Rally Australia remains one of the most exciting and popular events on the circuit, with its warm climate, excellent organisation and strong local crowd support all contributing to the Rally’s success. This year’s event could also be crucial in the battle for the World Championship.
The Rally, based in Perth, contains twenty-one all gravel special stages, the most popular of which is a purpose built circuit on the banks of the Swan river, which allows two cars to race together under floodlights. This year that stage will be repeated on Friday and Saturday evenings – with a new layout. The rally however, will be won or lost on the fast, slippery stages of the nearby forests.
The biggest challenge for the drivers will be the unique gravel roads of Western Australia, in particular those of the Bunnings forest complex (final leg), which are covered by a layer of small ball-bearing like stones, which the teams liken to driving on marbles.
Peugeot’s Marcus
Gronholm remains the only driver who could clinch the World Championship this weekend, and ironically it could be the Finn’s present five point championship lead that proves to be his biggest adversary, as it will mean that he must run the stages first, clearing the track of the ultra slippery gravel for those behind him.
This situation is likely to result in the top drivers deliberately ‘sandbagging,’ to avoid leading the Rally too soon, before mounting an all out final leg assault for victory.
Peugeot, the winners of the two previous Rallies in Corsica and San Remo, will field three cars, with
Delecour and Gronholm nominated for manufacturers points, giving tarmac specialist Gilles
Panizzi the opportunity to compete in the gravel event without any additional pressure.
