The 2026 Motorsport Australia Queensland Rally Championship (QRC) has officially kicked off, following an intense opening round at the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland held in Gympie.
After the postponement of the Blackbutt Rally in March, the QRC made its eagerly awaited return in 2026.
At the forefront of the 35 competing crews were Andrew Carrigan and Liam Hinschen, piloting the #32 Mitsubishi Magna. The duo showcased a remarkable level of consistency, finishing outside the top five in just two out of the 12 stages.
The highlight of Carrigan and Hinschen’s weekend arrived on SS8, where they secured their sole stage victory of the rally by a narrow margin of one second, just edging past the P5 class competitors Kristian Sprenger and Jarrad Vanderhor.
Ultimately, Carrigan and Hinschen concluded the event with a time of 1:04:27.2, finishing 38 seconds ahead of last year’s champions Ian Menzies and Robert McGowan, who clocked in at 1:06:53.6.
Menzies and McGowan had dominated much of the competition, collecting six stage wins over the weekend. However, a 21st quickest time on SS7 hindered their chances of an outright comeback in their Toyota Yaris AP4, although they still managed to secure a class victory.
Completing the outright podium were Nathan Stokes and Ian Wheeler in the #16 Subaru Impreza WRX, finishing at 1:07:21.2. They maintained composure throughout, achieving a flawless record with all top 10 stage finishes, just under four minutes behind the runners-up and two minutes ahead of Simon and Elysia Jansen, who finished in 1:08:01.7.
As a result of their efforts, Stokes and Wheeler claimed victory in the P5 class, while the Jansens triumphed in the P6 category. Other notable class winners included Mitchell and Brent Plant, who bagged P2 honours in their #48 Hyundai Excel, excelling among Junior competitors.
The Clubman category saw Keith Fackrell and Brad Jones emerge on top in their Ford Escort RS1800. John Keen and Matt Spencer completed the event in 16th overall, securing the P3 honours.
The challenging nature of the Gympie course was further highlighted by a total of 16 crews failing to complete the rally.
Next on the agenda for the Queensland Rally Championship is the Jimna Rally Sprint, scheduled for 6 June, unless the Blackbutt Rally is rescheduled for the wet weather contingency weekend from 2-4 May.
For a comprehensive breakdown of the QRC results, head over to the Australian Rally Championship’s Rally Queensland results page on the Sportity app.
Compiled by SportArena.au.
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