Instead of the Australian Capital Territory, the national rally championship will visit New South Wales with a rally in Narooma.

Nearly 300km south of Sydney, it marks the first time that the coastal town will host a top-flight rally.

In a statement, Australian Rally Championship organisers said Naroom replaced Canberra in response to a survey presented to competitors by stakeholders and the event promoter.

The Brindabella Motor Sport Club (BMSC) promoted the Rally of Canberra.

“The findings of the survey revealed competitors wanted a new rally route, a fresh challenge and stages to better suit Rally2 models, which are beginning to build in numbers,” a statement read.

Australian Rally Championship clerk of course Adrian Dudok explained the move away from Canberra to Narooma.

“We are extremely grateful to the ACT Government for many years of great support to the Rally of Canberra, which saw the 2025 event drawing the biggest crowds of any ARC event in 20 years, however for the event to continue to grow we need to respond to the evolving nature of the sport,” Clerk of Course Adrian Dudok said.

“The success of iconic events like the Rally of the Bay, the Bega Valley Rally and the BMSC’s own Narooma Forest Rally tells us that competitors love a coastal getaway and enjoy the style of roads that only the South Coast can deliver.

“A key consideration is delivering an event that will cater for all competitors from the ARC outright crews, through all the classes, as well as the State and Clubman competitors. Narooma’s fast and flowing roads are known to hold up well and deliver good conditions for all crews.”

The Narooma Forest Rally has been running for more than a decade and in 2024 joined the New South Wales Rally Championship.

Next year’s rally will be held between Bega in the south and Batemans Bay in the north.

Some Australian Rally Championship competitors will get a tase of Batemans Bay this weekend when Rally of the Bay takes place on August 2.

Harry Bates is the second seed behind Richie Dalton. Both will drive Toyota GR Yaris rally cars. Josh Redhead will also be in action, driving his Hyundai i20.

Narooma will host the third round of the 2026 EROAD Australian Rally Championship on June 26-28.

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