Safetrek 4WD Services & Pedders Partnership Announced

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28 May 2013

Safetrek 4WD Services & Pedders Partnership Announced
Pedders is delighted to announce a new partnership with Safetrek 4WD Services that will see Jim Kennedy (Owner and Trainer) use the complete range of Pedders Heavy Duty TrakRyder Suspension lift kit components on a daily basis.

Ever since its launch in 1983, Safetrek 4WD Services has set out to spread the word about safe four wheel driving adventures to a wider audience as well as offering dedicated training for corporate personnel. Improved suspension leads to increased levels of safety for four wheel drive owners and this partnership will help us spread word even further with training being offered on suspension setup to every Safetrek 4WD Services training student.

“The primary goal of Pedders association with Safetrek 4WD Services from day one has been to make more people aware of the correct way to set their vehicles up for safe and happy four wheel drive motoring,” says group marketing manager Adam Gillick.

“This is why we have split our range of TrakRyder Kits into 3 easy to understand kits – Touring for light users, Expedition for moderate users and Outback for heavy users. It helps people with all levels of knowledge about four wheel drives to determine what suits them best by their lifestyle choices – from commuter vehicles with general off road use (Touring Kit), those that carry heavy loads such as caravans or trailers (Expedition Kit) – to those frequent users of four wheel drives who also tow and carry heavy loads regularly (Outback Kit).

Jim Kennedy drives a 2012 Mazda BT50 dual cab ute. Fitted to the vehicle is a host of additional accessories such as bull bars and side bars, winch and a host of other regular four wheel drive accessories. The vehicle’s suspension was fitted with a custom TrakRyder suspension kit with heavy duty TrakRyder Foam Cell shock absorbers and heavy duty TrakRyder Springs being the obvious choice for the rigorous four wheel driving the vehicle does on a regular basis.

After the initial fitment of the new TrakRyder Suspension upgrade kit Jim said: “We had an advanced High Country course over the weekend. We tackled some of Victoria’s iconic 4WD tracks and a lot of these are very challenging to even the larger 4WDrives. The new suspension upgrades that you added to the BT50 have transformed the vehicle. It has improved its stability and road holding especially on higher speed gravel roads and it is now a dream to drive them. Off road which to me is the most important aspect of these modifications, it now has a lot more rear wheel travel especially in the droop condition which obviously helps to not only keep the rear wheels on the ground but does help in keeping the front wheels on the ground when travelling over moguly uneven surfaces. The way the vehicle handled the really tough terrain even astounded some of the experienced people on the course. The shockers showed no signs of any fading even after some punishing driving at higher speeds down from Howit Hut to Licola, which is a rough high speed gravel road.”

“We’re confident that this partnership with Safetrek 4WD Services will help us get word about safe and proper suspension setups to an even wider audience and encourage more people to give suspension upgrades a go,” said group marketing manager Adam Gillick.

Safetrek 4WD Services is steadily expanding the range of four wheel drive training courses found in its training facility. As such, just like a trip to the forest, Safetrek 4WD Services is a fantastic starting place for 4WD lovers to explore new territory – something Pedders offers, in particular through its range of new and upgrade suspension components that enable you to safely get to your destination.

“Safetrek 4WD Services is excited to be working with Pedders to support the idea of safe and happy four wheel driving,” says Safetrek 4WD Services owner and trainer Jim Kennedy. “What better way to explore the world of off road driving than at a Safetrek 4WD Services training course.

“At Safetrek 4WD Services our range of training courses are designed for both the general and the commercial four wheel driver. With options of basic, special and mechanical awareness you can be trained on how to confidently and safely explore our magnificent country.”

Success at the island : Pedders Proton

Success at the Island

Pedders Racing has fought hard to take out victory in class E of the Australian Manufacturers Championship at Phillip Island this weekend. With tough competition from Maddison Gray and Samantha Bennett in their Toyota Echo, Grant Phillips and Andrew Turpie were forced to work hard to keep ahead of the ladies.
Race 1 was held on Saturday afternoon in wet and difficult conditions which saw the Gray/Bennett team take full advantage of a poor tyre choice from the Pedders Team. Running a full set of medium compound tyres in what turned out to be a very wet track cost Phillips more than 30 seconds after his half of an hour session before handing the car over to Turpie.
“The rear of the car just wanted to overtake the front all of the time, conditions are tough out there and I just don’t know what more I could have done to try and stay in touch with the Toyota” said Phillips as he climbed out of the Bosch/PBR Sponsored car.
The drivers change saw the team’s first tyre changes during a race and they performed extremely well, adding just 7 seconds to the pit stop. With Gray/Bennett stopping at the same time the Pedders team were able to keep in touch with the ladies thanks to Phillips’ efforts coming into pit lane. “I was a long way behind Maddi coming into the pit lane entry but she slowed down well before the control line and I continued at full speed. I couldn’t believe my luck, all of the lost time was made up through the pit stop entry alone and it felt great to hand the car over in that position”, Phillips continued.
Bennett went out and turned the Toyota into a target for the Pedders/Valvoline Team, Turpie had to allow for cold tyres on the rear of the car so the first lap saw the girls lead by more than half of a minute. The change to soft compounds on the rear was a fantastic choice and after the second lap Turpie had taken six seconds out of their lead. Turpie drove like a man on a mission and with just 3 laps remaining in race 1 was able to take the lead in class and taking victory in race 1.
“It was tough work out there this afternoon” said Turpie, “The rain made the track slippery, especially coming down Lukey Heights and Sam made me work for every second to catch her, traffic and a great choice to change tyres all contributed allowing the team to take out race 1”, he continued.
Race 2 on Sunday afternoon saw the team go to battle in cold, windy conditions with just light showers. The Bartercard Sponsored team stayed with the same set up as from race 1 and gave Phillips some additional laps in the warm up session to build his confidence with the new tyre combination.
Phillips took the start of race 2 and was immediately swamped by the competition when a much faster class C car bogged down in their start and closed out Phillips’ option to go around the outside when the car moved across. Taking evasive action Phillips then went about getting in front of the Gray/Bennett entry and then building a lead. Samantha Bennett took the start in the Toyota Echo and never looked like threatening the lead of the Whiteline Flat Out Proton although she was able to claw back some time on several of the laps before the Pit Window opened.
The team took the opportunity to move where the drivers change was to take place, instead of out the front of their garage; they went further down pit lane thanks to one of the Touring Car Masters teams and performed their change away from the pandemonium that was unfolding in front of them. With limited space and too many cars coming in for their compulsory stop at the same time, one of the Pedders Extreme Class A cars was hit in the driver’s door causing significant damage and fortunately no-one was physically hurt.
Turpie took the drive from Phillips and maintained the lead they had over the Toyota Echo. Staying out of trouble and keeping the car on the track, Turpie was able to ensure victory in race 2 as well as taking the victory for the weekend in class E.
With fantastic racing and a massive team effort Pedders Racing can now take just over two months to prepare for their next racing at Queensland Raceway in Ipswich where our main competition will also be racing thanks to some negotiations between both the Pedders/Reliance Petroleum Team and the Gray/Bennett Toyota Echo team.
“We have had a great weekend racing with Sam and Maddi”, said Phillips “So it made sense to talk to their management and offer some support by taking their car and equipment in our transporter and helping to reduce some of the financial burden on them” he continued.
The team is excited about the night race at QR; it is going to be an amazing spectacle for the spectators, the teams and the drivers. The Shannon’s Nationals Series will be at Queensland Raceway from August 10 to 12 with the highlight of the weekend being the AMC night race on Saturday the 11th commencing at 6.30pm.

Pedders Proton Team !

PEDDERS/VALVOLINE PROTON MAKES IT 4 FROM 4

26 September 2011

Round 4 of the Australian Manufacturers Championship was held in the heart of Melbourne at Sandown Raceway over 2 days of non-stop action. Leg 1 of the Dial Before You Dig AMC 500 was held on Saturday with Grant Phillips taking the start line to try and make up for a missed opportunity with Pole position going to the Gray/Jarvis Suzuki Swift.

Phillips took it straight to the Swifts from the moment the lights went out with the first 8 laps described as "the best racing I have ever done" For 27 laps Phillips battled hard to take the lead in class before working on his next target, the class D car of McGill/Brunsden. The Phillips session wasn't without its own special moments when for some reason the exhaust blew itself apart causing auditory distress for the driver and making it difficult to communicate with the pit crew.

The first Safety Car saw Phillips pit and Andrew Turpie taking the wheel for the remaining laps. It was almost smooth sailing for Turpie, with laps being set at consistent times he was able to capitalise on position and bring the team home in a comfortable 2 lap lead from the first of the Swifts. With cars catching fire and others hitting the wall or losing wheels, Turpie was very much in the thick of things. Sunday saw Leg 2 shortened by 20 laps due to a couple of really big accidents, including a Porsche into the wall at Turn 8, then when the Swift Series cars came out, one ended up into the wall opposite at Turn 8 then on its roof.

Phillips took the wheel for the start of leg 2 in position 13 and after a fantastic start he set about trying to put some distance between the Proton and the Swifts, however it all came unstuck when at the end of the first lap, a dead Evo 9 caused a Safety Car which saw most teams complete their compulsory pit stop, a task that did not apply to class E cars. Phillips missed the instruction to stay out and entered pit lane following the rest of the field when the Swifts jumped on the opportunity to gain position and tried to get a lap back. Realising his mistake Phillips was on a mission to get past the two Suzuki Swifts. After rounding them up and putting some distance on the Swifts while completing a blistering fastest lap of 1.33:5252, Phillips came in for the driver change with Daryl Martin.

Straight away there was trouble with the Valvoline sponsored Proton, the driver change caused an issue with the radio squelch meaning there was no communication between the driver and pit crew. Martin set about putting some good times down and taking the Pedders Team to victory and some more distance between the Proton and the Swifts. Then the opportunity to take on the Celica of McGill/Brunsden saw the two cars in a great display of racing around the unique Sandown Raceway. Martin said, "I was having the best time racing with Matt McGill" and "there was a bit of bumper to bumper action with Matt's Celica a lot slower in the corners than the Proton, there was one time in turn 10 though where I rubbed a bit harder than I was expecting and I'm sure Matt was a bit surprised by it too because next lap I got past him without too much difficulty." continued Martin.

After setting what is believed to be the fastest lap (1:32.2406) by a Proton Satria GTi at Sandown Raceway on lap 100, Martin continued on his fast pace until he came unstuck 4 laps later after letting one of the much faster Mitsubishi Evo's through heading in to turn 7 it braked heavier than Martin was expecting which kept him wide on the dirty line. This resulted in a brake lockup and the car understeering straight into the sand trap at turn 9. Angry with his own error, Martin vented some frustration on the steering wheel before composing himself and getting back on the track. Unfortunately there also seemed to be a clutch problem that got worse as the laps continued, with the final 6 laps being run with no clutch at all. Keeping fingers crossed, Martin managed to bring the Pedders Racing Proton home for a chequered victory in class E continuing their unbeaten run.

With only the Eastern Creek 8 hour Endurance round to come on December 9th to the 11th, the team is faced with some repairs before making the trip north and hopefully securing a clean sweep of class E in the Australian Manufacturers Championship and the Australian Endurance Championship. Grant Phillips currently holds a commanding lead in the Drivers’ Championship in class E with 482 points, second place is tied between Andrew Turpie and Daryl Martin on 240 points while 3rd place is held by Maddison Gray on 182 points.

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Pedders Rally Team 2011

PEDDERS RALLY TEAM

Pedders Rally Team 2011

Pedder and Tierney ready for rally assault!

Pedders Suspension Rally Team’s Mark Pedder and co-driver Lee Tierney are ready for an all-out assault on the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship.  The crew finished a superb equal second in the 2010 championship thanks to a consistent run in their Race Torque prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX but Pedder says 2011 is the year to chase the title that has eluded his team for over a decade.

“The 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship is wide open this year and after a learning year last year (Pedder’s first year of full competition since 2004) I think we can push for event wins and with some luck on our side, championship victory.” Said Pedder

Pedders Rally Team have been long term supporters of the Australian Rally Championship running teams since the 80’s for Hugh Bell and Dinta Officer and winning the championship with Barry Lowe (1985) and Ed Ordynski (1990).  Since 2001 the striking Pedders Lancers have been a feature of the series with Mark and younger brother Scott piloting the team’s campaign.  Following a career ending accident in South Australia last year Scott Pedder has now focused his energies as CEO of the Australian Rally Championship.

“This year we will be carrying Scott’s number 7 on the door from last year – after so many years at the top of his game it would be great to take a Pedders car to the top step of the podium this year.” said Pedder.

Since the introduction of the new Unrestricted ARC Cars the Pedders Rally Team and Race Torque Engineering in Perth has been busily upgrading Mark’s car in readiness for the official ARC launch on April 6 in Melbourne before round one, the Quit Forest Rally in WA from April 15-17.

“I haven’t driven the car in the new trim yet but I can’t wait.  With a considerable gain in power I think the cars will be exciting but probably easy to drive.  I think the sport needed to evolve and I think the new ARC cars will certainly provide the spectacle that is needed to take our sport to the next level,” said Pedder.

The re-introduction of the Pedders Rally Team in 2010 saw the familiar Black and Yellow livery however in 2011 the team have adopted a fresh new look.

“Last year was the 60th year of Pedders so we decided the retro Black and Yellow was fitting given this celebration.  This year we have decided on a more corporately consistent look utilising our Black, White and Red branding in a similar style to the Pedders Safety and Course cars that head the V8 Supercars field.”





Follow the Pedders Rally Team’s progress by tuning in to their dedicated Facebook page.  For all the details on the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship check out www.rally.com.au