New South Wales rally driver Clayton Hoy is hopeful of contesting the full Australian Rally Championship (ARC) season in 2025 as he sets his sights on winning the WOLF Production Cup title.
The talented steerer took part in three rounds last year in what proved his biggest ever Australian campaign— a run that saw him claim Production Cup top honours in both Tasmania and Queensland.
A proven winner at state level, Hoy has constantly challenged the best in Australia in his ARC cameos throughout the past few years — his performances last year building an appetite to have a bigger crack at the top level.
While there were plenty of positives across the year, Hoy’s stellar 2024 wasn’t without its hiccups as he failed to finish in Victoria following mechanical woes to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 he shared with Erin Kelly.
Only committed to four rounds for the season, that retirement derailed Hoy’s season and left him wondering what his title hopes could have been had he been to another round earlier in the year.
Having already shown what he is capable of, this year was the right time for Hoy to make the step up and commit to a full-scale attack at some national silverware — his plans almost in place with just one event to lock in.
“We are most likely going to do the full season. We just need to find a way to get to Perth and there is still a lot to do,” Hoy said.
“There is plenty of motivation on our side to do a full season too. Breaking our gearbox in Victoria effectively ruined any chance of a title, which proved really disappointing for us, but it was nice to finish the season on a high in Tasmania. We had never been there and wanted to use the opportunity to prep for this year.
“Last year was the most events I have ever done in a calendar year. I did three ARC rounds and one state event, so doing six rounds is an exciting prospect — that’s the aim at least.
“I think we are capable of doing it well. We have the speed and the reliability, as we have only had a couple of DNFs in the past six years since I started rallying and those retirements were mechanical as opposed to slip-ups from me.
“Honestly, I think our expectation is that we are capable of winning the Production Cup title, and I feel that this year could definitely be ours. I have never done a full season and the time is right to get into it.
“Overall I am looking forward to it. I think the Production Cup has fantastic competition that’s affordable for state level competitors to step up to the ARC. I think there is a wrong mindset out there that the ARC is too expensive because you need a top level outright car, however production cars can be very competitive at reasonable costs. With the WOLF production prize money and the MRF control tyre, it works out cheaper for us then state rallying, so it’s great value.”
As for his reasoning behind finally contesting a full season, Hoy had the motivation of enjoying travelling the country with his young son Max and wife Jaimi.
“We want to start travelling more around Australia and to take my 18-month-old son with us,” Hoy added.
“We have never been to Perth before , so looking forward to seeing that area and experience an event that has a rich history with the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). South Australia would also be a lot of fun, as I have never done that event either and I believe the roads are perfectly suited to our car, so we should be able to get right up there with the outright cars.
“It’s exciting because we get to explore Australia while rallying – I don’t want to wait until I am 70-years-old to start travelling round the country towing a caravan, would much rather do it now towing a rally car. Now is the perfect time to start doing it.”
The 2025 Australian Rally Championship season kicks off in the nation’s capital for Rally of Canberra on 21-23 March.
