Rising EROAD Australian Rally Championship (ARC) star Jackson Long has announced the acquisition of a championship-winning Skoda Fabia R5 for an outright campaign in 2026 and beyond.
In what will be a significant step up in his career, Long will once again contest the full season alongside his father, Damien, as his co-driver, while WA-based Maximum Motorsport will run the car.
The Skoda Fabia R5 Long will pilot needs little introduction, with the car having first arrived in Australia in 2018 before Eli Evans guided it to the outright ARC title alongside Ben Searcy that year – the last time a non-Toyota vehicle took out top honours down under.
Following Evans’ milestone fourth championship in the ARC, the car then made its way to Western Australia where Daniel Gonzalez ran the car for two seasons. Some of the highlights include an FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship podium in Adelaide in 2022, as well as a handful of outright top-five finishes.
Long himself has been a revelation in his maiden ARC season, dominating his way to the ARC Junior Cup title and being in contention for a WOLF Production Cup overall podium, having led the popular class for a large portion of the season.
Competing in his 2005 Subaru Impreza RS, Long made his championship debut in this year’s Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra, where he won the Junior Cup and finished fourth in the WOLF Production Cup.
Consecutive ARC Junior Cup wins over the next three rounds saw Long seal the title at The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally, while a WOLF Production Cup podium at Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland and a fourth place in Victoria put the youngster on top of the Cup standings.
Switching to the Subaru WRX Challenge Car in South Australia for this month’s Copyworld Adelaide Hills Rally meant he was eligible for either Junior or Production Cup honours, however Long still enjoyed success, claiming a victory in the Subaru WRX Challenge.
“I am extremely excited to announce that Dad and I will be campaigning a Skoda Fabia R5 in the 2026 Australian Rally Championship,” Long said.
“This is a big step in my career and one which Dad and I are very much looking forward to. Also for Dad, it marks his re-entry into the Outright competition of the ARC after 20 years.
“Experience in such a proven and developed package, as well as left-hand drive, will be perfect to develop my skills as we slowly build our pace throughout the year, with learning and consistency being a key focus of the season.
“We are also extremely excited to work with Dean Herridge and the team at Maximum Motorsport, who have a wealth of knowledge in running these cars. Our introduction to the team in the WRX Challenge car in Adelaide was extremely enjoyable. We will be returning to the class in Tasmania, which is an exciting way to end 2025.
“It will be sad to leave our Subaru Impreza RS, which took me to the ARC Junior Cup victory, and had us leading the WOLF Production Cup earlier this year, as well as starting my journey into rallying. It has been a great stepping stone into this new chapter.”
The 2025 ARC season continues next month in the final round in Tasmania for Buckby Motors Rally Launceston, while Long will run the Skoda Fabia R5 for the first time in the 2026 season opener at Rally Queensland on 17-19 April.
