Kennards Hire Rally Australia 17-20 November 2016 Coffs Coast, NSW FIA World Rally Championship (final round) www.rallyaustralia.com.au www.wrc.com Facebook.com/rallyaustralia Twitter.com/rallyaustralia Instagram.com/rallyaustralia Tickets: www.ticketek.com

EVENT OVERVIEW

Coffs Coast the ultimate destination for world’s most challenging motorsport

SOME of the fastest drivers on the planet return to the Coffs Coast for Kennards Hire Rally Australia on 17-20 November. The 25th Rally Australia will be the final round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship, bringing a big contingent of drivers, teams, media, supporters and spectators from around world. The rally demands extreme skill, endurance, bravery and teamwork and gives spectators a thrilling up-close experience. The WRC is regarded as the most challenging series in international motorsport as it traverses 14 countries and extreme differences in terrain, road surface and weather conditions. Millions of daily television viewers in more than 140 countries will track stars such as triple World Champion Sebastien Ogier of France, New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon, Mads Ostberg of Norway, Jari Matti Latvala of Finland and Stefan Lefebvre of France as they tackle more than 300 kms over 23 competition stages to the north and south of the Coffs Harbour event headquarters. Three stages will be shown worldwide on live TV, while in Australia Fox Sports and the Nine Network will play highlights. Top Australian drivers also take part in Rally Australia, with contenders including one of the world’s leading female rally pilots, 28-year-old Molly Taylor of Sydney, four-time national champion Simon Evans, experienced international Brendan Reeves and 21-year-old sensation Harry Bates.

 

 

The Coffs Coast rally stages are some of the most beautiful and exciting on the WRC circuit, a bonus for fans combining a holiday with their favourite sport. Spectators can see the stars and cars up-close from dedicated Special Stage daily viewing points, at the Service Park and at the official start and finish ceremonies in Coffs Harbour’s main street. This year’s new highlights include the fan-friendly Destination NSW Super Special Stage on Friday and Saturday afternoon at the Jetty leisure precinct beside the Coffs Harbour waterfront. Also promising spectacular entertainment will be the Raleigh Super Special Stage, Saturday’s epic 51 km Nambucca Special Stage and the final day’s Wedding Bells stage, where thousands of spectators will watch the rally go down to the wire. Rally spectating is an exciting and easy experience for everyone and you don’t need to be a knowledgeable enthusiast to have fun. Most all it’s thrilling and up-close, so take your camera! For further media assistance, please contact: Chris Nixon Media Manager M. +61 418 759 417 E. media@rallyaustralia.com.au Visit the WRC Media Room for stories, photos and video (registration required): www.wrc.com/mediaroom About Rally Australia Rally Australia on 17-20 November 2016 will be the 25th Rally Australia and the country’s 24th WRC event (the first event in 1988 was a round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship). With support from the New South Wales Government through its Destination NSW tourism and major events agency, the event moved to the Coffs Coast region in 2011 and immediately earned widespread community support. The rally features a compact format on gravel forestry and shire roads north, south and west of the Coffs Harbour headquarters, making it easy for spectators and competitors to reach the competitive stages. The stages provide a true challenge for the WRC drivers against a magnificent backdrop of subtropical coastal and hinterland scenery.

 

 

About the FIA World Rally Championship

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is widely regarded as the world’s most challenging motorsport championship. It’s also highly consumer-relevant, as rounds based in 14 countries on five continents pit drivers in highly-modified versions of popular showroom models over closed mostly-public roads in real-world conditions varying from gravel and asphalt to snow, ice, heat and high altitude. Started in 1973, the WRC has been a battleground for makes including Toyota, Subaru, Ford, Citroen, Fiat, Audi, Mitsubishi, Mini, Peugeot and others. Teams representing Volkswagen, Citroen, Ford and Hyundai currently contest the outright category and Toyota will re-join from 2017, meaning four of the world’s top-five car makes are committed to the WRC.

The series attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators in some countries and a huge global television audience. The WRC is regulated and controlled by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body for motorsport worldwide and organised by WRC Promoter GmbH.

About Kennards Hire

Kennards Hire started back in 1948 when Walter Kennard hired a piece of machinery to someone who asked if they could borrow it from his garage. It has grown to be the largest family-owned hire company in Australia. Kennards has over 150 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand and, in a first for the equipment hire industry in Australia and New Zealand, the ability to hire on-line. Kennards Hire includes a number of specialist divisions including Concrete Care, Lift & Shift, Test & Measure, Pump & Power, Traffic and Rail. Its expert advice and hire equipment services the DIY customer at home and tradesman through to residential and commercial construction sites. Kennards Hire has a reputation for reliability, exceptional customer service and making the customer’s job easy. Kennards Hire's family culture and continuous drive for improvement has been the driving force behind its success and has led it to be the leaders in the hire industry.