Ben and Cathy Hayes have won the Focus on Furniture Victorian Rally Championship (VRC) in style, taking out the final round at the 2018 George Derrick Memorial Rally in Boisdale.
The husband and wife team were just nine seconds clear of second placed Ivan Regester and Paul Humm after ten special stages with Wayne Stewart and Lucas Zinsstag in third.
It had been busy couple of weeks for the Hayes crew, the pair competing at Kennards Hire Rally Australia in their Holden SS Commodore in the CAMS Australia Rally Championship (ARC) field and the ARC2 final the weekend prior.
Returning from Coffs Harbour, the pair stepped straight into their Subaru Impreza WRX STi for the VRC decider.
Title rival Matt Lee started the event with a slim shot at the VRC but his hopes were dashed when he, with co-driver Cathy Elliot, had an off in the slippery conditions in their Subaru WRX STi on the third stage.
Grant Walker and Steph Richards were the first two-wheel drive car home, also fourth outright in their Ford Escort RS1800, with Victorian Club Rally Series winners Cody Richards and Matthew Dillon just 26 seconds behind them in fifth outright, also in a Ford Escort.
Winner of the Hyundai Excel Series Josh Bohm finished the year with a sixth outright.
See full results from the George Derrick Memorial Rally here.
