AUSSIE champ Simon Evans handed out a hiding to a squad of top internationals in an unofficial shakedown test for the International Rally of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast today.

Held on a wide tarmac course set for tonight’s Coates Hire Rally Shootout opening special stages in the Sunshine Industrial park in Caloundra, Evans and his co-driver wife Sue set a blistering pace in their Subaru Impreza.

It was the best possible start for the couple, who could secure their fourth Australian Rally Championship with a successful run over this weekend.

The leading international and second fastest overall on the shakedown was Indian Rally Champion Guarav Gill, from the MRF Mitsubishi team, who set a time one second slower than Simon Evans but equal to the Australian’s younger brother Eli, who was driving a Honda Civic Type R in the Australian championship division.

Queenslander Chris Atkinson, driving one of the British-developed Proton Satria Neo S2000 cars for the factory-backed Proton R3 Malaysia team, was the second-fastest international ahead of Brendan Reeves, FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship leader Katsu Taguchi and Nathan Quinn.

A field of 82 starters will tackle two stages on the 2.3 kilometre Caloundra course from 7.30 tonight, then head into the Imbil forests in the Mary Valley for a further 18 stages scheduled to conclude at 3.30 pm on Sunday.

The Coates Hire Rally Shootout will start at 5.30pm at the Sunshine Coast Industrial Park.

Autograph sessions with the drivers, displays and a grand parade of the rally field will precede the official launch of the 2010 event by Queensland Sports Minister Phil Reeves and the start of the first competing car at 7.30pm.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate in Racecourse Road, Caloundra.
FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship

1 Guarav GILL (India)/Glen MACNEALL (NZ), Mitsubishi 1 min. 24 sec.
2 Chris ATKINSON (Aust.)/Stephane PREVOT (Beligum), Proton 1:25
3 Brendan REEVES (Aust.)/Rhiannon SMYTH (Aust.), Subaru 1:25
4 Katsu TAGUCHI (Japan)/Chris MURPHY (Aust.), Mitsubishi 1:26
5 Nathan QUINN (Aust.)/David Green (Aust.), Mitsubishi 1:26

Australian Rally Championship

1 Simon EVANS/Sue EVANS, Subaru 1:23
2 Eli EVANS/Glen WESTON, Honda 1:24
3 Ryan SMART/Rebecca SMART, Toyota 1:26
4 Justin DOWELL/Matt LEE, Mitsubishi 1:26
5 Mark PEDDER/Lee TIERNEY, Mitsubishi 1:27