Palmer waiting for next adventure

Lee Palmer has finally come to a rest after a whirlwind trip to the rally of Portugal and Morocco.

A RING of the phone is all that separates Lee Palmer from his next adventure.

A quick pack and he's on his way.

But the Grafton mechanic admits the action doesn't stop even after the rally car's engine does.

With a new business – Cross Roads at South Grafton – the 35-year-old is happy just to be back on solid ground after his two-week sojourn overseas for the Portugal-Morocco Rally.

Through clay, dirt, stone and sand, navigator Palmer and co-driver Amadeus Matzker finished a highly creditable eighth in a race that tests competitors' endurance across 3700km.

That's almost 10 times longer than the Clarence River.

“Other than being worn out, I'm just getting back into the swing of home,” Palmer told the Examiner.

“We were happy to squeeze into the top 10.

“The factory teams were looking at us quite green with envy.

“The whole adventure was the highlight. Just being involved in an international rally is great.

“People just don't see that stuff on a tourist bus trip.

“I can say I have seen some of some countries that tourists will never get to.”

While Matzker's emotional high has seen him prepare for October's Rally of the Pharaohs in Egypt, Palmer is happy just to ease back into some form of normality.

That means getting his business “up and running”.

“When you finish on a high from the previous race everyone wants to plan the next one,” he said.

“But as soon as I hopped on the plane to get home I was on the phone checking how things were.

“(But) you're only ever a phone call away from the next adventure.

“I don't plan anything until I get that call.”

Palmer is leading a growing band of rally drivers in Australia.

And he hopes his trailblazing ways help the sport get off the ground domestically.

While in Europe, he was the headline act in a rally television program.

“Ten years ago when I told people what I did they didn't have a clue,” he said.

“It's slowly becoming more known.

“I'm a nobody in Australia, but in Europe everybody knows me.”

Palmer said parallels could be drawn between rally driving and running a business.

A master at one, the perfectionist in Palmer ensures the second is a fait accompli.

“You can compare the focus (between driving and business),” he said.

“To be successful in rally you have to be focused and organised. To be successful in business you have to be the same.”