Forest Rally, the West Australian round of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), is moving to a later date in 2016 and will be held from the 22nd – 24th of April.
Event organisers made the decision to shift the event due to a busy Australian motorsport calendar surrounding its traditional date at the start of April. The new date will also allow co-drivers who are committed to entering the 25th Anniversary Targa Tasmania to do both events.
“Whilst the reasoning behind the decision to move the Forest Rally was not solely of our making we are confident that this change will not only improve the competition at the event but also lead to a growth in competitor numbers,” Ross Tapper, Forest Rally Event Director said.
“Being the first event on ARC calendar - as well as the furthest away - has sometimes proved a challenge for the national competitors as it has limited the time they have to prepare new cars, or repair existing cars, before the start of the season,” he continued.
“The move to a late April event date could be the deciding factor for a team to be able to attend the Forest Rally as it will ensure the crews competing will have more time to build and test their cars and come to the event confident and ready to start their season in the best possible way,” he continued.
The new dates will also provide a fabulous opportunity for the families of competitors and their crews to join them at the event with the dates falling on the ANZAC Day long weekend and during the school holidays of all states (excluding Victoria the Northern Territory).
“Unlike many national motorsport competitions the Forest Rally is free for the public to attend and provides great access to the teams, the cars and the action,” Tapper continued.
“As organisers we love nothing more than seeing a service park or spectator point full of families and we hope that holding the event during school holidays will allow for more rallying families, and interested WA locals, to make the trip to Busselton and Nannup and enjoy a weekend packed full of excitement.”
Forest Rally organisers are encouraging interested teams to be aware of the school holiday dates and ensure they have their flights and accommodation organised as early as possible. Teams can contact organisers for a list of accommodation to assist them with their planning.
Alternatively they can contact Megan Griffiths from the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association on (08) 9780-5933 who is ready to help all rally people with their accommodation requirements.
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
