The Subaru Rally Challenge looks set for an outstanding debut in 2004 with at least fifteen cars expected to compete in the one-make series.

Already eight Impreza RSs have been ordered and a large number of expressions of interest have also been received, currently totalling over 80, and they are still coming in.

The confirmed drivers for the series come from across Australia. Darren Windus, aged 32, resides in WA, Matt Van Tuinen, 23, is from Queensland, Mark Beard, 41, and Gavin Mosher, 26, are from NSW, Steve Glenney, 27, and Trent Brand, 28, are both South Australians and the youngest two, Ben Tirant, 19, and Eli Evans, 20, are both from Victoria.

The series is Australia's richest rally competition carrying $100,000 in prize money.

The inaugural Subaru Rally Challenge winner will be declared at the NGK Rally of Melbourne in October, with the top eight drivers sharing $80,000 in prize money and the winner pocketing $20,600.

The six-event Subaru Rally Challenge starts with the Subaru Rally of Canberra in May, and event organisers have declared that the one-make series will have its own designated service area and that entry fees have been reduced to $1000 for the Impresa RS series competitors.
Other details of the series have also been determined.

Pirelli Australia, supplier of tyres to Subaru Rally Team Australia, will supply the control tyre - the KM I 95/7ORl 5 - priced at $250 per tyre (inc GST).

The control wheel will be Compomotive TH3 Gold rally wheel, priced at $330 per wheel (inc GST), supplied by Stuckey Tyre Services P/L.

The signed-up Impreza RS drivers represent a range of youth and experience.

West Australian Darren Windus has been rallying since 1989 and has rallied in Subarus for the last eight years. His best result at an ARC level was eighth outright in the 2000 Rally of Melbourne.

Matt Van Tuinen, the 23 year-old from Eight Mile Plains, began rallying in 2000. He showed immediate promise by winning the Queensland Championship for P1 Class in 2001. In the past two years he has competed in most ARC rounds in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, showing form that saw him selected to attend "CAMS Rally Academy" representing his state at the Australian Institute of Sport.

South Australian Trent Brand has been out of rallying for the last two years but was attracted to the Subaru Rally Challenge as a means of getting back into the sport which has involved his family, including cousin Sam Brand, for many years. In the past Trent has competed in local rounds of the South East Automobile Club and South Australian state rounds as well as Motorkhana and Autocross.

The other SA entrant, Steve Glenney, has had plenty of experience in such events as Targa Tasmania, the Clipsal 500 Rally and the Dutton Rally. He has produced some impressive results on the tarmac. He finished second outright in the 2003 Targa, just one minute ten seconds behind Jim Richards, and was second outright in the 2002 Dutton Rally in a stock standard Subaru WRX STi on street rubber, up against a field of highly modified Porsches, GTR's, Evo's and Steven Richards' Monaro.

Mark Beard, at age 41, is the oldest entrant to date and has been rallying since 1988. His achievements include winning the P1 class in the NSW Rally Championship for the past two years after in a 1973 Datsun 1200 Coupe, after winning the state Novice Championship Outright in 2001.

Gavin Mosher, from Murrumbateman, has been competing in state rounds in a two-wheel drive Datsun 280Z, which he built himself, and after experiencing considerable success in that class, he has decided that it is time to move to an AWD car. He knows the ARC well, having been part of Neal Bates' service crew in 2003.

Eli Evans, younger brother of leading rally driver, Simon Evans, has been competing in the Victorian Autocross Series since he was 14 years old. In 2000 he was the Victorian Autocross Series Champion (Junior Class) and in 2002 he started pursuing his interest in rallying. In 2003 he competed in both an Impreza RX and Impreza WRX, the highlight was taking part in his first ARC round, the NGK Rally of Melbourne.

The youngest entrant in the series to date is Ben Tirant. The Melbourne driver will turn 20 in the week leading into the Subaru Rally of Canberra, the opening round of the Challenge. Ben comes from a family heavily involved in motorsport, his father was a two-time Victorian co-driving champion, and he has impressed observers with his performances in state and national events since 2001.

Subaru Australia hopes to finalise further sales of the Impreza RS series in the coming weeks, ensuring competitors plenty of time to prepare for the opening round in Canberra on May 7.