Residents local to the area of the rally in northern New South Wales have embraced the event with 120 people completing the expressions of interest; almost 65% of the NSW tally.

Interest from Queensland residents is only slightly behind that of NSW and 44 Western Australia officials are keen to travel across the country for the 20th running of Rally Australia.

Expressions of interest have been received from residents in every state in Australia and also from New Zealand.

Many of the Queensland registrations are from accredited CAMS officials who currently officiate at Rally Queensland, the local round of the Australian Rally Championship and in 2009, a round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. A significant number of these officials have “teams” of other officials working with them, and members of those teams are urged to also register as soon as possible.

The organisers of 2009 Repco Rally Australia would like to thank everyone who has registered an expression of interest to date. We are currently sorting through the information you supplied and will be in contact with you shortly.

Our new management team has been appointed and our permanent office opened last week in Murwillumbah. One of the first jobs of the team will be to design a regular newsletter to officials in order to keep you informed, particularly in relation to the commencement of training sessions.

One of the great enduring traditions of Rally Australia’s rich history in Western Australia was the membership of an exclusive club, a club of drivers who had competed in each edition of the World Rally Championship Round since its debut in 1988. With the move to the East coast of Australia two drivers remain the exclusive domain, Ryan Lahiff caught up the stalwarts to gauge their chances of continuing the tradition.

When Rally Australia’s future in Western Australia drew to a close in 2006, the debut event run in 1988, it marked the end of a rich eighteen year history in the WRC. And with it closed a chapter on Australian motorsport which had put rallying in this country on the map and with it had produced one of the finest events the World Rally Championship had ever witnessed, full of innovation, drama and a plethora of memorable moments.

For local drivers the event may have been the domain of names like McRae, Makinen, Sainz, Gronholm and more recently Loeb but it had been their chance to mix it on a level playing field with the sports greats. And in the process the event had provided a canvas of memories, both good and bad, which would stay with competitors for ever more.

Down the field, amongst the hardest working local privateers, a tradition of competing at each and every edition of the event was worn as a badge of honour. Early on the ‘club’ quickly dropped to a list of five. Possum Bourne, Jackie Dines, Ed Ordynski, Bob Whyatt and Tolley Challis.

The tragic death of Possum struck the group hard; each had battled each other over the years, not only in Perth but at local and international events throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Then Dines and Ordynski dropped out in the mid-2000’s. This left just 2.

“Technically I retired from driving at the last Rally Australia (2006),” begins South Australian Bob Whyatt.

“I’m in a slightly different position to Bon in that I haven’t retired, although some have said I probably should have a long time ago!” laughed Tolley Challis.

Each Whyatt and Challis has an amazing track record, not just in entering Rally Australia, but in over coming the trials and tribulations of competing at the sports highest level on one of the most demanding events to have featured on the World Rally Championship calendar.

But at the start, way back in 1988, neither driver would have been quite aware of the path they were each about to head down and the amazing memories they would have of those early days almost twenty years later.

“Back in 1987 I was the deputy clerk of course for a local event, the Wirrina Rally Sprint, in South Australia,” explained Whyatt. “At that time I was trying to attract a few of the West Australian drivers to come across and compete and we were fortunate that a guy by the name of Rob Herridge showed interest. I was speaking to Rob during the event and he mentioned to me that the car I was driving as a zero course car, a Subaru RX Turbo, would be eligible under the international regs for this new event that was getting up and running in Perth with the view to be a Round of the World Rally Championship.”

Meanwhile Challis, who as a Perth local has long had a history competing in the State Championship as well as on an international stage, admits that he raced straight down to the local Suzuki dealership when he originally learnt of Rally Australia’s debut running in ‘88.

“I remember I bought a Swift GTi, straight off the floor, and we built nothing much more than a pretty standard roll cage, put some harnesses on the factory seats and put on some mudflaps. It was back in the day when you could take a very standard car and drive straight over the ramp at a WRC event!” Challis chuckled at the memory.

Never in outright contention neither driver ever entered the event to challenge the established names at the top of the entry list, but that was never the inspiration for taking to the demanding gravel roads outside of Perth.

“I’m a competitor, always have been, in rallying and in other sports,” explained Whyatt. “Rally Australia was always a challenge I really enjoyed. It was always an incredibly tough event just to finish, so it was certainly never a disgrace for any driver to finish last because they always would have outlast an awful lot of much better drivers.”

Challis agreed, particularly with the challenge of just making it to the finish although for the local the lure of the event was as important as winning the State title. “My aim was always to win the State title, and while Rally Australia was a separate event to that, we always put just as much effort into securing a strong result in those early years,” he said.

“It was such a big event that I know everyone, ourselves included, always put a huge amount of effort into the preparation to ensure that we were in the best position to get a good result,” added Tolley.

For Whyatt, a self-admitted perennial back marker, the objective each year was to halve his start number. “It was always a personal objective to get to the finish line in a position half the number that we started with. As a competitor though I always looked at five or six guys to challenge and I always looked forward to those battles across the three days of the event.”

Asked for a personal highlight, somewhat tongue in cheek Whyatt replied with: “In ‘89 I was the first person to cross the start ramp! Ok it was reverse field order over the ramp, but I still maintain I was the first over the start ramp at Australia’s Round of the World Rally Championship.”

Challis too looked back fondly at the good times. “We had a farm that a lot of locals used for pre-event testing throughout the year, but it was always very busy prior to Rally Australia. I always used to brag to people that Subaru and Mitsubishi had spent time at my farm!”

“I think one of the great things about the event though was the camaraderie between the locals and the international teams and drivers. Because of the testing that went on out at the farm I remember the rally office would ask us to help out a quite a few of the internationals who hadn’t been to Australia before,” continued Tolley.

“One year, back in the very early ‘90’s I received a call from the office to see if we’d assist some Finn with the funny name of Tommi Makinen. Sure I said, without even thinking, who would have known at that stage he’d go on to become one of the most successful rally drivers of all time!” he added.

The event though was marred with tragedy, a moment both drivers brought up without prompting, when midway through the 1993 edition of the event Possum Bourne crashed heavily resulting in the untimely death of his co-driver and long time friend Roger Freeth.

“I remember it like it was yesterday, it was a diabolical time for everyone at the event,” expressed Challis.

“I think everyone was affected by that incident,” added Whyatt. “It was a terrible moment for the event and something that we will all remember for many years to come.”

In the end though both Challis and Whyatt reflected on the huge task of competing at Rally Australia year after year and the huge personal reward of completing the final stage.

Tolley, who during the early 90’s was also competing in Malaysia, explained the huge effort his team often went to get his Mitsubishi Galant VR4 ready in time. “For a couple of those years we’d be competing in Malaysia the weekend before Rally Australia. So during the very early hours of Monday morning, straight after we’d finished the event, the guys would be pulling the car apart from squeeze it into the cargo hold to get it back to Perth to be ready.”

“That effort that went into just one week always made competing at Rally Australia immensely fulfilling, to push the limit so far and get through it,” added Challis.

“I think for me the great thing about competing at Rally Australia for almost twenty years was to play against the top boys. In other sports you don’t get that opportunity, you certainly can’t front up to a tennis or golf tournament as a relative amateur and expect to compete against the stars. But in rallying you can do that, to compare yourself and see where the differences lie,” explained Whyatt.

So the big question though is will either continue their membership in this exclusive club next October? Or will the move to the East coast usher in an opportunity for a new breed of drivers to take their place?

“You wouldn’t believe how many people have asked me that question since the event was confirmed for NSW,” laughed Whyatt. “Even though I’ve announced my retirement I think I can maybe make the exception to do one more. I’ll have to look at a few options next year but the chances are fairly reasonable.”

“I think the continuation of Rally Australia will definitely be a boost for rallying as a whole, only problem is it’s now a long way from my home town,” added Challis. “I’d definitely like to keep the tradition going!”

The 20^th staging of Repco Rally Australia, the first instance on the East coast of Australia, will take place next year between 3^rd - 6^th September.

Upson, 41, is well known in World Championship circles having managed the New Zealand event from 1998 until 2005, during which time the event won the prestigious Rally of the Year Award.  He is currently Brand Manager for Land Rover New Zealand.

“I am really excited at the prospect of helping to bring the spectacle and thrill of the WRC to the East Coast of Australia for the first time. Northern NSW and particularly the Tweed/Kyogle region is a fantastic area to truly showcase the beauty of Australia to the world via this event.  I am looking forward to working with our sponsors Repco, Events NSW and the team of almost 2000 CAMS officials and staff who will make this a great motor sport event,” said Upson.

Gary, his wife Nicola and two children will take up residence on the Tweed Coast within the next few weeks. A new Repco Rally Australia office will be established in Murwillumbah early in November.

We realise there are many who want to assist in the organisation of this FIA World Rally Championship event but who are unable to attend for various reasons.

Accordingly we will conduct the following
1. An additional briefing in Brisbane for those officials working at the Bathurst 1000
2. A specific briefing in both Murwillumbah and Kyogle for local officials in those areas
3. If possible, a briefing in Sydney

We will also consider the production of an information DVD for those who live in remote areas.

Please keep monitoring the situation by going to our website www.rallyaustralia.com

Thanks for your interest

Kind regards
Garry Connelly
Chairman, Organising Committee

Time: 1900 hrs (7.00pm)

Venue: Christ Church, Community Precinct, 9 Chippendall St, Milton

Purpose: To provide general information on Repco Rally Australia 2009 and to seek expressions of interest from officials in filling various roles at the event.

Registration: In order to ensure the venue suitability, please register by sending an email to: qld@cams.com.au with the subject heading “Register for RRA Meeting”.  

Meeting Location Map - Download 200kb PDF.

You may also wish to register as an event official at the same time by going to: 
http://rallyaustralia.com/officials/expression-of-interest-form/

For your information, the various areas of sporting responsibility are listed below:

Results and scoring
Field Results Service
Field Media
Commentary
Rally Radio
Service Park
Remote Service Park
Refuels
Regroups and Parcs Ferme
Controls (part of Stage Team)
Spectator Points
Spectator Marshals
Mobile Security
Road Closures
Communications
ISC-T Liaison (Technology)
SOS 5 Km
SOS Tracking HQ
Reconnaissance (Tuesday and Wednesday prior to event) 
Courtesy Cars
HQ Reception
Officials Recruitment, Data Base, HR and Uniforms
Officials Training
Compliance, OH&S, Risk Management
Course Cars – preparation and servicing
Course Car Crews
Scrutineering
Tyre Marking team
Route Coordination, Road Book and Checking
Competitor Relations Officer
Aviation and Helicopter coordination
Fire and Rescue
Medical/First Intervention Vehicles
Spectator First Aid Posts
Service Park Hospital
Signage Teams
Eye in The Sky
Media Centre (Reception and Assistance)
Media Supervision and Assistance (Field)
Command Centre
VIP Liaison (Foreign ASNs, information for VIPs etc)
Minute Secretary for Sporting Committee
Minute Secretary for Organising Committee
Assistant to the Secretary of the Stewards

Q: Last week’s announcement regarding Repco Rally Australia is obviously a huge boost for Australian rallying, how big an impact do you think the event will have on the sport at all levels?

Garry: Huge! If you look back to the public awareness of rallying in Australia in the mid-80s it was negligible. Then we noticed after the first ever Rally Australia event in 1989 a steady increase in public awareness (and this was measured by independent research). Certainly now a very high percentage of the Australian public know what a rally is - that was definitely not the case in the late 1980’s before we had a WRC event in this country. Every sport needs a locomotive to pull the train along and that is what the WRC does in every country it visits. With a move to the east coast, if car clubs work with us to capitalise on Repco Rally Australia’s potential profile, then a lot of new people can be introduced to the sport of rallying. As always, although the initiative comes from the top, the work of cultivation must come from the grass roots level.

Q: Will the event look to attract competitors from the ARC, as well as State and club levels to compete against the World’s best drivers?

Garry: I don’t think the event will be a part of the ARC simply because there are enough Rounds at the moment and I would not want to disadvantage any of the existing events. However our major focus will be to attract Australian competitors at ALL levels. The WRC is one of the few (it might actually be the only) sporting World Championships where a novice can compete and measure his or her performance against the best in the world - and that’s a fantastic thing for our sport.

Q: Will there be issues with vehicles running under CAMS’ Production Rally Car (PRC) regulations?

Garry: Currently the FIA rules allow only World Rally Cars, Group N and Super 2000 cars, and the new Group R cars. However, without wanting to sound too optimistic, I have put forward to the FIA World Rally Commission, and it will be discussed in the next few days at an important meeting in Paris, a proposal to allow cars that are roughly equivalent to Group N and S2000 and which are eligible for the host country’s national Championship, to be allowed to compete, but not score points, in the host country’s round of the WRC. I don’t know if that will get through but I know Morrie Chandler, President of the WRC Commission, supports the concept. The only proviso is that the cars would need to run with the Pirelli WRC control tyre but that is not proving to be a problem in other events. Indeed the privateers in other countries who have used the new Pirellis are raving about their performance and durability, saying they are after a cheaper option than their existing tyres. If my proposal comes off, then many PRCs would be able to compete at Repco Rally Australia 2009. But we must wait and see.

Q: Rally Australia’s history began in Western Australia and has a rich heritage in that state. How do you see the move to NSW continuing that?

Garry: That would be my number one priority. In WA I was fortunate to work with 2000 totally focused and skilled sporting officials and a very dedicated group of staff members to develop a culture of “customer service” where we treated competitors, media and the spectators as our “customers” and hence our sole reason to exist as an event. This, combined with delivering an event using the best possible practices and a commitment to innovation and creativity, delivered that “rich heritage” you refer to.

Q: And while on NSW, how did the event find its way to the most populated state in the country? And are there any similarities to the adoption by Events NSW to that of Eventscorp in WA 20 years ago?

Garry: It has been a long (three and a half year) journey from the day the WA Tourism Minister announced that WA would no longer fund the event until now. When we knew that (sadly for all those who worked so hard on it in WA) it had to find a new home, we were determined firstly not to let it slip through our hands and go to one of the many other countries vying for a round. We went to many other State Governments - some of whom had previously been desperate to secure the event and had even offered to take it over if WA ever wanted to give it up.

But instead of the people in WA Tourism at the time accepting this, they chose to continue to conduct the event then suddenly, without notice, pull the pin on the funding. Now that left CAMS in a terrible position because it is one thing for one state to take over the running of a successful event from another state without a lot of negative publicity. It happens all the time - for example with Life Saving Championships etc. But when someone comes out and says “we don’t want this anymore” it makes it very difficult to have others motivated to take on the event, despite all the evidence you can table to demonstrate its value.

Anyway, for three and a half years we pushed on and as is on the public record, came to an agreement to work with a property development in South East Queensland. But more on that later, but when we felt we could not deliver on the event in time for 2009 we looked to NSW.

Events New South Wales is a very new organisation which was attractive to us because it is designed on the same basis as the original Eventscorp Western Australia of 1988 - and that was a fabulous organisation led by a fantastic and visionary group of people. Events NSW is a company with its own independent board and staff but the shareholding of the company is held in the name of the Premier on behalf of the NSW people. This is exactly the same model as Eventscorp WA when it started except that the share was held by the state Treasurer. The only difference is that this time, Events NSW is not underwriting the event - it is essentially a sponsor - a very important sponsor! And I must say the people we have been dealing with (at very senior level) within Events New South Wales are fabulous to deal with and very determined to work with us to make this event a great success.

Q: Also the history of Rally Australia in WA was built on breaking the mould, injecting fresh creativity into rallying and of course the adoption of emerging technology. Will we see the same with the new event and can you offer any sneak insights?

Garry: If you don’t go forward, you go backwards. There is no such thing in life (or events) as “standing still”. We (and by “we” I mean our board, our organising team, our officials, Events NSW, CAMS and the local shires with whom we are getting fantastic cooperation) are completely committed to being innovative, creative and to making this event FUN.

In some ways the WRC has become a bit stereotyped. Whilst we will of course respect the rules and also place absolute priority on safety, we want to go outside the square. Respecting the traditions of the sport of rallying is very important to us and sometimes I think the modern WRC event model has moved away from that. But the most important thing, as I keep stressing is that we will be customer-focused and one of our main customer groups is the competitors - from the smallest private team to the largest manufacturer team. They are very important customers and so are our spectators and the television viewing public. So we want to do whatever is in our power to satisfy their needs.

The other area where we will be using technology and creativity is in delivering this event as ENTERTAINMENT. This just happens to be a rally but more importantly it is a form of entertainment and we want everyone to go away from the event saying “that was fun - we’ll be back”.

Q: Rally Australia was known for having a high quality organising team when it was based in Perth. Who will be working on this event?

Garry: There will be many of the WA team coming across especially at senior official level and probably staff level as well. The teams and media will recognise many familiar faces. In addition we will be complimenting those with some highly experienced rally officials from the East Coast (which after all is the most highly populated part of Australia and which hosts no less than 4 major rallies including our Asia Pacific round). When we make our announcement about the Organising Committee in the next week or so, you will see just what a great group of experienced and talented people we have.

Q: The nature of the roads seems to be the big talking point at this point in time, but also the fact that the areas the event will run in aren’t traditionally utilised roads for rallies. Is that a hindrance or a benefit?

Garry: A bit of both really. There are a number of unknowns. But the people of the Kyogle and Tweed shires are so enthusiastic about Repco Rally Australia coming to their area, and the roads are through some of the most beautiful countryside you could imagine, they are very smooth flowing stages, I think on balance it will be a benefit.

Q: The speed of the roads also seems to be a common statement by the WRC teams who have visited the area with some claiming the event may surpass Finland and Sweden as the quickest on the calendar. What sort of challenge does that present and will it help to build the events reputation around the world?

Garry: Daniel Grataloup from Citroen, who is a very experience and well known former co-driver, has driven the stages and told us he thought the drivers would love them. Yes they are very fast in places, but very smooth, wide and run through rolling hills with not too many trees! The FIA Safety Delegate Jack Bartos has driven the stages and is happy with them. We will be putting some protection on a couple of big trees at the end of fast straights (and there ARE some long fast wide straights) and installing the odd chicane to reduce entry speeds into some corners.

Q: The move to the East Coast presents a huge opportunity to tap into a far larger, more diverse audience than ever before. Do you see a challenge in this and what initiatives are planned to break rallying into the capitals dominated by traditional “ball” sports?

Garry: This is one of our big challenges. The WRC has been absent from Australia since 2006, motor sport in general does not get a fair share of the printed media in this country, but thankfully we have Network Ten which is strongly behind the Australian Rally Championship. We are developing a marketing plan in conjunction with our media partners, Repco, Events New South Wales, Tourism New South Wales, our host resort Salt (a stunning location) and other sponsors to market the event to the public mainly on the East Coast. If we succeed with our marketing then we will hopefully be able to attract a lot of people to the event. It may take a few years to really capitalise on the potential, but we will be targeting this larger audience.

Q: It was hinted at the event launch that the leading drivers would be back beside Sydney Harbour a year from now. Are there plans to conduct direct promotion in Sydney in the run up to the event?

Garry: We will be talking with all the teams very shortly about some plans we have to “turbocharge” our pre-event media promotions in Sydney as Australia’s largest city. If our plans come to fruition then I reckon you can count on a few things happening on the world’s most beautiful harbour in just under a year from now.

The event, which will be held in the Tweed and Kyogle Shires of Northern NSW from September 3 to 6 will need 2000 volunteer officials.

There will be a job to suit everyone – from those who have never been to a motor sport event and know nothing about rallying, to those who are in line for the Rally Australia 20 Years of Service Award.

It doesn’t matter if you live in Kyogle, Kenmore, Kensington, Kelmscott or Kuala Lumpa – if you are prepared to do the training and become an accredited CAMS official, we will have a job for you.

Some of you might wish to work indoors, at our media centre, our Headquarters, our results and scoring centre or even in the demanding Event Command Centre. Some may wish to work in the Service Park at Kingscliff, some with mechanical skills may wish to work with our scrutineering team checking over the competing cars for eligibility.

For those who enjoy the outdoor life, we will be looking for people to be spectator marshals, radio operators, spectator information officers, tour guides, safety officials and of course, we will need a highly trained group of people to run the timing of the competition stages and the time controls.

For those with no experience, don’t worry – we will be providing a complete training programme based in both Brisbane and in the Tweed Shire, where our Headquarters will be located.

Officials with previous Rally Australia training will be highly valued and most welcomed and in view of your previous training, a “familiarisation” and update programme will be developed to enable you to complete it when you arrive at the event, in the days prior to the start.

Other training will commence in early 2009. Except for officials with previous Rally Australia experience, you will be expected to devote at least 2 days (on a weekend) plus some evening sessions to learning about the event and for training in your role. After completing your training you will be awarded CAMS Accreditation which will then be valid for other motorsport events as well.

Although all official positions are honorary, we can promise you that being an integral part of a World Championship Rally is an unforgettable and extremely rewarding experience. It is also one where, as we discovered in Western Australia, whole families can work together side by side in helping us conduct one of the most exciting motorsport events in the world.

It doesn’t matter what your “day job” is, we have a role for you – from paramedic, fire fighter or doctor, to IT specialist, mechanic, mother, lawyer, carpenter, plumber, tractor driver, bike rider, farmer, shop assistant or teacher. Junior or senior, lady or gent, we need your help.

For a never-to-be forgotten experience combining hard work, new friends and a lot of fun, please register now in the “Officials” section of our website www.rallyaustralia.com

The Amalgamated Glass Border Ranges Rally is a round of the City Subaru Queensland Rally Championship with headquarters based in the northern NSW township of Urbenville on the boundary of the Urbenville and Kyogle Shires.  

The organisers of Repco Rally Australia and the Amalgamated Glass Border Ranges Rally would like to inform competitors that although some of the roads used in the Amalgamated Glass Border Ranges Rally are similar in character and surface to those identified for use in Repco Rally Australia, they are currently not proposed to be included in the itinerary for the WRC event.  Further information on the location of the special stages for the 2009 Repco Rally Australia will be available shortly.

The leading team managers within the World Rally Championship, Ford M-Sport’s Malcolm Wilson and Subaru Prodrive’s David Richards, have both offered their applause at the announcement of Rally Australia’s move to the New South Wales North Coast.

From their respective base of operations in the United Kingdom, both Wilson and Richards who each steer the direction of two of rallying’s longest running and most successful teams praised the future of Australia’s Round of the World Rally Championship.

“It is fantastic that the World Rally Championship is returning to Australia in 2009 and great news that the rally will be based in Northern NSW. Australia has always been a firm favourite in the World Rally Championship with both the drivers and the team,” expressed Wilson.

“The Australian welcome is legendary and the organising team have always been pioneers in bringing the show to the people. Rally Australia has always been synonymous with a professionally run event on challenging special stages and the information that we have is that the 2009 event will be no different.”

“Moving the event to the east coast will expose the WRC to another new audience - giving more of the rally fans in the region the chance to see the excitement of the WRC first hand. As a team we all look forward to returning to Australia and helping to put the Blue Oval on top - down under!”

After a two year absence from the calendar in which officials from the former Western Australia based Rally Australia have worked diligently behind the scenes to reinstate Australia’s place on the World rally stage David Richards welcomed the return.

“It is very pleasing to hear that the WRC is finally returning to Australia, a country that has been responsible for hosting one of the best events in the Championship for many years,” stated Richards.

“Its new location on the East Coast will provide an interesting new challenge for WRC competitors, but more importantly be far more accessible for the Australian public to come and see the cars in action.”

“I am sure I am not alone in very much looking forward to returning to Australia next year.”

The first event will be Repco Rally Australia on 3-6 September 2009.

The deal with Events NSW is for an initial five events taking it through to 2017 with an option to extend that arrangement for a further five events.

“The World Rally Championship will generate more than $100 million of direct economic benefit for New South Wales over the life of the agreement,” said Geoff Parmenter CEO Events NSW.

“Hosting the World Rally Championship - the highest profile four wheeled motor sport championship after Formula One - on a regular basis in Regional New South Wales will drive tourism, create jobs and deliver major economic benefits to the community.

“And the event provides a unique platform to showcase Northern New South Wales to the world. Last year more than 816 million people in 180 countries watched the World Rally with around 51 million viewers per round.

“Events NSW is delighted to have secured this event for Regional New South Wales. Rally Australia had previously been held in Perth, and we understand that three other states were eager to host it this time around.

“Tourism New South Wales, in collaboration with the New South Wales tourism industry, will develop rally packages in national and international markets to maximise tourism traffic to New South Wales.

“There are also many more opportunities in the off-year to hold motor sport and business events in New South Wales, cementing the economic impact of this deal.”

The Tweed and Kyogle Shires have enthusiastically welcomed this international event to their area.

“The event would boost the local economy and showcase the Tweed as a tourism destination to a worldwide television audience,” said Tweed Shire Council’s General Manager Mike Rayner.

Kyogle Council’s Mayor Ernie Bennett is confident that Repco Rally Australia will be a major boost to his community.

“In 2005 Kyogle lost a large number of local jobs and we see this event as providing an opportunity to return to more stable employment base, retain young people in the area and attract additional business and industry,” said Mr Bennett.

“Our community will take great pride in not only being able to be part of this event but also seeing our area transmitted to the rest of the world.

“Council looks forward to working with the promoters who have a proven track record as an outstanding organisation and are looking to provide strong relationships with the community including considering the effects on the environment and ensuring energy use and waste generation are minimised.”

The 12-round World Rally Championship (WRC) includes events throughout Europe, South America and Asia with motor manufacturer representation from Ford, Subaru, Citroen and Suzuki at outright level, and Mitsubishi, Renault, Fiat and Peugeot in the support categories.

The WRC is one of only three FIA world championship series along with Formula One and the World Touring Car Championship.

There are provisionally 16 competition stages in the Kyogle, Murwillumbah and Mullumbimby areas. As well as the competition stages, all the major teams will take part in significant promotional activities in Sydney to kick-off the rally week of activities.

“CAMS is thrilled that this most prestigious event will be conducted in one of the most spectacular regions of New South Wales,” said CAMS President Colin Osborne.

“The Australian leg of the FIA World Rally Championship will witness up to 2,000 volunteer officials operating in the field and at the Rally Headquarters to ensure that the event is conducted safely and successfully.

“Many of those volunteers will be sourced from the local regional community and the specialist training which will be provided by CAMS will mean that the enormous economic benefit which will flow from the event will be compounded by enhanced community capital.”

The announcement of the partnership with Events NSW and the location of Repco Rally Australia 2009, has been welcomed by naming rights sponsor Repco.

“Repco’s involvement with motor sport dates back to our partnership with Sir Jack Brabham as he conquered the World Formula One Championship,” said Colin Daly, Executive General Manager of Repco Australia and New Zealand.

“More recently, our sponsorship of World Rally Championship events in New Zealand and Australia fits perfectly alongside our core business as Australasia’s preferred supplier of vehicle parts, solutions and accessories.

“We are delighted that New South Wales will significantly contribute to the success of Repco Rally Australia 2009. We look forward to working with Events New South Wales and the Repco Rally Australia 2009 team to create an exciting and memorable event that will showcase New South Wales, Australia and Repco to the international motor sports community.”

Amongst the drivers set to contest Repco Rally Australia 2009 will be defending four-time world champion and the all-time leader in rally wins Sébastien Loeb (Citroen), the last winner of a Rally Australia event Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) and Australian superstar Chris Atkinson (Subaru).

“As an Australian I’m extremely excited about competing at Repco Rally Australia 2009,” said Atkinson.

“From a competitors’ point-of-view they have chosen a region that offers outstanding rally roads and the very best infrastructure for all the teams. From a fan and sponsor point-of-view, it really is going to be excellent with all the action of the rally plus first class tourist facilities.

“I give it everything at all the WRC rounds, but maybe with all the local support at Repco Rally Australia 2009 I could be looking at the top step of the podium.”

As the last man to win Rally Australia in Perth, Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen will have a unique opportunity to repeat as champion in the Northern Rivers region.

“That certainly has a nice sound to it,” said the Finnish rally star. “All rallies offer a different challenge and I’m sure Repco Rally Australia 2009 will bring out the best in all the teams.

“The welcoming nature of Australians has always impressed me and I’m sure the new Repco Rally Australia 2009 will further underline that. The opportunity to also spend some time in Sydney is sure to be a highlight. I am sure that those who attend and follow the rally will be rewarded with a great event.”

Video of the press conference is available here

Further details, including the final course will be finalised in the coming months.