LOCAL brothers Matt and Luke Whitten successfully completed round two of the Victorian Rally Championship last weekend. Driving a Ford Fiesta, the third-generation rally competitors were part of a 71-car field in the Ada River Rally, based out of Noojee, east of Melbourne. After eight tough stages and over 140 kilometres of competitive driving, the brothers finished second in the 1300-1600cc engine class, and 24th outright against a high-quality field. Other than a minor overheating issue with the engine, the Fiesta ran perfectly for the entire rally. This was only Matt's third rally as a driver, having previously spent most of his rallying calling the corners for other drivers. Buoyed by his success, the 23-year-old will now head to Bega, on the NSW coast, for the third round of the Victorian Rally Championship, to be held on the June long weekend. Between now and then, the car will be re-repaired in preparation for the two-day event. Both Matt and Luke are members of the local North Eastern Car Club.
