After the German round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) run on bitumen roads, WRC is back on gravel tracks in Australia this weekend in the Coffs Coast region, 535 kilometres North of Sydney in New South Wales .
The track will feature 26 special stages over a distance of 369 kilometres and will be run around Nambucca, Bellingen, Coffs Harbour and Clarence Valley, with a special superstage to take place on asphalt at The Jetty in Coffs Harbour on the evenings leading into the weekend.
Day one will take competitors through the hinterland around Coffs Harbour before heading South on Saturday. The permanent service park will be stationed at the Coffs Harbour regional airport approximately nine kms distance from the Rally Australia, WRC headquarters at Opal Cove Resort.
The Coffs Coast region has previously hosted the Australian national rally championship for a number of years.
With Citroen’s sequence of eight rally victories and following Sebastien Ogier’s triumph on ADAC Rally in Germany last month, the French manufacturer will be out to win in New South Wales this week and redeem themselves for 2009 when the three works C4 WRCs were penalised one-minute for a homologation irregularity.
Rally Australia has proved to be quite successful for Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen following his victories in 2006 and 2009. Ford will be aiming to use tyre technology chasing their first victory in the World Championship since the season-opener in Sweden.