Rally WA
Rally WA is the group name given to many car rally events around Western Australia. Commonly it is a tag used for the WA State Rally Championship and Clubman Rally Series. These two competitions are all gravel and comprise of six or more rounds. Individual events are run by not for profit Perth car clubs (Light Car Club, Ascot Motor Club and the WA Car Club). Rallysprint, Autocross, Khanacross and treasure hunts/poker runs could also be included under Rally WA too.
Rally WA 2018 calendar
This year is shaping up to have six rounds in the main championships plus a whole bunch of entry level events as well.
Here’s the schedule of 2018 gravel events:
18th March – Zestino Tyre Rally Sprint Round 1
24th March – Karri Rally Manjimup
27th – 29th April – Forest Rally Busselton/Nannup
12th May – Zestino Tyre Sprint Round 2
3rd June – Safari Rally Boddington
7th July – Kirup Stages Rally – Kirup
28th July – Zestino Tyre Sprint Round 3
9th September – Zestino Tyre Sprint Round 4
15th September – Experts Cup Rally – Collie
10th November – LCC rallysprint – Mundaring
24th November – Zestino Tyre Sprint Round 5
Karri Rally
This event has shifted around several times in the last few years. From 2007 until 2015 the rally was based out of the Donnelly Mill holiday village. After that time the event has been based out of Manjimup, Kin Kin and for 2018 will find a new home further south. Using roads around the tall timber country of the Blackwood River catchment the rally will be all new this year. When based at Donnelly the surface was a favourite of many competitors with smooth, fast roads. Last year a water splash on the second stage provided spectacular photo opportunities for Rally WA spectators and photographers.
Forest Rally
Having run for 40 or so years, the Forest rally is a cornerstone of Rally WA. Up until the early 00’s the event was based around Mundaring. These days it resides much further south taking advantage of a holiday destination. The Forest Rally is a round of the Australian Rally Championship as well as the state and Clubman series.
The event runs over 3 days and covers more than 200km of special stages. A tarmac spectator stage is conducted in the seaside town of Busselton on both nights of the event. The real action happens on the gravel in the forests around Nannup some 50km south of the coast. In 2018 the Forest Rally will be round two of the championship and is currently the biggest rally in WA.
Safari Rally
The longest running event in Rally WA and Australian rally history! The Safari Rally goes right back to the mid 1960’s when the Light Car Club ran the first event. Over the years the format and location has changed. Up until 2007 the rally was run in the Bunnings tree plantation nearby to Boddington. The jumps and water splash became famous during the days of Rally Australia with legends such as Colin McRae flying high over the crests.
For the last decade the Safari Rally has lived around Chidlow and Sawyers Valley just east of Perth. The pinnacle of that time was the 50th anniversary celebrated in 2015. For 2018 the Safari will return to Boddington. Unfortunately the old Bunnings stages are now part of a mine site and no longer available to organisers. New stages in tree plantations on the southern side of town are used instead. The roads are technical (lots of corners) and a good challenge for teams.
Kirup Rally
The event gets its name from the small southwest town of Kirup where it is based. The Kirup Stages Rally used to be known as the Lewana Stages as it used the Lewana tree plantation. One of the favourite stages in Lewana wound its way around terraces cut into the hill side. At night the lights of several cars could be seen weaving their way through the forest on their way to the valley floor.
For the best part of a decade the Kirup Rally has used roads in the Grimwade tree plantation near Balingup. The special stages have a good mix of fast and flowing as well as tight and twisty sections. Traditionally a winter event, the roads can be challenging when the heavy rains set in. A few years ago the date was changed to September in the hope of avoiding the winter deluges. For 2018 the rally has been moved back to late July.
Collie Rally
Better known as the Experts Cup rally, the event is based in the coal mining town of Collie. Using stages around Wellington Dam, the rally is a favourite amongst many with its good roads and spectacular scenery. To gain an Experts Cup a competitor must set a time within the top six on every stage. This is actually quite tricky and there are only an elite few that hold the prized cups. In previous years the event was based out of the main street of town. These days the Collie trotting complex plays host to event HQ and the service park.
Darling 200
The Darling 200 is so named as the stages are conducted in the Darling ranges behind Perth. The rally is currently based in Jarrahdale using the loose gravel stages through natural timber forests. For many years the Darling has been a two wheel drive only event. This is the only event in WA where competitors are not permitted to write pace notes. Typically a warm event the November date can add the dimension of dust to the crew’s challenges. For 2018 there is a possibility the Darling 200 will be expanded to include four wheel drive cars. Additional roads and longer competitive routes may be on offer making a sixth full round for competitors.
Rally WA 2017
In 2017 Rally WA had a big year. There were seven state championship rallies which ended with a 2WD Honda Civic winning against the might of the 4WD cars (Click here to read more on how they did it). The Clubman Cup went right down to the wire, only being decided on the last round. There were many, many events at lower levels during 2017 including two stand alone tarmac rallies and a five round gravel rally sprint series. To keep everyone entertained there was also a five round tarmac rally sprint series plus autocross as well.
Rally sprint
What are Rally Sprints? They are like a mini rally usually with only one or two stages. They have many elements of the bigger events and are the next level up from autocross (see below). WA has two rally sprint series. The Zestino Tyre sprints are set on gravel and have five rounds running from March to November. The stage distances are around 8.5km, with 26+km of competition during a round.
The other series is all tarmac and mostly runs during the summer months. The stage length is around 3km with up to 12km of competition during a round. Perhaps the best indicator of driving skill comes from the gravel events. Drivers with even the most basic of cars can (and do) win. The tarmac sprints require big horsepower to get on the podium.
Whilst being competitive events in their own right, rally sprints can be used for practice and shakedown too. Drivers and co-drivers often use sprints to work together on new driving styles and pace notes. Dialling a car in and testing tyres or settings is another potential advantage for WA rally teams too. Possibly one of the game changers is allowing junior competitors to enter. It means young racers can gain invaluable experience long before they have a driver’s license.
Autocross
Around Perth there are several Autocross events each year. They are run at various locations such as SWTCC in Bunbury, BORMSA in Beverley and the Motorplex in Kwinana. SWTCC and Bormsa have purpose built autocross tracks designed for two cars to race simultaneously. They generally run from March to November on selected weekends. The Perth autocrosses are a single car track which is fashioned from the Motorplex speedway oval. Usually these events are run on week nights during summer. The standard format is for three or four timed runs over the track during a meeting. Autocross and Khanacross help develop rally driving skills and are suitable for juniors to enter too.
Fun car rally Perth
There are many fun car rally events around Perth that can be done in your daily driver. For example the Light Car Club runs an event called the Gum Nut rally. The event is a treasure hunt around the metro area. You follow clues and find items as you drive around. At the end of the event, the team with the most correct answers and with the collected items wins. No timed sections, no racing and it’s fun and suitable for the whole family.
Rally school WA
If you want to get serious about the sport then a rally school is the answer. This is where you can learn about co-driving and driving in the right environment. A proper school will provide tuition and coaching to help you get into rally in WA the right way. A rally school should have highly experienced instructors who have intimate knowledge of the sport and the time to teach you properly. Some people may only need to brush up and finesse their skills whilst others may need to start from scratch. An understanding of both will enable the right course tailored to suit the individual.
Co-driving or navigating is a totally separate skill set to driving. It is best learnt in a shool environment rather than hurtling through the forest on your first event. Learning away from events is a much easier approach without the added pressure of competition and other distractions. You can also pick up a lot of tips and tricks allowing you to handle the “what if” situations (believe us there are many of those on most events!)
How do I make my car faster? The most gains can be made with tuition not go fast bits. A good rally school is worth its weight in gold. WA has a unique ball bearing gravel found nowhere else in the world. Being able to drive fast and stay out of the trees on this surface is down to a mix of skill and experience. If you can compress the years of experience into a shorter time, you can learn the insider secrets and avoid the mistakes. Money spent here could save you big dollars later.
Targa rally Perth
There are only two tarmac rallies in WA. The targa rally in Perth is called Targa West and usually runs in August. The other event is called Targa Southwest and runs around Pemberton in May. These events are run by a private company and differ from their loosely related gravel counterparts.
With a four day format, Targa West’s stages use mostly closed public roads for competition. On the opening day, competitors tackle Wanneroo Raceway before heading to the Malaga industrial area in the evening. Day two sees teams racing through Whiteman Park and then heading to Kalamunda. Once in the hills, stages up the Zig Zags are followed by blasts along Mundaring Weir Road. The third day of the Targa rally sees stages northeast of Perth around Toodyay and Bullsbrook. On the final day the action starts back in Malaga early in the morning. Later in the day the teams race in Perth on a stage around Riverside drive.
To win the Targa events requires dedicated tarmac rally cars. A machine with lots of power like a Skyline GTR, a well heeled Porsche or a Lamborghini. You are allowed just six tyres to complete the whole of a Targa rally. It means that drivers must be as neat as possible to preserve tyres and carry speed. Split seconds count for a lot and racing drivers like Jim Richards usually do well.
With so many different types of events falling within Rally WA, there’s something for everyone. Entry level to serious competition they all share common themes of fun and passion. If you’d like to know more about getting involved with this great sport, contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
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