The finale of the most exciting FIA World Rally Championship in years will be shown nationally on Channel Nine following an agreement between the network and organisers of Kennards Hire Rally Australia.
Round 13 of the WRC will be staged on the New South Wales Coffs Coast on 16-19 November, with Nine’s Wide World of Sports hosting a 90-minute show live from the final forest stage, plus daily highlights and preview and review programs.
With faster new cars, multiple winners and a tightening contest at the top of the standings, this season’s WRC has become one of the hottest in championship history.
“Channel Nine’s audiences will enjoy the most spectacular television footage in world motorsport, with incomparable action, drama and scenery broadcast from the forest, rural and city stages of the Coffs Coast,” event Chairman Ben Rainsford said.
“Rally Australia is delighted to welcome back Channel Nine as our free-to-air television partner in 2017, following a successful experience in 2016.
“This will be the 25th anniversary of the WRC in Australia. Channel Nine has been our partner for the majority of those events since the early days in Western Australia and helped bring the world championship to the attention of many, many fans.
“Once again, Nine will be the free-to-air viewing destination as the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship comes to its exciting conclusion.”
A final broadcast schedule will be announced closer to the start of Kennards Rally Australia.
MEANWHILE, one of Australia’s best-loved actors, Shane Jacobson, will unleash his motoring passion when he joins the team hosting the season final of the FIA World Rally Championship at Kennards Hire Rally Australia.
Jacobson will bring his unmistakable Aussie style to his co-commentating role during the Destination NSW Super Special Stages on Friday and Saturday nights 17-18 November.
He’ll call the action as the world’s fastest rally cars and drivers race around a 1.3 kilometre course on the Coffs Harbour waterfront.
The actor, director, writer, comedian, star of the 2006 mockumentary film Kenny and many other productions and former Top Gear Australia presenter is a well-known car and motorsport enthusiast. His new book REV HEAD-my life as a motoring tragic has been published this month by Harper Collins Australia.
He owns several classic cars and a Porsche SUV and has competed as a driver in the Australian Rally Championship and Side-by-Side Championship and in Bathurst production car races.
“It will be terrific to have Shane on our commentary team at Kennards Hire Rally Australia,” event Chairman Ben Rainsford said.
“He’s a tremendously popular, authentic Aussie character and as a true enthusiast who has actually competed in rallies, he’ll be able to relate the excitement of WRC very well to our thousands of spectators.”
Jacobson contested two rounds of the Australian Rally Championship at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.
At the time, he said: “I didn't come first, didn't come last, didn't pick up trophy but did pick up a bug that has turned into a full blown virus. It's called Rallyitis. The only known cure is to race again.
"The only way this drug can be administered is by driving incredibly fast through a forest.
“The reason for this is the drug is on the edge of every tree in the forest and our job is to narrowly scrape every tree in the forest and when you cross the finish line you are temporarily cured for another week."
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