The FIA World Rally Championship contenders head ‘down under’ for the 10th round of the series, Coates Hire Rally Australia, which is based in the coastal resort of Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. Fast and technical gravel stages run in picturesque forests and open countryside lay in wait and, despite some changes to the route, it still remains one of the most compact on the calendar. 

After its commanding podium lock-out on the last round in Germany, Volkswagen Motorsport heads to Australia with all three titles within its grasp. In the Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ Championships, it is now guaranteed that only a Volkswagen crew will be crowned the 2015 FIA World Rally Champions, and once again Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are in pole position at the head of the leaderboard. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, the team also has the opportunity to seal its third consecutive title with the Polo R WRC. 

The battle in the FIA WRC 2 Championship continues in Australia too. Nasser Al-Attiyah currently leads and will be looking to capitalise on his position, being that only two of his five closest rivals will be contesting the event. 

Three stages will be broadcast live on television; SS10, Valla, on Saturday and the two runs through Wedding Bells on Sunday, the second of which counts as the Power Stage. 

THE 2015 ROUTE

Just one of the nine special stages is identical to last year – Wedding Bells – and four of the other stages have small modifications. Four stages are totally new; three are run on Friday – Utungan, Bakers Creek and Northbank – while the 6.4 kilometre Settles Road stage on Sunday is also new but uses part of the 2013 shakedown stage, run in reverse. Saturday not only features two runs through the 50.80 kilometre Nambucca stage, but also a night test, which is a first for Rally Australia.

RALLY DATA

MEDIA ACCREDITATION

The Accreditation Centre is located in the Media Centre at Coffs Harbour Education Campus (T Block), Cnr Hogbin & Stadium Drive, Coffs Harbour. The opening hours are:

RALLY AUSTRALIA TIMETABLE AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES ORGANISED BY THE FIA

FIA PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE

ADDITIONAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES 

‘Meet the Crews’: On Friday and Saturday the top three drivers will attend a ‘Meet the Crews’ session for media and fans. This will take place on the WRC Stage at the earliest opportunity during the 45’ service.

Autograph Signing Session: On Friday and Saturday selected crews will be available for a 15 minute autograph session. This will take place in the service park during the end of day service at the teams’ service areas.

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS

The provisional classifications for all the WRC Championships can be found on the following link:

http://www.fia.com/events/world-rally-championship/season-2015/standings

STAGE CHART

Shortly after the finish of the event, a downloadable stage chart showing the progressive positions of the leading crews during the rally will be available. This is copyright free for editorial purposes and available at the following link:

http://www.fia.com/events/world-rally-championship/season-2015/stage-chart-8