Rally Oz to Coffs

[Oldtony]

Well the Nimbin Nimbys have won.
Next years Repco Rally Oz will be moved south to Coffs Harbour.
No disadvantage in terms of the roads available, it has been the home of some of the best rallies on the ARC callender for 30+ years.
The big dissapointment is that it will move it away from a big spectator base, and without the Gold Coast accommodation pool availabl will limit the opportunity for Australian fans to see WRC in action.
The other sad thing is that it pulls the financial underwriting out from Speed on Tweed.
The bare bum protesters don't want to show them around town in the near furure or they might grt them severly kicked.

[Joel]

Well the Nimbin Nimbys have won.
Next years Repco Rally Oz will be moved south to Coffs Harbour.
No disadvantage in terms of the roads available, it has been the home of some of the best rallies on the ARC callender for 30+ years.
The big dissapointment is that it will move it away from a big spectator base, and without the Gold Coast accommodation pool availabl will limit the opportunity for Australian fans to see WRC in action.
The other sad thing is that it pulls the financial underwriting out from Speed on Tweed.
The bare bum protesters don't want to show them around town in the near furure or they might grt them severly kicked.

It moves in between two big spectator bases, so more people should come from up and down the coast. Also its good because it's only an hour away from me.

[Jiji_the_cat]

bummer. i recently moved from Armidale to the Gold Coast.    But on the plus side i am actually glad it has moved there. I think it is probably the best, or at least up there with the best locations for the rally, and should see it continue in Oz for a while.

[bpratt]

Damned disappointing that the hippies won over.

It was nearby to major accomodation on the Gold Coast, and around 1.5 hours from Brisbane.

Coffs is around 6 to 8 hours from Brisbane and Sydney, and whilst a tourist location in its own right, it does not have the accomodation that an event of its stature should have.

Now whilst the area is the home of the great Southern Cross rallies of the past, and has had a number of ARC events, and it will be great to compact the stages much closer together, it is a long way away from population centres.


Going to be interesting to see what they plan on doing for a Super Special Stage, as part of the crew than ran the SSS at both last years event and this years SSS for Rally Queensland, we're all based in the South East of Queensland. Hopefully they'll look after us accommodation wise.


Anyway, there are apparently quite a lot of good rally roads down there that are maintained quite well.

[Joel]

In my opinion the amount of spectators should not change. In 2009 the spectator base was from QLD, Sydney was more then 10 hours away. Now it is in the middle spectators should come from both sides.
I have attended a few rallies at Coffs including the ARC two years ago, it was great, the roads were brilliant with plenty of spectator points. I went to the WRC last year and it was great, but I believe moving to Coffs is a step foward.

[Oldtony]

Tend to agree that the roads back of Coffs are propbably better than those for last years WRC, but I am not sure about tha ability of the area to attract and accommodate the same number of fans.
My other winge is that the "Speed on Tweed" add on will not be linked with it, and that event will now probably disappear without the financing put into each second year by the WRC.
I usually consider myself a bit Green, but this mob around the backblocks of the Tweed are just a bunch of freaks. After this I think they may find themselves a bit unwelcome.

[Ian G.]

I live in the area and there was always going to be major problems with the event,obvious to everyone except the organisers that ploughed ahead regardless.Tweed-Byron is a power base for the Greens and associated groups including normal folk that moved to the North Coast for a bit of peace and quiet,holding the Rally was like waving a red-flag in front of a Bull.Tweed Council as a body were only lukewarm to the idea,locals have major law/order problems and Motor Sport events were only seen as attracting more Hoons from SE Qld.Post Rally i know personally some Tweed Councillors and Staff were shocked with the speed the cars
achieved,they felt it was only a matter of time before a major drama clouded the event and did not wish to be involved with the ramifications.
The only people that were really in favour were Motor Sport  fans and locals that stood to gain financially,the majority of the population were either blase or against it,Coffs will be a good site in many ways.
All of the above is my personal take on it of course.

[bpratt]

Valid comments from some one who lives in the area.

You brought up a valid concern that it was seen by many as just attracting more hoons from SE Qld.


Tweed on Speed should not have a problem with continuing to run, subject to the organising committee doing their job properly.

[Ian G.]

Yeah,just telling it how it is from my point of view having run a Service Station in the area for 16 Years,lenghty well balanced article on the Cams decision floating around on the net,i will post a link when i can find it again,this is the ABC sport summary.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/30/3025758.htm

Hope Speed on Tweed can continue,i think Insurance is/was the big drama.

[Oldtony]

Mr Fountain, the former CEO of CAMS departed to head up Victoria's Fire and Emergency services some months ago, supposedly breaking his ties with motorsport. Out of the blue he was then appointed, by CAMS, as chairman of Rally Oz, the group organising the WRC round for Australia.
Not a very popular decision in the Rally fraternity as relations with him as CEO at CAMS had at times been less than warm. Add to that was the worry about where he was going to find time from a top level public service management position with demanding hours.
Things are changing as Mr Fountain resigned his Fire and Emergency positio effective immediately follwing allegations by a female staff member.
He now certainly has the time for Rally Oz, but would the image and PR of the event be damaged by his continued presence? 

[bpratt]

now that's an interesting story... as you said he was supposedly making a clean break from any and all motorsport, but now he's back... albeit with a sudden departure from his F & E position, but with some extra 'baggage' too !