MOTORSPORT: WRC circus hits Oz

The 2014 Coates Hire Rally Australia kicked off with a shakedown run for World Rally Championship crews, held over a 4.98km section of the Hydes Creek special stage outside Coffs Habour this morning.

Perhaps surprisingly, it was the Citroen DS3 WRC pair of Kris Meeke and Mads Ostberg who headed the timesheets. Briton Meeke's 2:52.9 pass, on his third run of the morning, was 0.4 seconds quicker than his Norwegian teammate.

“It felt comfortable and good,” Meeke said. “This shakedown is a good representation of the rally and I think we are in the ballpark with set-up.”

Meeke, who impressed at this event last year before crashing, looks set to be the closest challenger to Volkswagen, whose cars currently sit 1-2-3 in the championship.

Meeke will start day one in eighth position on the road, and should benefit from the relatively clean line developed from the cars that pass through before him.

Hyundai team leader Thierry Neuville underlined his recent form, completing the shakedown in third place with his Hyundai i20 WRC.

Fresh from his maiden victory on the tarmac of Rally Germany, Neuville is now growing more comfortable with the i20 on gravel.

“We haven't had much time between events to test gravel set-up. We started shakedown with similar settings to Poland, but have moved towards a Finland-style set-up and it's better.”

Jari-Matti Latvala was the fastest of the Volkswagen Polo R WRCs in fourth place, his world champion teammate – and 2013 Rally Australia victor -- Sebastien Ogier tied for fifth quickest, with 2012 winner Mikko Hirvonen aboard his Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

The M-Sport crew, which runs the Fiesta WRC program, is celebrating its 250th WRC event this weekend.

Kiwi Hayden Paddon drew first blood in the Australia-New Zealand Hyundai battle, taking seventh fastest in the shakedown to eclipse Aussie Chris Atkinson, taking his first WRC start since Mexico in March.

The neighbourly protagonists were separated by Andreas Mikkelsen in the third VW Polo R and former Formula One GP winner Robert Kubica, who had an early spin before securing 10th overall.

Rally Australia commences with the 10.73km Hydes Creek 1 special stage tomorrow (Friday) morning. The day will comprise a loop of three stages, run twice over, before two evening runs over the 1.56km Hyundai Super Special Stage, which promise to be fan favourites.