Round-6
Driver: Brendan Reeves
Country: Australia
Co-Driver: Rhianon Smyth
Country: Australia
Team: Reeves Racing
|
| Brendon Reeves |
Quote: "I really want to move my rally career onto the international stage, and competing in the APRC's Pacific Cup is the first step, an amazing opportunity and I will be driving at my best to take out first place"
Nickname: Brendo
Born: 29/8/1988, Wedderburn, Victoria.
Lives: Wedderburn
Hobbies/Interests: Motorsport, Australian Rules footy, tennis, skiing
Car: Subaru STI Spec-C 2006
Motorsport Goal: Brendan’s career goal is to secure a factory World Rally Championship drive. He is currently working on his 2010 rally program but intends to compete in a wide range of events, both tarmac and gravel, to continually add to his rally experience.
Motorsport Summary: Brendan is following in his father Mike’s footsteps. Mike was very successful in the Victorian Rally Championship, winning the title in 1998 and 2003.
Brendan started off racing go-karts when he was seven, competing for four years. At the end of 2004 at 15 years of age, Brendan started driving his Datsun 240Z in the Victorian Autocross Championship. In 2005, he won the Victorian Autocross Championship and become the youngest ever winner.
He then went on to compete in his first rally at the end of 2005 at 17 years of age. Around this time he was also lucky enough to be accepted into the Australian Institute of Sport Rally Development Program. In 2006, he competed in 11 rallies at Club, State and National level.
After having much success and with youth on his side, in 2007, he took a further step in his career and entered in the Australian Rally Championship, driving for Les Walkden Rallying in a left hand drive Subaru STI. Brendan finished the season in sixth outright and third outright Privateer. In 2007, he also competed in two tarmac rallies and came second outright in his first ever tarmac event.
In 2008, Brendan focused on competing in as many international rallies as possible. He competed in two rallies in New Zealand and in August of that year, he competed in his first WRC event, Rally New Zealand, in a front wheel drive Ford Fiesta. Brendan won his class and finished 25th outright - a fantastic result given he was competing against the world's best drivers.
In 2008, he was also lucky enough to have his first factory drive with Mazda Motorsport Australia. This was a great experience in the Mazda3 MPS and gave him an insight into driving for a factory team. He won his class and came seventh outright in the rally.
In December 2008, Brendan also travelled to the UK to compete in the International Fiesta Shootout at M-Sport. After testing and interviews, he finished third in a field of extremely talented junior drivers from around the world.
In 2009, and at 20 years of age, Brendan has had his best season to date. In his first rally back in the left hand drive STI for 18 months, he finished fourth outright in the first Australian Rally Championship event to be held on tarmac.
He then won Rally Lithgow, a round of the NSW Rally Championship, by over four minutes.
At the Pirelli Star Driver Qualifier at Rally Queensland, (a round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship), Brendan took out the title, beating Eli Evans and Hayden Paddon.
He then travelled to NZ and competed in Emma Gilmour’s Subaru STI, which he leased for the event, finishing third outright.
After New Zealand, Brendan competed in the Robertstown Rally, a South Australian State Round, and was first Outright.
An accident at Rally South Australia in August put paid to Brendan's aim of winning the Pirelli Star Driver shootout at Repco Rally Australia in September, however he bounced back in October with a gutsy win at the Akademos Rally in Victoria.
Brendan’s co-driver is his older sister Rhianon Smyth, 28, who also co-drives for the Motor Image team in the APRC.
Brendan and Rhianon have now competed in almost 30 rallies together in three years and one day hope to make it to the WRC together.
Rally Debut: Victorian Club Rally Series Yakerboo Stages 2005
Australian Rally Championship Debut: Subaru Safari Tasmania 2006
Best Results:
2009 Akademos Rally - 1st outright
2009 Rally of Whangarei APRC – 3rd outright
2009 Rally Lithgow NSW – 1st Outright
2009 Robertstown Rally SARC – 1st Outright SARC
2009 Rally Queensland APRC – 1st Pirelli Star Driver
2008 Akademos Rally VRC - 1st outright
2008 Fiesta International Driver Shootout - 3rd overall
Favourite Rally:
2009 Rally of Whangarei APRC - This is my best ever result and the high speed roads are awesome!!
Most memorable rally moment:
Coming 3rd Outright in the 2009 Rally of Whangarei APRC – nearly beating Cody Crocker except for getting stuck in Richard Mason’s turbo smoke.
Life Motto:
You only live once.
What would you be doing if you weren't driving cars:
Truck driving.
First Job:
Washing trucks for my dad.
Favourite Movie :
Cool Runnings
Best advice ever given:
"To finish first, first you must finish".
What was your first car?
Datsun 120Y (paddock bomb)
Something you dislike:
When Rhianon says “The reality of it is...”
