An expanded, seven-round calendar for the 2022 RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship has been revealed.

The full season has already been locked in, save for a precise location for the finale, which is referred to at the moment simply as ‘Rally NSW’.

It represents an increase of one round relative to the 2021 season, and comes after 2020 championship was wiped out altogether due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a one-event cup contest held instead.

The 2022 season will begin with Netier National Capital Rally in Canberra on March 26-27, before a long-awaited return to Western Australia for the Make Smoking History Forest Rally on April 30-May 1.

Round 3 is Les Walkden Rally Tasmania in Launceston on June 25-26, while Round 4 on July 30-31 is an event which made its debut this year, namely Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland in Gympie.

The Gippsland Rally takes place on August 27-28 and the AGI Sport Adelaide Hills Rally on October 15-16.

New South Wales plays host to the curtain-closer on November 18-20.

Motorsport Australia’s director of motorsport and commercial operations, Michael Smith, said the expanded calendar reflects the growth of the championship.

“We’ve been impressed with the interest and growth in the RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship in 2021, with competitive fields, big crowds and strong commercial interest in our events,” remarked Smith.

“With new cars, some familiar faces along with plenty of rising stars, the future of Australian rally is bright.

“We know 2021 has been a tough year for our calendar to date, but with increasing confidence about the ability to host events across the country in 2022, we’re excited to confirm a bigger and better calendar next year with seven rounds hosted between April and November.

“We were eager to confirm these dates as soon as possible to give everyone, including our state rally panels, time to plan for these events accordingly.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to our event organisers, competitors and commercial partners who have been fantastic during the past 24 months dealing with a lot of uncertainty and change.

“It’s been a tough period, but the events we have been able to deliver have been bigger and better than ever.

“We can’t wait to expand on that in 2022.”

In what would be a further boost for the local rally scene, Rally Australia is firming for a return to the World Rally Championship calendar in 2023, as reported by Speedcafe.com.

The next round of the 2021 Motorsport Australia Rally Championship is Rally Tasmania on September 10-12, with a replacement being sought for the Gippsland Rally which had to be dropped from the calendar recently.

RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship 2022 calendar