MEDIA RELEASE- For Immediate Release, October 29

ALAJAJIAN RESOLUTE DESPITE RALLY BAPTISM OF FIRE

The opening leg of his rally debut may not have ended as he hoped, but Chris Alajajian remains upbeat for the remainder of the WPS Rally Bathurst, and is loving every minute of his temporary switch from the circuit to the forest.

Alajajian - a race winner on the racetrack this year in the Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship and the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold Star - is having a drive in the Subaru RS Challenge class, as part of the final round of the Globalstar Australian Rally Championship.

The eighteen year-old had his first experience of the Subaru Impreza RS rally car on Thursday, when he drove it in recce. With no previous competition rally experience, he made the most of his time in the car.

“It was a good chance to hop in, get comfortable with the Subaru and start to learn about driving it,” said Sydney resident Alajajian.

“When we were doing recce, I was thinking ‘how am I going to remember all these corners like I remember all the circuit corners’, but I managed to get a good idea of a lot of it in my head, so it was good.”

The rally kicked off on Friday night, with a super special stage at Mount Panorama, using a small portion of the legendary 6.21km circuit and its infield. Alajajian was the first car out, and set 28th fastest time, mixing it with a number of other Subaru RS Challenge competitors.

This morning, the field headed to the forests near Bathurst for the opening 5.12km stage of the day. Improving as he climbed his steep learning curve, Alajajian claimed a number of positions, moving up to 24th place outright and fourth in the Subaru RS Challenge class.

He continued to come up to speed in stage three, Cupits 1, where he was unlucky to come unstuck when a lack of experience caught him out, and ended his run in leg one

“I was turning in a corner, and Thomas [Smith, Alajajian’s co-driver] told me it was a five left which tightened,” Alajajian explained. “I actually thought we had gone through the tightening section of the turn, so I went back on the gas a little bit.

“But just as I did that, we got to the tightening part of the corner. I backed off and dabbed the brakes to throw the rear around, but the car just understeered straight off the road onto the edge of a cliff. Unfortunately we got stuck in a little ditch and that was that, but at least the car is fine.

“It was a shame and it really came out of nowhere, but you do get that in rally. You quickly learn to expect the unexpected.

“Today my approach was really just to take it easy. I am still learning so I don’t really want to push, but I am pretty happy with how it was coming together.

“I think we were in the middle of the RS group and I still know that a lot of time left in my driving and also working on the setup of the car and my driving style so they compliment each other. We will make a little bit of a setup change and we’ll be back on the ball tomorrow.”

The field head’s back to the forest tomorrow for leg two of the rally. While he didn’t get as much seat time in leg one as he had first anticipated, Alajajian plans to make the most of the rest of the day in preparation for rejoining the rally tomorrow morning for leg two.

“I’ll watch the other guys today while they are out on stages,” he said. “Look at what they are doing and they are attacking the corners, so I can take it in, learn some more about rally techniques and get some information to use tomorrow.

“It’s been heaps of fun and an excellent experience. Everything is so different to what I know, but you take every opportunity to gain more experience and learn.”

At the completion of leg two, Chris will head back to Sydney to prepare for the penultimate Australian Formula 3 round at Eastern Creek, as part of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Australia.

On the Friday night of the weekend, November 4, a special function will be held at La Montage Restaurant, Leichhardt in Sydney’s inner west.

The evening will feature a three course dinner, entertainment and special guests. Not only will it be a great night, but will help raise Chris’ profile and generate funds to aid the further progression of his career and help him fulfil his potential.

Tickets for the event are $125 per person, and bookings can be made with Elaine Clayton on 9418 7482.

Chris Alajajian thanks the ongoing support of Jack Hillermans Smash, Subaru Australia, Elf Oil, Scuderia Veloce Motors, Nudie, Workflow Systems, Bilstein, Moody Kiddell & Partners, Travel Cafe, Heasman Steering, Disc Brakes Australia, Hawk Performance, Monza Mens Boutique and H & R Springs.

For more about Chris Alajajian, check out www.TheChris.com.au