As the 2025 Western Australian rally season draws to a close, the final event — the 2025 Experts Cup Rally — marked an exciting and dramatic end to the year. Held in Collie, with stages around the picturesque Wellington Dam, the rally brought together an impressive field of competitors and provided one last test of endurance, skill, and mechanical reliability before the year’s curtain fell.
End of Season Reflections
“Where has this year gone?” was the familiar refrain among teams and fans alike. With the season racing by, the 2025 Experts Cup rally arrived before we knew it at the tail end of October. Traditionally, this rally is well-loved by both competitors and spectators for its mix of flowing gravel roads and technical sections through the southwest forests — and 2025’s edition was no exception.
Initially we had planned to run three or even four cars on the 2025 Experts Cup rally. However, mechanical issues, particularly gearbox troubles, whittled that number down to just two active entries. It was an unfortunate but familiar theme in motorsport — where preparation, luck, and machine reliability often define success.
Gearbox Woes Before the Start
Much of the pre-event drama centered on transmission failures. Patrick’s Subaru Impreza suffered a major failure 10 days before the event whilst he was testing. With the gearbox stripped we discovered the crown wheel and pinion were both missing teeth! The damage had spread throughout the gearbox, contaminating it with metal shavings and even cracking the housing. The unit was deemed a total loss and consigned to the scrap pile.
A replacement gearbox had to be sourced, rebuilt, converted to front-wheel drive and installed in time for the 2025 Experts Cup rally. It was a busy few days in the workshop to say the least. To make matters worse, the weather had turned rainy and unpredictable. Rare for late October in Western Australia.
The gearbox curse didn’t end there. The Mitsubishi Galant VR4 of Glen and Max was also sidelined by transmission problems. Earlier in the year, during the Heartland Rally in South Australia, the car’s gearbox suffered what was initially thought to be a transfer case failure. Later we confirmed a damaged center differential to be the culprit. The gearbox had been sent across the country to a specialist for repair. Despite having the transmission for several months, as of late October it still hadn’t returned. That meant no VR4 at Collie this year — a disappointing outcome, but one that gave the team time to regroup for 2026.
For this rally, the team would field just two cars: Patrick in the Impreza, co-driven by Steve Vass, and Angus with Marian in their GD WRX.
Rally Day: From Rain to Sunshine
The rally weekend began with heavy rain on Friday, soaking the roads around Wellington Dam. By Saturday morning, however, conditions had cleared beautifully. The rain had settled the dust, leaving the gravel roads firm and fast — ideal conditions for rallying.
Nearly 50 cars lined up for this year’s 2025 Experts Cup rally, which consisted of six stages. It wasn’t just another event — it was also the decider for several major championships: the Clubman Cup, the State Two-Wheel-Drive Championship and the Outright State Title. With so much at stake, tensions and excitement ran high.
Early Challenges and Retirements
The Experts Cup isn’t usually known for high attrition, but 2025 proved to be an exception. Trouble struck early for Dave Smith and Roger Pederson, whose Ford Fiesta suffered a driveshaft failure only 400 meters into Stage One. They were sidelined until repairs could be made.
Our own Angus and Marian were also hit by misfortune when Marian became car sick on the very first stage. Sadly it forced them to retire at the first service point. From there, the list of retirements grew longer.
Mark Redmond and Mitch Gray exited with a head gasket failure in their WRX after a coolant line burst. Carter Smith and Brody Ayoub suffered mechanical issues in their Ford Escort Mk2, while Billy Wren and Dan Adams battled electrical gremlins in their Honda Civic. Two more WRX teams — Neil Lennihan and Noel Steinson, along with Declan Madigan and Adrian Burnie — both retired with mechanical dramas.
The two-wheel-drive contenders weren’t spared either. Glenn Alcorn and Richard Charleson, were strong championship hopefuls in their Toyota Sprinter. They lost their clutch early and were out. Their teammates, Gary Mills and Shaun McMacken, also retired with mechanical issues in their Fiesta. Another crowd favorite, Kiel Douglas and Ross Burton, saw their powerful V8 Commodore’s differential give up under the stress of 400 horsepower on Stage Four.
Even high-profile crews weren’t immune. Craig Rando and Scott Beckwith, piloting their Yaris AP4, suffered a transmission jam and were forced to withdraw. This mechanical drama ended their bid for the 2025 State Championship.
Clubman Cup and Team Results
After four stages, the Clubman Cup standings began to solidify. Rob Russell and Liam Turton finished fourth at the 2025 Experts Cup Rally. Their consistent results throughout the year secured them enough points to clinche the 2025 Clubman Cup title.
For the team’s own Patrick Briccocoli and Steve Vass, persistence paid off. They secured third place overall in the rally, won first rookie driver, and took third in the Clubman Cup for the season. A proud result given their last-minute gearbox rebuild.
Second place went to the Wright brothers in their Hyundai Excel, while the top step of the podium belonged to Steve Champion and Jade White in their Hyundai Lantra.
A Mid-Rally Controversy
The second service after Stage Four sparked controversy. Nick Box and Caleb Cash were competing in their turbocharged Nissan Silvia S13. They were informed of an alleged technical irregularity with their turbocharger. Although the issue had been noticed before the rally began, it wasn’t officially raised until two thirds of the way through the 2025 Experts Cup Rally.
Faced with uncertainty over possible penalties, Nick and Caleb withdrew “under duress.” The next day however, it was confirmed that their car did in fact comply with technical regulations. They were reinstated and given derived times for the missed stages. Ultimately they were awarded first place in the Two-Wheel-Drive class for the 2025 Experts Cup Rally.
Second place went to Andrew and Pat Hannigan in their Honda Civic. A rewarding result after a year spent chasing down front-end reliability issues. Third place went to Dave Thomas and Niamh Nairn in their Subaru BRZ. They overcame an early scare to finish strong and cement the overall Two-Wheel-Drive Championship for the season.
Outright Results and Season Champions
In the overall standings, Nick Box and Caleb “Cash’s” Silvia finished fifth outright. Pete Rullo and Jimmy Marquette took fourth in their Skoda Fabia R5, while Tom Loughton and Michael Wood stood on the podium in third. The placing also gave them first production car in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.
Dylan King and Lee Tierney finished second in their AP4 Toyota Yaris — a result that also sealed their 2025 State Championship victory. Out in front, Eamon McNab and Shane Farrell claimed overall honors in their Ford Fiesta R5, closing the season in dominant style.
A Season of Highs and Lows
As the dust settled over Collie, teams and fans alike reflected on the season. The 2025 Experts Cup Rally had delivered the finale. Fine weather instead of soggy conditions (ala Warren River Rally), good roads and a healthy field. Three championships had also been decided. The Clubman Cup, State 2WD and Outright championship went down to the last event.
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