Negotiations have begun for Rally Australia to stage the final round of the World Rally Championship from 2016.
Buoyed by the successful third running of the WRC round at the widely accepted Coffs coast region in northern NSW, organisers will lobby for a shift to the final round.
The plan is part of negotiations to extend the contract for another three years from 2016 following the third running of the event at Coffs as Round 10 (of 13) of the WRC.
After exclusively indicating to Speedcafe.com that the push for a final round berth which would avoid any further conflict with the V8 Supercars Sandown 500, rally chairman Ben Rainsford said the event had more than justified its presence on the WRC calendar permanently.
“It was our goal to deliver the Coffs Coast an event truly worthy of its FIA World Championship status and I think we achieved that,” Rainsford said.
“Coates Hire Rally Australia gave the teams what they wanted – a compact footprint, a good service park layout, excellent promotion, community support and attendances and, above all, a fantastic challenge for the world’s best drivers.
“It was gratifying to hear on several occasions drivers including Jari-Matti Latvala, Kris Meeke, Robert Kubica and Australia’s Chris Atkinson say how much they loved the roads, especially the 50km Nambucca stage on Saturday.
“Nambucca is scenically beautiful and fast.
“Kris (Meeke) said it was one of the world’s best rally stages and we take that as a compliment considering there are 13 countries and thousands of kilometres of stages in a WRC season.”
Mr Rainsford said it would take several days to get a more exact figure on spectator attendance due to the number of remote sales outlets used on the stages, however the impression was that the numbers have lifted from the previous year.
“We filled the car parks for two nights at our Hyundai Super Special Stage – which the drivers also praised – and the crowds were several deep at the places in the weekend Rally Villages,” he said.
“Much of the success Rally Australia achieved this year was because it was an annual event for the first time since 2006.
After running in alternate years in 2009 (Tweed Heads), 2011 and 2013, being able to return in 2014 – and as we will also in 2015 – has automatically delivered many benefits.
“We have been able to retain key staff and partnerships and develop a financially viable business model, something I expect will be a key consideration in our request for future events.”
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