Ele Bardha would place eighth overall and third in the L4WD class at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. Bardha would reflect on his time at the event in an interview with me.
What was Ele’s favourite moment of the event?
Ele Bardha would say his favourite moment of the Rally In The 100 Acre Wood would be the community coming together to honour Ken Block. The night before the start of the Rally the competitors and community would join the ARA to honour and retire the number 43 of late Rally icon Ken Block. Ken was a pioneer of Rallying within America, and an inspiration to many Rally fans across the world.
What was Ele’s Biggest Challenge At The 100AW?
Ele would install a new power unit and engine before the event, so how these would perform was a question mark for him. Ele would head into SS3 with a one-minute class lead. This was before he went into a corner too wide, hitting a rock and causing a puncture. Bardha would drive four miles before repairing the flat. This would cause him to lose his class lead to Lucy Block, something he wasn’t necessarily upset with. As if it couldn’t get worse for Bardha, just a few stages later his Center differential would break. This would cause his 4WD Subaru Impreza GC8 to turn into a limited edition 2WD Subaru Impreza GC8. For reference KJ “Differential Destroyer” Miller was not his co-driver, but he will be for the Olympus Rally in two weeks’ time.
Did Bardha Follow His Strategy Heading Into The Weekend, Or Did It Change?
Ele Bardha would follow his strategy heading into the weekend to a tee. As his strategy stayed the same as always, don’t pay attention to others. Bardha would spend Day one trying to create a gap between himself and the other L4WD competitors. Then spend day two maintaining that lead.
Was Bardha Happy With His Final Position?
No, Bardha feels that he could’ve done better. He feels that he could’ve won the L4WD class at the event. Bardha was disappointed he didn’t get the result he knows the car is capable of. But he is accepting of it given the challenges he faced at the Rally In The 100 Acre Wood.
Did Bardha Have Any Regrets?
Ele Bardha would say his only regret from the weekend came from outside of the event. As he regrets not knowing about the Main Street Cafe sooner. As he didn’t learn about it until his final day there. Stating they have the best gravy he’s ever had. Besides that, he doesn’t have any regrets about the race itself.
Photography Credit
Chris Creation Machine: Instagram, Facebook
REI Photography: Instagram, Facebook
Clarissa Votipka, Hot Hatch Racing: Instagram
Meatball Media: Instagram
My name is Joe Moore. I am a writer for Belly Up Hockey, Belly Up Racing, and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Twitter.
