Rally of the Bay draws ARC competitor

Australian Rally Championship competitors, Canberra's Adrian Coppin and Tim Batten, will use this weekend's Rally of the Bay as a competition test of their Citroen DS3 rally car ahead of the upcoming International Rally of Queensland.
 

The Rally of the Bay has attracted a mixture of classic rally stalwarts as well as modern rally cars but Coppin's factory supported Citroen will be one of the latest and most technologically advanced cars in the field.
 
According to Coppin, the Rally of the Bay is the ideal shakedown for the Rally of Queensland because of the superb road selection and layback atmosphere.
 
"It's a fantastic event that is run extremely well with really great roads," said Adrian Coppin.
 
"The roads at Batemans Bay are similar to the Sunshine Coast hinterland and it's the perfect chance to shake the car down and try some new setups.
 
"The Rally of the Bay has a variety of roads -so some cars have an edge on certain stages while other stages suit different cars.
 
"We don't have the top end speed of some of the other rally cars so on some sections we might struggle but the Citroen is great through more technical stages," he added.
 
Coppin admits his goal is to ensure he has a straight car for the next round of the ARC so he won't gunning for an outright win, instead he will use the Bay  to deliver vital seat time as he continues  to get used to the car.
 
"It's been a bit of a lay off since the Quit Forest Rally in WA back in April so extra time in the car ahead of the endurance rallies will be invaluable," said Coppin.
 
"The Citroen is strong and reliable but I need to get a few extra kilometres behind the wheel so I take any chance I can get.
 
"The Rally of the Bay's scheduling on the June long weekend is perfect this year and being close to home means it was an easy decision to enter,"
 
The Rally of the Bay also holds sentimental value for Coppin because  it was one of the first rallies he competed in when he first started in the sport.
 
Coppin has also driven the zero car at the Rally of the Bay  as well as spectating in other years and says, the Rally of the Bay is on par with national events.
 
"The Rally of the Bay is by far the best state level event around and the promotion of the rally attracts lots of support from the town and makes it a really enjoyable rally to be a part of," he said.
 
The Rally of the Bay takes place this weekend with a ceremonial start taking place in Clyde Street from 3:30pm. A list of all spectator locations can be downloaded from www.rallynsw.com.au/events/rally-of-the-bay.

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