For some time there has been rumours and speculation about a new series being announced, and last week it became official as the website went live and people who are the driving force behind it all made official and public announcements.
The inaugural series will take place during 2011, and like any successful major event, will start out slow and carefully, ensuring that each and every step is a positive move forward and carefully write the recipe for a successful national series that will be firmly rooted on the Australian rally calendar.
Murray Coote, former Australian Rally Champion and one of the main instigators of the series said: “The motivation behind the series is not to compete against any other series or upstage other events, but purely to harness a demand in the market and cater for customer wants and needs.
“There is an increasing demand for competitive and professionally run events, all at an affordable price. One of the focus points will be on simple and understandable rules and regulations that will hopefully encourage and allow new people to ease into the sport of rallying.
“Australian rallying has developed massively over the past 15 years and the lure of the popular 4WD turbo cars is slowly waning, opening up a strong demand for the more cost effective and maintainable 2WD vehicles. By creating a new national series specifically for 2WD vehicles, it will cater for those that desire to compete against drivers from other states and territories in a recognised and high profile championship, in vehicles they can afford to drive and maintain.”
With the announcement of over $10,000 prize money up for grabs, it will certainly ensure that rallying is recognised as a high profile sport in Australia and hopefully attract new competitors and sponsors into the discipline.
Steve Ross, who has been instrumental in aligning the series and getting it up and running, is keen to point out that this series is a volunteer based “not for profit” organisation, run and administered by dedicated, experienced and committed rally people from every level of the sport. Already there are many sponsors on board.
“All sponsorship monies are put toward the prize pool, which is growing very fast. The series is in its infancy, but we are committed to see the series and profile grow for many years to come,” Ross said.
Over the past 10 years, the focus and image of the 2WD surge has mainly been on older “classic style” cars.
This new national series will not only cater for what is commonly referred to as the classics, but will also strongly encourage new and modern vehicles. As long as they are 2WD, and meet the series regulations, they are eligible.
Four events have been set down for the 2011 series. Ballarat, Bathurst, Batemans Bay and the fourth and final event is yet to be locked away. This will be a true national championship that competitors and sponsors alike can hang their hat on and showcase themselves against teams from all over Australia.
Experienced and well known rally driver, Wayne Hoy of North Queensland, stated that while there are a number of series currently running in each state, it is important and very beneficial to have a recognised national championship that the majority can afford. For example, it allows people from South Australia to justify to a potential sponsor or local media to go and compete in a rally in Victoria or Queensland.
“I am extremely excited about the announcement of the series and think it can only bolster the image and strength of rallying in Australia,” Hoy said.
While the backbone and essentials have been carefully worked through, there is still some work to be done on the finer details and intricacies of the series and some regulations. But rest assured, this series is well and truly on the calendar and already many people are feverishly preparing cars to have a crack at becoming Australia’s national 2WD Rally Master.
Further information and expressions of interest in the series can be obtained on the new web site: http://www.2WDrallymaster.org/index.html
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