Fresh from four different European events in four weeks, Max McRae returned home to Australia brimming with confidence – but the end result wasn’t to be.
Strapped back into a Maximum Motorsport Subaru Impreza WRX, 18-year-old McRae was immediately on the pace on the Grimwade Stages – lying second overall after the first stage despite a 10-second time loss due to a spin.
That spin was ultimately a precursor to what was about to unravel, as McRae spotted a small issue with the car that paved the way to his downfall on the very next stage.
“The morning was going well,” he said. “Towards the end of the first stage, I noticed there was something going on with the car – it didn’t feel quite right when I was coming off the throttle.
“In stage two the pace felt good, but nearing the end of the stage when I came off the throttle something went wrong and we slid off the road.
“We’ll have to have a look at the data and figure out what was going on. With the car as it was, we weren’t going to carry on. It’s a shame. I’d come back from Europe and felt really confident and looking forward to getting back at it in the WA series.”
It was undoubtedly a blow for McRae who had grown accustomed to success over the summer with a fastest stage time in a Rally2 car and a podium on debut in the British Rally Championship.
But McRaes don’t know how to be knocked down, so this minor blip won’t shake Max’s confidence – or potential – going forward.
“This is just one of those things that happens,” he said. “Like I said, we’ll have a look at the car this week and then start working to get it ready for the next event.
“The big thing for me is the speed we were able to show. Even with something slightly amiss on the car, we were on a great pace in the longer second stage.
“We’re definitely getting there. I came here hoping for the win and I think we have the speed for it – now we just need things to go our way.”
