Coffs harbour

International rallying will return to New South Wales with the new-look Coffs Coast Rally on November 26-28. The event will be the finale for both the APRC and Australian Rally Championship seasons, and gives Australia two APRC events alongside the qualifier in the Adelaide Hills on October 15-17. Coffs Harbour hosted the World Rally Championship seven times across eight years, before what was meant to be its final appearance on the WRC schedule in 2019 was cancelled due to bushfires in the area . “The NSW Nationals are building a safer and stronger regional NSW by securing world-class events for country cities, showcasing our incredible regions to the world,” said NSW deputy premier John Barilaro. “This is an example of what can happen when you have a council who is prepared to work with the government and stakeholders to bring world-class events to regional NSW.” Motorsport Australia president Andrew Fraser said the governing body will continue to work with … [Read more...] about Coffs Harbour to host Asia Pacific Rally finale

Rally Australia’s current agreement with host town Coffs Harbour is up at the end of this season and there’s no real desire among the WRC stakeholders to return to the New South Wales venue beyond 2019. One source said: “Australia needs to find a new home for its WRC round, we know that. New Zealand is looking like a sensible option for next year. “The thinking is there’s the necessary investment in place to go back there [to New Zealand] and that would give Australia the chance to find somewhere new and, most likely, outside of New South Wales.” The WRC was last in New Zealand in 2012, when the event ran out of Auckland’s Viaduct Basin (pictured top). There was potential for Rally NZ to return to the 2018 calendar with a Tauranga-based event, but next year would most likely be back in Auckland with potential funding coming from the city itself. Rally Australia has been the concluding round of the WRC since 2016, and last year hosted a three-way title decider … [Read more...] about New Zealand tipped for 2020 WRC return