RallySport Magazine August 2016

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU
JETTY STAGE FOR RALLY OZ
The WRC stars will race beside the
shore of Coffs Harbour on an arenastyle
Super Special Stage at Kennards
Hire Rally Australia in November.
The Destination NSW Super Special
Stage, to be run on Friday and Saturday
of the November 17-20 event, is one of
the entertainment highlights this year.
Fans at the Super Special Stage will
see WRC cars complete two runs on a
1.27 kilometre waterfront course on
Jordan Esplanade, in the jetty recreation
precinct of Coffs Harbour.
Action starts at 5pm each day,
ensuring excellent daylight viewing
from grandstands and other elevated
vantage points.
Against a backdrop of harbour and
Pacific Ocean, stars such as World
Champion Sebastien Ogier, Mads
Ostberg, Ott Tanak and recent round
winners Andreas Mikkelsen, Hayden
Paddon and Thierry Neuville will tackle
a jump and a motocross-style berm
corner on the new course.
Rally Australian Chairman Ben
Rainsford says the stage promises a
fun-filled experience for families and
rally enthusiasts.
The traditional special stages of
Kennards Hire Rally Australia will again
traverse forestry and rural shire roads
north and south of the Coffs Harbour
service park and headquarters.
Friday will feature spectator points
around Taylors Arm and Urunga in
Nambucca Shire, and Saturday moves
slightly farther north to locations at
Talarm, Bowraville, Argents Hill and
Newee Creek.
And there will be a bonus for
spectators on Friday and Saturday
mornings with the new Raleigh Super
6 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - AUGUST 2016
Special Stage, a 1.37km test run at a
multi-motorsports facility 20km south
of Coffs Harbour, and close to the
Pacific Highway.
Sunday’s finale, including the
televised WRC Power Stage, will be
played out at the Flooded Gum Rally
Village on the Wedding Bells Stage.
Food, drink, live commentary,
entertainment, souvenir stands, other
attractions and the brilliance of WRC
drivers in action will make Flooded Gum
an exciting climax to the Kennards Hire
Rally Australia weekend.
Tickets to nine spectator points
across the rally’s three competition
days are available. Adult prices range
from just $29 for a one-day visit to $140
for a three-day Super Pass, including
grandstand seating at the Super Special
Stage.
Spectator tickets are available at
www.ticketek.com
SKODA R5 FOR
MARK PEDDER
AT RALLY OZ?
Australian Rally Championship
(ARC) regular, Mark Pedder, is
currently working on a deal that
would see him driving a Skoda
Fabia R5 in WRC2 at this year’s
Rally Australia.
Although discussions are
currently in the early stages,
Pedder’s plan is to bring the car
to Australia later this year, with
the goal of then running the car
in next year’s ARC.
The Skoda would be run and
maintained by Perth-based Race
Torque Engineering.
While Pedder has driven his
Peugeot 208 Maxi in the ARC
over the past two seasons,
the car has suffered reliability
problems on a regular basis,
robbing him of the chance of
good results.
The addition of a Skoda Fabia
R5 into the championship would
be a huge coup for the series,
which is enjoying a resurgence in
2016.
Pedder’s brother, Scott, has
driven a European-prepared
Fabia in several rounds of this
year’s World Rally Championship,
showing impressive speed.
- PETER WHITTEN