Steve Maguire is hopeful of acquiring a Skoda Fabia R5 for this year’s Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) and replicate his brother’s success from last year.
The Maguire Motorsport outfit attended all six rounds of the 2023 season, with Eddie having been behind the wheel of a Skoda for the final four events of the year and securing third on the outright championship standings as a result.
On the other hand, Steve was in the team’s Mitsubishi Evo and contested the White Wolf Constructions ARC Production Cup, where he ended up second overall after an entertaining season-long duel with eventual champion, Bodie Reading.
Although he missed out on the national class title, he triumphed at state level, taking out the Motorsport Australia Tasmanian Rally Championship.
After what was a big year of competition, Steve was eager to maintain the momentum flowing for the ARC again this year.
“Overall 2023 was a fantastic year where we got to travel around the whole country and compete at a national level – it was certainly one of the better years for our rallying careers,” Steve said.
“It was a really good experience from a competitive standpoint and even though it was a bit disappointing to fall short of the Production Cup victory due to some mechanical issues, I felt we were faster on a number of occasions.
“Running all the rounds back home and winning the Tasmanian Championship certainly made the year interesting. It was a massive campaign for us as we had six national and four state rallies.
“Eddie’s performance in the Skoda certainly gave me the confidence that if we obtain a purpose-built rally car with modern technology, we can produce some really competitive times and challenge for outright podiums.”
While the Tasmanian was fully aware a modern car could improve his overall position, he was unsure of where he stood for the 2024 season.
“I would like to contest the season in a Skoda so we can just align with Eddie and share parts, but we are yet to secure anything at this point,” Steve added.
“A few have come up, so we are looking into multiple options, but whether we will be able to get one in time for Canberra or not is a very good question.
“We are trying hard to get one, but it might end up that I drive something else during the year and try out a few different cars – I think it’s key for a driver to have adaptability.
“At this point, we’re parking up the Evo for this year, and we’re looking forward to what pops up before Canberra. I am hoping we will be there.”
The 2024 Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship season begins in the nation’s capital with Rally Canberra on 5-7 April.
