One of Australia's most accomplished drivers will return to competition in the Toyota Rally of South Australia on August 5-7, driving an ex-works Toyota Corolla.
Local hero Ed Ordynski will celebrate a historic milestone in the event, marking 30 years since he first competed in the Australian Rally Championship.
The Toyota drive will bookend the milestone because the 50 year-old's maiden ARC start in 1975 was in this same event driving a Toyota Corolla he had bought for $200 as a university student.
His Toyota Rally SA mount next week is the Group N Corolla that Neal Bates drove last season and is now owned by privateer Martin Lintott, who has been forced to miss this round due to business commitments.
Long-time rival Bates, the boss of Toyota Team Racing, worked with Toyota to put Ordynski and regular co-driver Iain Stewart into the Lincorp Corolla.
"I thought I was going to miss this milestone, which would have been a shame, but it turns out that Neal has been trying to make this happen for some time - without me even knowing it," said Ordynski.
"It's very special that people who have been rivals for years have gone to the trouble to make this happen and it really fires you up."
Ordynski, who won the national title in 1990, has been sitting on the sidelines since ending his long-standing association with Mitsubishi six months ago, but is eager to again tackle an event that he won just two years ago and in which he finished third last year.
Toyota Australia motor sport manager Phil Galway said that Ordynski's return to the cockpit would generate additional interest in Toyota Rally SA, which last year attracted a record crowd.
"Ed has a very high profile in South Australia in particular and having him competing again is great for the championship, especially as it is his 30th anniversary event," said Phil Galway.
"It will also be interesting to get his feedback on the Group N Corolla because one of his strengths over the years has been his technical ability."
Ordynski has the best international record of any Australian rally driver, having eight times beaten the best Group N drivers in the world to win the class in Rally Australia, a round of the World Rally Championship. He also won Group N in the New Zealand WRC event in 1994.
In Australia, Ordynski has been Australian Group N Rally Champion four times and rose to national prominence in 1995 when he won the Round Australia Trial driving a Holden Commodore.
Ordynski will test the Lincorp Corolla for the first time in official pre-event testing next Tuesday.
"There is no pressure on us for this event because there are no expectations, but I feel super enthusiastic and excited. It's a big challenge and that's part of the appeal," he said.
"The goal throughout my career has always been to win the rally, but this championship is just so tough that you can't just jump in and expect to win, so our real goal would just be to get into the top 10. I think that would be a great result."