Brendan Reeves boosted his Australian Rally Championship hopes by winning the Armor All Power Stage at Coffs Harbour.
Reeves took full advantage of a mistake from title rival Scott Pedder to scoop the precious five points for the 2.5km stage win, which has seen him pull level in the championship standings.
The pivotal moment in the stage came when Pedder overestimated his entry speed to a jump sending his Renault Clio into a spin.
As a result, Reeves came through to post a time of 1.45.6s to take the win by 2.4s from Citroen DS3 runner Tony Sullens and Adrian Coppin.
“We are level pegging with Scott (Pedder) now, and I hope we can have a great battle all weekend. The boys have prepared a great car and I can't wait to start tomorrow.”
The Ford Fiestas ST of Steve Mackenzie finished fourth ahead of the Volkswagen duo of Michael Boaden and Mick Patton.
ARMOR ALL Power Stage – Stage Times
1. Brendan Reeves (Mazda2) 1:45.6
2. Tony Sullens (Citroen DS3) 1:48.2
3. Adrian Coppin (Citroen DS3) 1:49.6
4. Steve Mackenzie (Ford Fiesta ST) 1:50.3
5. Michael Boaden (Volkswagen Polo) 1:52.0
6. Mick Patton (Volkswagen Polo) 1:56.7
ARMOR ALL Power Stage Highlihgts