Shah Alam, Malaysia - Tuesday October 4th., 2005 ... The 2005 edition of the Malaysian Rally Championship held its sixth and final round this past weekend in the sugar cane plantations of Perlis. Having been denied team points from the previous round due to a technicality, the team had to keep a nervous eye on the opposition, but finally prevailed as champions for the second consecutive year.

SR Motorsport's cars had rather mixed fortunes. Running in the number one slot as reigning champions, Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen from New Zealand hit problems almost immediately. The front differential destroyed itself on SS1, but the crew was able to complete the block of stages with rear wheel drive only. The mechanics worked feverishly to change the gearbox during the twenty-minute service halt, but on completion discovered a damaged clutch pump. Although this further delay technically retired them from the rally, they continued, and brought the team some much-needed points in leg two.

That anyone finished the event is a minor miracle, as torrential rain - which began falling soon after the start of the event - turned the normally much-enjoyed plantation roads into strips of never-ending mud. The last two stages of leg one were cancelled due to flooding, and the dampness remained throughout leg two.

As Brian commented "This event last year was run in the worst conditions I've ever experienced in rallying, but this year it was far worse!" October certainly seems to be a part of the monsoon season in the northern peninsular State of Perlis.

Dermott Malley, also from New Zealand, drove the second Subaru Impreza STi along with Malaysia's Jagdev Singh. They had a relatively trouble-free event, and brought the car home in fifth place overall, and second in Group A. They were slowed a little by a puncture on day one, and an argument with a large rock on day two - which bent a lower arm, but neither of these incidents prevented them from earning the team the required championship-winning points.

Heartbreak story of the weekend had to go to the team's third entry, that of seventeen year-old Canadian, James Russell, being co-driven by experienced Malaysian Sanggat Singh. James' brief from "the old man" - Team Manager Paul Russell, was to "drive steadily and get the car to the finish. We need the points" he said. James performed his task admirably, and despite driving the virtually standard Impreza Station Wagon, he held sixth spot behind Dermott Malley until the final special stage. With just five kilometers left, an electrical fault cut power to the engine, and James' and Sanggat's rally was finished. Cruel luck, after such a determined effort.

But, overall, the year was good. Aside from winning the Team Championship, Dermott Malley completed the year fifth overall and first in Class A8. Fleur Pedersen was the third best co-driver overall, and also first in Class A8. Meanwhile, drivers Brian Green and James Russell were second in Class A8 and third in Class P12 respectively.

The event was also the fourth round of the Southeast Asia (SEArally) Rally Championship, and the team picked up some useful points. Dermott Malley's six points for the weekend were not quite enough though to see him retain the top spot. But, he only trails Malaysia's Saladin Mazlan by two points, so anything is possible with two events remaining.

The team is now busily organizing entries for this month's Rally of Thailand. It is a round of both the SEArally and APRC Championships and SR Motorsport will be managing Dermott Malley's entry in his Mitsubishi Evo8. After this, the team will round out the year with the final SEArally event in December.