 2016 Subaru WRX STI, narrowly beat the hard charging Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX driven by brothers Marcus and Scott Walkem.

It was tight race across the rally stages with the brothers from Launceston, Australia. How much was the small margin of victory? Molly Taylor’s Subaru STI finished the 98.86 kilometer rally with an overall margin of just 29.6 seconds over the Walkems.

A first for Subaru

The win for Molly Taylor, Subaru’s first female rally driver, is believed to be the first by any female driver in the history of the Tasmanian championship. Molly said: “We didn't have a great start, with a puncture in the first loop of stages. From there the challenge was on and we really enjoyed battling with the Walkem brothers. Our first win for our car is a great moment for the whole team, so a huge thanks to them! Also to the organizers for putting on such a well run event on fantastic roads.”

The WRX STI pounced on the EVO

After the first four stages, the WRX STI was in second place behind the Lancer EVO IX. On stage five, Molly “pounced” on the EVO and had the best times across the last seven stages. The 2016 Subaru WRX STI rally team benefitted from the local knowledge and expertise of the Les Walkden Rally team who runs the rally program for Subaru.

Molly and Bill received the Ken Roddam Memorial Trophy for their victory this weekend. The Subaru duo win in convincing fashion by beating Marcus and Scott Walkem in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Next for the 2016 Subaru do Motorsport WRX STI is round four of the Australian Rally Championship in South Australia. The rally will be held September 9-11. Can Molly win again? Stay tuned.

Source: Subaru AU

Image source: Subaru