2022 Rally WA Calendar – Fingers Crossed!

The 2022 Rally WA calendar has been a little slow getting off the ground. The dates have been in pencil for some time however the full list of events has been slow to publish. With many Motorsport championships and series in turmoil due to the pandemic, the gravel events have been in a bit of a state of flux. Finally a draft calendar is out.

Starting the season

We’ll be kicking off the 2022 Rally WA calendar with a Twilight Khanacross on the 5th of March. The next day we’re running a Rally Sprint on the 6th of March. Both of these events are considered grass roots and have basic vehicle, clothing/helmet and license requirements.

2022 Rally WA Calendar - Khanacross entry level event

Bakers Hill Sprint, not a full rally.

In 2021 the Bakers Hill event was a full rally. This was met with mixed results so for the 2022 Rally WA calendar, the event shall be a rally sprint. Planned for the 3rd of April, the event will again use the Winvale Park complex. Unlike our rally sprints, this will be a full WA state championship round so it’ll only be open to those with full rally cars with log books including full roll cages, rally licenses, hans devices etc.

The rally sprint will form round one of the WA state rally championship and Clubman Series. Details of the number of stages, competitive km etc should be out in the next few weeks. Entry is most likely via the Motorsport Australia online entry system.

2022 Forest Rally – Biggest event this year

Next up in the 2022 Rally WA calendar is the Forest Rally. The format adopted for 2021 is likely again this year. Round two of the National, State and Clubman rally championships will use a spectator stage in Bunbury coupled with forest stages in Nannup.

Last year the new format of using the Bunbury speedway and Autocross track on opening night proved popular with spectators. It gave a larger population centre a chance to see rallying close up. With ARC teams also having the opportunity to run head to head, it should be an exciting start to the largest rally in the state.

Entry level event up next

The second Khanacross in our series will run on the 5th of June. These events prove extremely popular and entries fill quickly. These events are a great way to start out in Motorsport and great for kids as they can start competing from as young as 12 years old.

Heading to Apple Country for the Gimwade Stages

 Round three of the 2022 Rally WA calendar will see us head to the orchard country of Donnybrook. Using stages around the tree plantations of Balingup, the Grimwade stages rally will run on the 23rd of July. In 2021 a new organising club and committee took up the mantle to run the event. It proved a great event and will be one to watch during this season.

2022 rally calendar Grimwade Stages Rally

Mid year Rally Sprint and Khanacross

In mid winter we’re up again. We have a Rally Sprint on the 30th of July and a Khanacross the next day on the 31st. Our rally sprints are designed as a “stepping stone” between club level motorsport and full championship rallies.

Karri Rally – Manjimup

The 20th of August features next in the 2022 Rally WA calendar. A long trek to Manjimup in the heart of the state’s southwest for the Karri Rally. In 2021 some roads on the event became flooded with torrential rains. The tall timber forests make for spectacular rallying so let’s hope this year is a little drier!

Close to Perth for the Safari Rally

After a few weeks break we move onto mid spring and close to Perth. The Safari rally is the fifth in the championship toward the end of the 2022 Rally WA calendar. The 1st of October will see us in Chidlow/Sawyers Valley using stages once used for Rally Australia. The Safari uses the Chidlow Tavern as HQ, a fantastic place for the end of event presentations with great food and atmosphere.

2022 Rally WA Calendar Glenn Alcorn Escort Mk 2

Experts Cup – Collie

The final round of the season will take the rally community to the coal mining town of Collie. The 2021 Rally WA championship was decided at the Experts Cup Rally and had the largest field seen in 15 years. Will it be the same this year? As an added bonus the final event uses the Federal Hotel in Collie for the presentations. The Experts Cup is slated for the 29th of October.

Closing out the season

The series closers for our Khanacross and Rally Sprints will be on the 19th and 20th of November. The fourth  Khanacross will be a twilight event on the 19th and the final daylight rally sprint will run on the 20th.

Shaping up for a great year.

With the 2022 Rally WA calendar set to go, it should be a great year of competition. Of course with the Covid-19 pandemic still raging, anything is possible so event organisers are calling it a proposed schedule. The wet weather last year also played a big part and if the weather people are correct, the same could be true this year.

2022 Rally WA Calendar – Gravel Events

5th March – Twilight Khanacross

6th March – Rally Sprint

3rd of April – WA Rally Championship Round 1 – Bakers Hill Rally Sprint

20th – 22nd of May – WA Rally Championship Round 2 – Forest Rally

5th of June – Khanacross

23rd July – WA Rally Championship Round 3 – Grimwade Stages Rally

30th July – Rally Sprint

31st July – Khanacross

20th August – WA Rally Championship Round 4 – Karri Rally

1st of October – WA Rally Championship Round 5 – Safari Rally

29th October – WA Rally Championship Round 6 – Experts Cup Rally

19th November – Twilight Khanacross

20th November – Rally Sprint

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