Abu Dhabi: For the second time this season, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team is set to head south of the equator for the World Rally Championship (WRC) stage’s penultimate gravel round on this year’s calendar in Australia.
After becoming a part of World Championship calendar in 1988, Rally Australia was initially contested on the west coast of the country. Based in Perth, the event was regarded as real challenge due to its unique road surface, which was covered in incredibly slippery, tiny round stones.
Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle and Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson will be driving the two DS3 WRCs Coffs Coast will host Rally Australia for the second year running from September 12-14. Most of the stages used in 2013 still feature this year with a few adjustments to facilitate access for spectators. The route is one of the most compact of the season with less than 1,000 kilometres to cover — with 315km of timed sections — in three days. All of the stages are located within 55 kilometres of the base for the rally.
Rally Australia has only been contested in its current format once before as a World Championship event. And yet the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team has already got to grips with the event. With only 42 test days in the season and a ban on driving at the venue before the start, the Citroën crews have not had the chance to perform any specific test sessions.
“We worked on preparing for Rally Australia during other sessions,” remarked Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “Managing the test program is an important point. In our schedule, we prepared for this event before and after Rally Finland. At the moment, our tests are focused on preparing for the upcoming rounds on tarmac.”
For the third event running, both crews will have already taken part in the rally in a WRC car, which proved to be a considerable advantage in Finland and Germany: “Kris and Mads showed their ability when driving on roads they know. The second half of the season should enable them to use this experience to secure positive results.”
Didier Clément, the DS3 WRC’s Chief Operations Engineer said about the course: “The roads are fairly smooth with very little variation in height. The stages are pretty quick although they can become very slippery if it rains.”
