After a tumultuous couple of years that has seen Australia without a round of the WRC, and with a succession of chairmen of the Australian Rally Commission, it seems that the new AASA series has been the poke in the eye that the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) needed to start taking notice of motor racing’s poor cousin.
Events of the past few months have not only seen CAMS take a battering in the rallying stakes, but have also, seemingly, been the impetus for changes that should give competitors, officials and organisers alike a much needed sense of belonging.
For far too long it appeared that CAMS took rallying for granted. But several events changed that. Ed Ordynski’s 12 month term as Australian Rally Commission chairman didn’t even last that long. The former Australian Rally Champion was continually frustrated that his ideas and goals for the future of the sport were being knocked on the head by CAMS, so he took the only option he thought was available to him and resigned.
Just before Christmas, the AASA, who have long been running circuit races and have been offering organisers an alternative insurance and permit option to CAMS, launched their own ‘Australian Rally Championship’.
While most, including CAMS, realised that this was not likely to challenge the CAMS-organised ARC - at least not in the short term - it generated huge interest. While the first round has yet to be run (it happens on May 24 and 25), CAMS obviously knew that they had to start watching their backs.
Then, and this was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back, Targa Tasmania announced that their event would be run under a AASA permit for the first time. Not only did this hit CAMS hard on a promotional front, it also took several hundred thousand dollars out of their potential income for 2008. Financially, it was a hard pill to swallow.
To CAMS’ credit, they have taken note, and have started to listen to what organisers, competitors and officials have long been asking for.
In recent weeks the complex, and largely unworkable, officials licencing system has been thoroughly overhauled. No longer will control and road closure officials need to be licenced to stand in the forest to ensure an event’s safety, meaning that hundreds of experienced officials are once again eligible to help out on events.
The complex system, involving computer courses and grading systems, not only alienated many who had the runs on the board, yet were unwilling to ‘re-sit’ their exams, but also made it virtually impossible for event directors to find enough qualified officials to actually get their events off the ground.
It was a decision of common sense, but one that took far too long to be implemented.
The announcement that an event in Coffs Harbour will be included in the (CAMS) Australian Rally Championship this year (replacing the Great Lakes Rally) is another plus for rallying. Always a favourite event and destination for the ARC in the past, Coffs was dumped from the championship for dubious reasons in 2000, and will make a welcome return late in the year.
And the good news, and more reasons to think that CAMS has rediscovered their interest in rallying, emerged last week when Repco was announced as the new sponsor for both Rally Australia and Rally New Zealand.
“This is a very positive announcement for motorsport, and rallying in particular,” Graham Fountain, CEO of CAMS said last week.
Despite the fact that little is known about Rally Australia in 2009, including where it will be held, the most recent news is at least heartening, and confirms that CAMS, who have been trusted with the administration of rallying for over 50 years, have not dropped the ball altogether.
The coming months will be watched with interest. While everyone in the sport seems to have their own barrow to push, there’s enough good news around at the moment to have confidence that the future is much brighter for rallying than it appeared to be six, or even three, months ago.
Story: Peter Whitten
Photos: Redline Photography
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