Melbourne to 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

Grosjean was moved across to that version in Singapore, which features the floor, bargeboards and rear wing that Haas started the season with, along with latest sidepods and front wing. The team only had one version of that package available last weekend, but now hopes to be able to shift Magnussen across as well for the Sochi event. Asked by Motorsport.com what the plan was for after Singapore, team principal Gunther Steiner said: “It is a hybrid [now]. It is not the clear Australia spec any more, because we couldn’t do that as we would always need to change the chassis. “Kevin’s car wasn’t slow [in Singapore] and we need to analyse both cars over the race, but at the moment the plan is that we go back to the spec Romain ran, with both cars. That was planned before already.” Read Also: Haas in talks with Kubica over test/simulator role Russell: "Shame" Grosjean clash didn't also ruin his race Haas has decided that the hybrid Melbourne spec is its … [Read more...] about Haas plans to run only “hybrid” Melbourne spec in Russia

Motorsport.com understands that the Australian Grand Prix Corporation investigated making a significant change to the Lakeside Drive part of the Melbourne circuit, replacing the fast Turn 11/12 complex with a 'stop' corner to create another passing opportunity. The plan would have seen the profile of the back straight changed to make it longer and faster, leading into a hard braking zone and a tight left-hander. With a new DRS zone in place, the idea was that it would create a new place to pass on the mostly-flowing layout. However, it appears that the existing layout will remain unchanged in at least the short term. The AGPC has confirmed that an investigation into making the changes yielded too few benefits to make it worthwhile, a view shared by FOM following discussions between the two parties. As a result, the unique layout that has played host to Australia's round of the World Championship since 1996 will continue to be used for the foreseeable future. … [Read more...] about Melbourne considered bold track tweak to boost overtaking

The category had been looking at an all-in hub for Melbourne-based personnel, who will need to complete 14 days of mandatory quarantine to get across the NSW border.Inspired by similar systems used by the major football codes, the hub would have allowed the co-drivers to use shared facilities such as gyms and exercises areas to continue their training in the lead-up to the Great Race.However that plan has now been abandoned, with teams left to their own devices in terms of getting staff quarantined. Darwin appears to be a popular choice, with Tickford Racing and Triple Eight following DJR Team Penske's lead and sending the likes of Michael Caruso, James Moffat and Garth Tander to the Northern Territory for two weeks of quarantine. There are no border restrictions between the NT and Queensland and NSW. Others are understood to be looking at hotel quarantine in Sydney.As well as Caruso, Moffat and Tander, the likes of Dale Wood, James Golding and Erebus race engineer Alistair McVean will … [Read more...] about No quarantine hub for Bathurst 1000