Rally Australia - Program

Rally Australia, the 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, incorporates a number of new features since the event last ran in the series in 2011.

Coffs Harbour, located midway between Sydney and Brisbane, once again plays host to the event but a new location for the service park and super special stage in town will increase the spectacle for fans. The organiser has also included a 49.90 kilometre stage by linking two previous stages, providing a massive challenge for the crews on Saturday. In all, new stages and shorter road sections will provide a much more compact route.

The fight for the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship titles will also continue down under. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia had their first taste of potential title success at the last round in Germany until suspension damage put them out of the frame. In Australia, the Frenchmen need to extend their lead to 84 points or more to be sure of the title. The battle in the Manufacturers’ Championship also continues between Volkswagen Motorsport and the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

Aside from the WRC contenders, nine crews from the FIA WRC 2 Championship have nominated Australia as one of their points-scoring rounds.

CHANGES TO THE ROUTE SINCE 2011

The 2013 Rally Australia route mixes old with new and six of the nine individual stages are classified as new. Just one stage remains exactly the same (Valla) while the two other stages have modifications since the event last ran in 2011.

RALLY AUSTRALIA INFO

— Round: 10/13
— Base and service park: Brelsford Park – Coffs Harbour
— Surface: Gravel
— Weather: the climate in Coffs Coast is subtropical. September, which is late winter in Australia, is generally considered to be a dry month, with light winds and clear skies. Average temperatures are around 17°C.
— Sunrise and sunset on the first day of the rally: 5.49am/5.39pm
— Local time: GMT+10
— Currency: Local currency is the Australian Dollar (EUR 1 = AUD 1.27).
— Website: www.rallyaustralia.com.au
— Technical information: Spare parts (gearbox, differentials, subframes, steering racks and turbochargers) are to be shared with the Finland and Wales GB rallies.
— Tyres: 32 Michelin Latitude Cross tyres to be chosen from 32 hard compound and 16 soft compound tyres.
— Reconnaissance: Tuesday, 10 September from 8am to 5pm and Wednesday, 11 September from 8am to 7.30pm.
— Free practice and qualifying stage: Thursday 12 September from 8am on a 5.54km stage located at Settles Road in Bucca (16.21km from the service park).
— Route: 22 special stages (9 different stages). 352.36km of timed sections. Total distance: 932.77km.

RALLY AUSTRALIA ITINERARY

THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
8.00am: Free practice
10.30am: Qualifying stage (5.54km)
1.30pm: FIA Pre-Event Press Conference
4.15pm: Selection of starting positions (Rally Show)
6.22pm: Start
6.30pm: SS1 – Coffs 1 (1.60km)
6.40pm: SS2 – Coffs 2 (1.60km)
6.47pm: Parc ferme

FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER
9.00am: Service A (15 min)
10.03am: SS3 – Tuckers Nob 1 (8.44km)
10.46am: SS4 – Bellingen 1 (10.72km)
11.09am: SS5 – Newry 1 (24.91km)
12.54pm: Service B (30 min)
2.12pm: SS6 – Tuckers Nob 2 (8.44km)
2.55pm: SS7 – Bellingen 2 (10.72km)
3.18pm: SS8 – Newry 2 (24.91km)
6.00pm: SS9 – Coffs 3 (1.60km)
6.10pm: SS10 – Coffs 4 (1.60km)
6.17pm: Flexi Service C (45 min)

SATURDAY 14 SEPTEMBER
8.00am: Service D (15 min)
9.33am: SS11 – Nambucca 1 (49.90km)
10.46am: SS12 – Valla 1 (14.84km)
12.26pm: Service E (30 min)
2.14pm: SS13 – Nambucca 2 (49.90km)
3.27pm: SS14 – Valla 2 (14.84km)
6.00pm: SS15 – Coffs 5 (1.60km)
6.10pm: SS16 – Coffs 6 (1.60km)
6.17pm: Flexi Service F (45 min)

SUNDAY 15 SEPTEMBER
8.00am: Service G (15 min)
8.51am: SS17 – Bucca 1 (10.89km)
9.18am: SS18 – Wedding Bells 1 (22.24km)
10.18am: SS19 – Shipmans 1 (19.44km)
11.38am: Service Park H (30 min)
12.44pm: SS20 – Bucca 2 (10.89km)
1.11pm: SS21 – Wedding Bells 2 (22.24km)
2.11pm: SS22 – Shipmans 2 – Power Stage (19.44km)
4.00pm: Podium
4.45pm: FIA Post-Event Press Conference