At the top of the standings with a home rally looming large, Mitch Garrad is eager to make the most of his last year at Junior Cup level with a hand on 2024 Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) title.
The Victorian has completed two ARC rounds this year and sits top of the ARC Junior Cup table after his Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland class win alongside co-driver Taylah Murphy.
With The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally next on the agenda for the duo, Garrad is hoping to ride the momentum of his strong Queensland result into the event next month.
“[The Junior Cup] means a lot to both myself and Taylah. It shows that our preparation leading up to events is worthwhile,” Garrad said.
“This is my last chance at the Junior Cup and leading coming into my home event is a massive boost for my confidence.
“It would be a huge achievement for myself and my team, we are only a small family run team who are trying to achieve this result on a minimum budget. It would be great to have this achievement under my belt to help pursue my rallying career.”
Less than twelve months into his ARC career having debuted in October at the Adelaide Hills Rally in 2023, Garrad welcomed the smooth weekend in Queensland having been challenged at the series-opener, the Techworkz Automotive Rally of Canberra.
With Canberra’s Saturday proceedings cancelled due to weather, Garrad managed to a hustle a ARC Junior Cup second-place finish in the nation’s capital behind Jaidyn Gluskie and Lucy Gluskie.
“Canberra was definitely the toughest thus far. After the cancellation of the Saturday stages, it came down to an all-out sprint on the Sunday. We had to manage ourselves and the car to ensure we got to the finish,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we had a wheel come off on the second last stage and we lost over 15 minutes which impacted our chance at winning the Junior Cup for the round.”
Garrad’s on-stage learnings over his first year in the ARC are evident in his recent run of form, however he credits the knowledge and support from within the ARC Service Park for elevating his performance over 2024.
The duo of Jamie and his co-driver, and brother, Brad Luff have played a key role for Garrad in recent times – Jamie currently sits eighth overall in the driver’s championship.
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“I honestly cannot thank everyone enough for being so open and willing to answer questions or help where needed,” he said.
“We have made some great friendships already this year and have learnt a lot from different people. From the crews to the ARC staff, no question is a silly question and everyone makes you feel welcome.
“I have had the pleasure of spending some time with the Luff brothers who have provided lots of knowledge towards the ARC and also assisted me with my driving style.”
Midway through the 2024 calendar with plenty of rallying ahead of him, Garrad has an eye to the future and what it will take for him to climb the overall standings in the coming years.
“The ultimate goal for me would be to continue with the ARC however we would need to upgrade the car to be more competitive within the Production Cup. We are looking at potentially having a red-hot crack at the Victorian Rally Championship in 2025.”
Photos: CarsMotorsport / CH Images
