A BIG day looms tomorrow for Mount Gambier rally driver Aaron Bowering.
Currently leading the Rally SA season, Bowering has just one more round to complete to claim the South Australian Championship.
While his current lead in the P6 class would normally be enough for the overall victory, with the race so far from Adelaide, due to the rules extra points are on offer, leaving the championship wide open.
Rather than the normal 50 points for a round win, tomorrow’s event – to be run in Heywood – has 75 points on offer, with Bowering currently 53 points ahead of his nearest rival, fellow Mount Gambier driver Gary Brown.
Adelaide’s Neil Gehan trails Brown by a further two points, with both a chance to claim the title, but all Bowering has to do is finish.
Bowering was quite simplistic about his approach to the round.
“If I finish on the weekend, I will win the South Australian championship,” he said.
“If I DNF, either Gary or Neil will have a chance of winning, if they finish in the top two, so I have to finish.”
As an added bonus, Bowering’s usual co-driver Nathan Lowe is also in line for the championship title, but will not occupy the passenger seat this weekend, with Ross Shepherd jumping in to take his place.
“Nathan is actually director for the weekend, so he automatically gets directors points which is worth 50,” Bowering said.
“If Gary and his navigator win, he gets the co-drivers championship, but if he doesn’t, Nathan gets it.”
Bowering’s car provides every chance to claim the title, with the Subaru Impreza boasting a late-model STi turbocharged two-litre engine, along with a six-speed gearbox and a suspension upgrade.
“They are a good car without having to spend a lot of money,” he said.
“This one has had a fair bit of money, time and effort put into building it.”
But despite that effort, Bowering needs to finish, which has been a highlight of his season so far.
However, he has struck trouble, with flat tyres seeing him drop points at the Rally SA event.
“We could have won it at Rally SA if I had beaten Gary,” Bowering said.
“This weekend there is every chance I could crash or something could go wrong and I will lose it.
“But it’s all fun – if I don’t win I don’t win.
“I got the car to have fun, so this season is a bonus pretty much.”
With the season on the line, there is more than just fun at stake and Bowering accepts that fact.
“A few people have said I could go slower to finish, but I want to go fast,” he said.
“I bought a race car to go fast – it is about the only reason I do it.
“If I am behind I don’t think I will do anything stupid to catch up, but I don’t think I will putt around just for the sake of finishing.
“It is a good position to be in and I don’t have to push too hard – I generally I leave a bit in reserve so I don’t crash.
“But I want to win – I always want to win.”
Bowering will head off for tomorrow’s event with family in tow and a good support crew, making for an enjoyable weekend, with a bonus at the end if he performs well.
“The family will come out and watch and we have a good bunch of guys who help out.
“I have won other rounds so there is no reason I can’t win this one, it is just more pressure because it is the end of the year.
“But the whole idea will have fun.”
