Next weekend is the 40th running of the coates Rally of Queensland, and it’s the third round of the Australian Rally Championship. It’s an event that combines are variety of road surfaces with some of the longest stages on the ARC calendar.

And that’s a combination that suites Michael Guest down to the ground. "I’m quite interested to see what roads have been picked (for the event). It’s up around 240km of competitive stages. It’s a long, testing, event and I think it’s nice that we’re heading back in that direction."

"The roads are quite technical…there’s a lot of crests and corners that tighten over crests, and they’re off-camber, on-camber, and they open and the lengths are different. So there’s a lot of information in your notes, and need to be on the ball to do well there. It’s a matter of pushing hard on those technical areas, and that’s the place where you can take time off the opposition."

"I enjoy the longer events and the more technical roads. With World Championship experience, and with the length of time that I’ve been rallying…you tend to absorb the mental pressure of those longer stages easier, and you can push right though them. You draw on that experience to keep your mental attitude right in those situations, so without a doubt that’s definitely an advantage."

And Michael is determined to put the disappointment of Rally Canberra behind him, and push on in the fight for this years ARC title. "Canberra, on the first stage I think we were second fastest. But after that, it just wasn’t good. We hit a kangaroo at 180km/h, and that put us out on the first day. So it was one of those rallies that I’d rather forget. From coming off Perth where we showed great speed…no one was more disappointed than I was. But you’ve just got to forget about that and look forward."

To listen to the full interview with Michael, click the ‘Play’ button below.

2008 Rally Queensland Preview [ 9:49 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download