New brands head 2013 Australian Rally Championship

The Australian Rally Championship (ARC) starts a new era this weekend. And the future looks bright... Well, much brighter than has been the case.

As the championship switches its premier category to two-wheel drive, a new manufacturer has jumped aboard... And the series will only get stronger says ARC Director (and competitor) Scott Pedder.

This week ahead of the first ARC round in Canberra (March 1-3), motoring.com.au got to ride shotgun with Scott Pedder in his new toy, a factory-backed Renault Clio R3. And apart from being gobsmackingly smooth on seriously rough terrain, the return of Renault to the ARC as a manufacturer after more than 40 years is a clear sign that something's working.

Mr Pedder put it in simple terms: "If you stay still you die".

Ultimately the series had to evolve to survive, and it appears that the changes begun in 2011-12 are heading in the right direction. This season cars from Mazda, Volkswagen, Renault, Ford and defending series champ, Honda, will front the starter – with varying levels of factory support and involvement.

"I think you can kid yourself and just float along and think your product is really good. In reality you need to keep changing and evolving what you do," said Mr Pedder.

"F1 has done that, we're trying to do that. V8 Supercars is trying to do that – has to do that – as well."

When Mr Pedder took over as CEO of the ARC in late 2010, he had big plans to revitalise the sport and not all of his plans have been successful (the SUV class is basically dead in the water) but the more affordable (in motorsport terms) two-wheel drive category has sparked renewed interest.

Renault makes its return to the ARC with a pair of Clio R3s - driven by Scott Pedder and co-driver Dale Moscatt and the privateer team of Tom Wilde and co-driver Bill Hayes. It's more than 40 years since it took out the series in 1970 with a Renault R8 Gordini driven by Bob Watson.

At the opening round of the ARC in Canberra there are 17 cars eligible for the outright win, with the likes of reigning ARC champion Eli Evans leading the charge in his tricked-up Honda Jazz.

Internationally-experienced young gun Brendan Reeves is in the series this year in the Mazda2, driven in the second half of last year by Simon Evans, and British star Elfyn Evans is contesting the National Capital Rally in a Fiesta.

Michael Boaden and Mick Patton are driving a pair of Volkswagen Polos. There will also be a handful of rear-wheel drive entrants looking to take out the silverware (and powersliding bragging rights) such as Jack Monkhouse in a Nissan Silvia S15 and Glen Raymond in a Mazda RX-7.

Two Nissan 370Zs are also under construction and expected to debut in an upcoming round.

And there are more cars in the wings. Multi-times series champ Simon Evans has been linked to another VW-equipped entry and a least one other mainstream small car brand is expected to perform late in the season before a full tilt at the 2014 title.

Does 2013 represent a new era for the ARC that hasn't been reached before?

"Certainly were at a good spot right now and if we can get one more manufacturer in it we will better than we've ever been before," said Mr Pedder.

"And I think if we can get one two or three more world-class drivers in, then I think we're very close to the best era of the championship."

With improving free-to-air television coverage on channels Ten and OneHD and the adoption of spectator and television-friendly 'Power Stages' at each of the six ARC rounds this year, not to mention a range of support categories (including the burgeoning Classics), the series is in a good position.

Australian rallying also created a Hall of Fame this week and named 13 foundation members: Neal Bates, Peter "Possum" Bourne, Garry Connelly, Ross Dunkerton, Harry Firth, John Large, Jack Murray, George Shepherd, Tom Snooks, Doug Stewart, Donald K Thomson, Ken Tubman and Bob Watson.

And for the record, a 2.0-litre rally-tuned Renault Clio with 184kW/245Nm sounds more like a high-revving motorcycle with a penchant for backfiring than a regular Clio RS200.

2013 Australian Rally Championship calendar
March 1-3 - National Capital Rally, Canberra
April 5-7 - Forest Rally, WA
May 24-26 - Rally of South Australia
July 12-14 - International Rally of Queensland
September 12-15 - Rally Australia, Coffs Harbour, NSW
November 15-16 - Rally Victoria

- with Staff