published on rally.com
February 18th 2016
South Australian dairy farmer Guy Tyler and his navigator, Steve Fisher, will be competing in the DMACK Junior British Rally Championship in 2016.
Guy, aged 25 from Mt Compass, began racing whilst on his L’s at the Southern Districts Car Club near his home farm. His skills where instantly recognised and he has gone on to compete in the South Australian Rally Championships and the Australian Rally Championships, recording many wins along the way.
His dream has always been to compete in the World Rally Championship, and although he has gone through several hard years competing in Australia with cars that have been unreliable, he has pushed through and never given up. His luck started to change in 2015 when he purchased a Mitsubishi Evo V. The purchase provided immediate results with him and his navigator, Steve Fisher, winning all three rounds of the South Australian Rally Championship and the state title.
Shortly after this exciting win Guy discovered a driver vacancy posted on Facebook with the Vauxhall Motorsport Junior Rally Team to compete in the Junior British Rally Championship in 2016. To stand out from the 100’s of applicants he put together a short video to highlight his capabilities. Guy was eventually shortlisted for the position and invited to attend a test drive and an interview with the team in England, along with 6 other applicants. Being shortlisted for such a prestigious position was an achievement in itself but unfortunately he was unsuccessful due to the funds required from the drivers to support the team.
Regardless, the team behind the Vauxhall Motorsport Junior Rally Team, Major Motorsport, took a shine to Guys ability to adapt, his skills and passion for the sport, offering him an alternative, a drive in a Ford Fiesta R2.
“During the interview and test drive I got to know the other applicants really well and once I knew how good the rallying is and how pumped up the championship is, there’s no way I could go home and keep doing the same old stuff. I can’t wait to race against my new mates and really test my skills.” – Guy Tyler
Since then Guy has been working tirelessly with his navigator, Steve Fisher, from Salisbury, to ensure they have the funds needed to make the most of the once in a lifetime opportunity. The pair will be competing in 5 rounds of the 7 round British Rally Championship, as this is all that counts towards points for the Junior title.
“I’m not the only Australian that will be competing but I am the only South Australian and I am really stoked to be able to represent our beautiful part of the world. You see in the press how popular Adelaide is becoming and it’ll be great to promote the area.” – Tyler
This will be the first time Guy has competed in a left hand drive R2 car but with this being his last opportunity to compete in the DMACK Junior British Rally Championship due to the age restrictions he’s bound to make the most of it.
“I can’t wait to get into what is going to be the best car I have ever driven so far in my career so far. There are a whopping fourteen entries for the first round in all the same class of car which I’m sure will provide amazing competition and will be like nothing I’ve ever experienced before” – Tyler
Together the pair have raised all but $13,000 needed to cover the cost of running in the DMACK British Junior Rally Championship. They have created a crowdfunding campaign hoping that the Australian public will rally behind them.
The first round of the DMACK British Junior Rally Championship is in Wales and begins on the 5th of March.
Guy advocates for road safety and encourages teenagers test their skills on the track, not on public roads. He also wishes to be a role model and inspiration for people everywhere to chase their dreams no matter how hard it may be.