Lilie & Stevens triumph as Great Tarmac Rally’s biggest edition goes the distance
Credit: Angryman Photography
Dean Lillie and Sammy Stevens claim outright victory in a historic three-day Great Tarmac Rally, while Michael Harding and James Thornburn are crowned the Australian Tarmac Rally Champions 2026.
The Great Tarmac Rally 2026 has concluded after three demanding days of competition across Lake Mountain Road, Eildon–Jamieson Road and the legendary Reefton Spur, marking the successful completion of the event's biggest and most ambitious edition to date.
For the first time in its history, the Great Tarmac Rally expanded to three days, bringing together three of Victoria's most iconic rally roads in an extended test of speed, endurance, mechanical reliability and consistency.
While Dean Lillie and Sammy Stevens ultimately secured outright victory, the road to the finish was anything but predictable. Fierce stage battles, mechanical failures and dramatic changes in the standings shaped a weekend that tested even the most experienced crews.
FRIDAY: LAKE MOUNTAIN DELIVERS AN EARLY SHAKE-UP
Friday's opening leg took competitors onto Lake Mountain Road, where the challenging alpine stages quickly began separating the field.
Michael Harding and James Thornburn made an extraordinary start in their 2008 Subaru WRX STI, recording the fastest time across six consecutive stages and establishing themselves as early contenders for outright honours.
However, their promising campaign came to a devastating end at the start of SS9 when mechanical failure forced their permanent retirement.
Despite Harding and Thornburn's dominance on individual stages, it was Dean Lillie and Sammy Stevens who emerged at the top of Friday's outright classification.
Jason and Fiona Wright followed in second, 53.6 seconds behind, while Jonathan Moir and Brad Jones delivered an impressive performance in their 1976 Ford Mk2 Escort to secure third, just 4.5 seconds behind the Wrights.
Xavier Franklin and Jaidyn Gluskie occupied fourth, with Matthew Gibbens and Tim Jurd completing the outright top five.
In Modern AWD, David and Jackie Thirlwall led the category in their 2016 Audi RS3, finishing 39.1 seconds ahead of Craig and Jasmine Haysman in their 2011 Subaru WRX STI.
Mark Griffith and Bernie Webb secured third in their 2020 Mercedes A45S, with Scott Coppleman and Adrian Burney close behind in fourth, separated by just 7.7 seconds.
The Early Modern 2WD category was equally competitive, with David Blunden and Doug Fernie leading in their 1997 Nissan R33 Skyline GTSt. Roger Lomman and Annie Bainbridge followed just 24.8 seconds behind in their 2005 Nissan 350Z, while Michael Linke and Dominic Crosby completed the top three, 4:00.9 off the category lead.
SATURDAY: EILDON–JAMIESON TESTS THE LIMITS
If Friday established the early order, Saturday demonstrated just how quickly fortunes could change.
The Eildon–Jamieson Road presented a vastly different challenge, with longer stages, technical sections and relentless changes in direction placing enormous demands on both crews and machinery.
As competitive kilometres accumulated, tyre management, braking performance and mechanical preservation became increasingly important.
Lillie and Stevens maintained their outright advantage, extending their lead by just 1.1 seconds across Saturday's competition, while Jason and Fiona Wright retained second.
One of the day's standout performances came from Xavier Franklin and Jaidyn Gluskie, who climbed from fourth to third outright in their Porsche Cayman GT4.
The pair claimed victories on SS13 and SS14, including the demanding 27.36-kilometre Eildon to Big River stage, moving ahead of Jonathan Moir and Brad Jones and closing to within just 3.6 seconds of the Wrights.
Moir and Jones slipped to fourth but remained firmly in podium contention, while Matthew Gibbens and Tim Jurd continued their consistent weekend to retain fifth.
Liam and Larry Howarth held sixth in their 1995 Nissan Skyline GTR V-Spec, followed by Justin Waterhouse and Adrian Bryant in seventh. Thomas Dermody and Darraygh Lynch also made progress, climbing into eighth.
With one day remaining, the outright positions were far from settled, setting the stage for a decisive final encounter on Reefton Spur.
SUNDAY: REEFTON SPUR DECIDES THE OUTRIGHT HONOURS
After two punishing days, the competition moved to one of Australia's most recognisable tarmac rally roads for a fitting conclusion.
The legendary Reefton Spur, spanning 37 kilometres and featuring an extraordinary concentration of corners, provided one final examination of driver precision, concentration and mechanical endurance.
With the outright podium still within reach for several crews, Sunday's stages proved decisive.
Dean Lillie and Sammy Stevens completed an exceptional weekend in their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VI, securing outright victory with a total accumulated time of 3:55:02.8.
Having led the classification at the conclusion of both Friday and Saturday, the Mitsubishi crew successfully defended their advantage through the final leg, converting three days of consistent performance into a well-earned victory.
One of Sunday's biggest developments came from Jonathan Moir and Brad Jones, who produced an impressive final-day charge in their 1976 Ford Mk2 Escort.
After finishing Saturday in fourth outright, the pair climbed two positions to claim second overall, finishing just 1 minute and 41.3 seconds behind Lillie and Stevens.
Their result was particularly remarkable given the age of their vehicle and the calibre of modern machinery competing at the front of the field.
Xavier Franklin and Jaidyn Gluskie completed the outright podium in their Porsche Cayman GT4, finishing third, just 1 minute and 2 seconds behind Moir and Jones.
Jason and Fiona Wright, who had occupied second outright throughout the opening two days, ultimately finished fourth in their Nissan R35.
In one of the closest battles among the leading crews, just 16 seconds separated Franklin and Wright after three days of competition.
Liam and Larry Howarth rounded out the outright top five in their Nissan Skyline GTR V-Spec, improving from sixth at the conclusion of Saturday.
For a full list of results, please head to: https://chrissport.nz/events/
STAGE VICTORIES HIGHLIGHT THE DEPTH OF COMPETITION
Although Lillie and Stevens led the outright classification throughout the event, the individual stage results told a very different story, with several crews demonstrating exceptional pace.
Harding and Thornburn's six consecutive stage victories on Friday established them as the early benchmark before mechanical failure ended their campaign.
Nathan Reeves and Bec Sheldrick also showed remarkable speed, claiming three consecutive victories on Saturday's SS10, SS11 and SS12 after rejoining the event following earlier mechanical trouble.
Franklin and Gluskie secured three stage victories across the opening two days, while Lillie and Stevens recorded three wins of their own, including consecutive victories on Saturday's demanding SS15 and SS16.
Jason and Fiona Wright also added a stage victory on SS17, recording a time of 13:20.3 across the 27.35-kilometre Big River to Eildon stage.
The distribution of stage wins demonstrated the strength of the field, with several of the event's fastest crews ultimately unable to translate their pace into a strong outright result.
MECHANICAL HEARTBREAK AND THE BATTLE TO FINISH
The expanded three-day format proved unforgiving, with mechanical failures and off-road incidents disrupting several promising campaigns.
Among the most significant retirements was Harding and Thornburn, whose exceptional opening-day performance ended prematurely at SS9.
Reeves and Sheldrick experienced a similarly frustrating weekend. After mechanical trouble on Friday, the pair rejoined on Saturday and immediately demonstrated their speed with three consecutive stage victories. However, further mechanical problems at TC16 brought their event to a permanent end.
Lance Arundel and Stuart Collison also faced setbacks, encountering mechanical trouble on Friday's SS6 before returning to competition at the beginning of Saturday's leg.
Other notable retirements and incidents included:
Dean van Huizen / Jonah van Huizen – 2020 Mini JCW GP: Off-road incident.
Michael Chora / Brett Williams – 2005 Subaru WRX: Off-road incident.
Geoff Olholm / John Doble – 2019 Toyota Supra GTS: Mechanical failure.
David Currow / Kate O'Donnell – 1969 Fiat AC: Mechanical retirement.
Tim Branch / Kathy Branch – 1983 Mitsubishi Starion: Mechanical trouble on SS12, followed by a brief return before permanent retirement at SS14.
Daryl Henthorn / Riley Arnold – 2015 Porsche GT3: Mechanical trouble recorded at SS22.
Alex Wasson / Lance Wasson – 2016 Subaru WRX Spec C: Retirement recorded at SS22.
The growing list of retirements illustrated the challenges of competing across an event of this length and complexity.
For some crews, the weekend was defined by outstanding stage performances. For others, the greatest achievement was simply reaching the final control.
HARDING AND THORNBURN CROWNED 2026 AUSTRALIAN TARMAC RALLY CHAMPIONS
While the Great Tarmac Rally delivered its own share of triumphs and disappointments, Sunday's conclusion also brought the 2026 Australian Tarmac Rally Championship season to a close, with Michael Harding and James Thornburn officially crowned the 2026 Australian Tarmac Rally Champions.
For the Subaru WRX STI crew, the title represents the culmination of an outstanding season, with consistency, determination and outright pace proving decisive across the championship.
Their achievement came despite a particularly disappointing end to their Great Tarmac Rally campaign.
Having recorded six consecutive stage victories on Friday, Harding and Thornburn appeared well positioned to challenge for outright event honours before mechanical failure brought their weekend to an abrupt end.
However, their performances throughout the season had already established a strong championship position, with their accumulated results ultimately securing the title.
It was a contrasting conclusion for the pair, who left the Great Tarmac Rally without an outright event finish but with the championship's highest honour.
While their final rally of 2026 ended in mechanical heartbreak, their season ended as Australian Tarmac Rally Champions.
A LANDMARK ACHIEVEMENT FOR AUSTRALIAN TARMAC RALLY
Beyond the competition, delivering the expanded Great Tarmac Rally represented one of the most significant logistical undertakings in Australian Tarmac Rally's history.
Bringing together Lake Mountain Road, Eildon–Jamieson Road and Reefton Spur across three consecutive days required extensive planning, coordination and consultation with government authorities, local communities, emergency services, specialist contractors and hundreds of officials and volunteers.
Australian Tarmac Rally Event Director Brittany Wilson said the successful delivery of the event was an important milestone for the organisation.
"There's a big difference between planning a three-day rally on paper and actually watching it unfold. We've spent the better part of 12 months working towards this weekend and seeing competitors tackle all three of these roads has been incredibly rewarding.
"Each day presented its own challenges. Lake Mountain demanded precision, Eildon–Jamieson tested endurance, and Reefton Spur was the ultimate final hurdle. Bringing all three together into one event has been a huge achievement for our organisation.
"We're a small organisation putting on a very big event, and none of this happens without an extraordinary amount of work behind the scenes.
"Our officials, suppliers, safety crews and emergency services personnel have been absolutely outstanding. Many of them have spent longer out on the roads than the competitors themselves, and their contribution deserves enormous recognition.
"Seeing the crews reach the finish after three days is what makes the work worthwhile. There have been some incredible performances, some heartbreaking retirements and plenty of challenges along the way, but that's the reality of rallying.
"We're incredibly proud of what we've achieved, and even more grateful to the people who continue to support what we're building."
With the first three-day Great Tarmac Rally now complete, the event has set a new benchmark for Australian Tarmac Rally, demonstrating both the scale of the organisation's ambitions and the extraordinary commitment required to deliver closed-road motorsport across Victoria's alpine regions.
The conclusion also marks the end of another significant championship season, with Australian Tarmac Rally continuing to develop and evolve its events in response to the changing demands of the sport and its competitors.
Credit: Angryman Photography
