MOTORSPORT: Bushfires may wipe out Rally Oz

This week’s Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour is facing the threat of cancellation due to the devastating bushfires nearby.

At best, the World Rally Championship season finale will be a much-shortened event.

The Australian Rally Championship round to have been held as part of the event has already been cancelled.

“Rally Australia’s thoughts are with the NSW community, especially the people who have lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes as a result of the fires in northern NSW,” a spokesman said.

“Public safety is our uppermost consideration in planning for Rally Australia [due to start on Thursday and conclude on Sunday].

“We are consulting with emergency services, authorities and the local community about the evolving situation.

“We will provide further information about any revised plans as it becomes available.”

Organisers already have advised entrants in the national competitions – the ARC final round, the Rally Australia Cup and the Rally Australia two-day event – that those categories will not go ahead.

Entrants in those categories have been invited to participate in “demonstration” runs on the super special stage and Raleigh special stage.

“Those who withdraw have been encouraged to donate their entry-fee refund to the Rural Fire Service,” the Rally Australia spokesman said.

Clerk of the course Wayne Kenny has issued a bulletin to WRC competitors advising that reconnaissance for the rally had been rescheduled from 8:00am to 5:00pm on Wednesday.

A two-day recce was originally due to start tomorrow. Even before this upheaval it was known that the event scheduled for this week would be the last Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour.

Australia has been dropped from the WRC calendar next year, with the Antipodean round moving across the Tasman to New Zealand in September, although it could return to Oz in 2021 if a venue more agreeable to the series organisers can be found.

They have been concerned at small crowds at Coffs Harbour because of its distance from a major city and have wanted a location closer to a big population centre, with Canberra seemingly most likely for any return of the WRC to Australia.

While this week’s event is now in grave doubt and dependent on clearance from fire and emergency services, Toyota’s Ott Tanak has already clinched this year’s drivers’ world title with 263 points.

However, the manufacturers’ championship has been due to be decided at Coffs.

Hyundai, which has never won that title, leads defending champion make Toyota by 18 points (380-362).

Tanak will switch to Hyundai next season as its lead driver after Belgian Thierry Neuville's failure to win a drivers' title with the Korean brand.

Neuville could finish runner-up for the fourth year is a row as he has come to Australia 10 points ahead (227-217) of Citroen's third-placed Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, who won the previous six championships – four with Volkswagen and then two with M-Sport Ford.