Speedcafe.com’s special 38-page guide to the 2014 Coates Hire Rally Australia leg of the World Rally

SPEEDCAFE.COM’S ULTIMATE GUIDE

COATES HIRE RALLY AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 11 - 14, 2014

Coates Hire Rally Australia I Editorial

Contents

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COATES HIRE RALLY AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 11 - 14, 2014

IN EVERY ISSUE! EDITOR IN CHIEF: Gordon Lomas JOURNALIST: Tom Howard DESIGN: Kirstie Fuentes SALES/MARKETING: Leisa Emberson PARTNERS: Armor All Castrol Edge Coates Hire Crimsafe Dunlop Porsche Beko Tata Motors Pirtek Honda

5 EDITORIAL/CONTENTS 7 COVER STORY 9 SEASON SO FAR 10 SPECIAL STAGE MAP 16 CAR COMPARISON 18 ENTRY LIST 20 RALLY TERMINOLOGY 22 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 23 PREVIOUS WINNERS 25 VOLKSWAGEN OGIER/LATVALA 26 CITROEN MEEKE/OSTBERG 27 M SPORT HIRVONEN/EVANS 28 HYUNDAI NEUVILLE/ATKINSON

30 MIKKELSEN/KUBICA 31 PADDON 33 WRC CHAMPIONS 35 TV TIMES 36 SCHEDULE EVENT

SEASON SO FAR

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COVER STORY

OGIER LEADS THE WAY Defending world champion Sebastien Ogier was off to a flying start winning the round as Volkswagen...

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TAMING THE WILD AUSSIE BUSH Even in the unpredictable world of rallying, the German round was a rollercoaster ride of mammoth proportions...

Atkinson fired up for Rally Oz return

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ustralia’s best performed World Rally Championship driver Chris Atkinson has a point to prove on many fronts at Coffs Harbour.

In and out of drives at the top level since his days as a Subaru factory driver ended after 2008, Atkinson and co-driver Stephane Prevot will crew the #8 Hyundai Shell World Rally Team i20.

After hooking up as one of Hyundai’s development and test drivers last year, the German-based squad announced Atkinson as one of several drivers who will share the rotational seat in the second i20 beside the team’s only full-timer Thierry Neuville.

Atkinson was given the duties of competing at Mexico in March where he managed to battle against breakages and finish in the points in seventh position.

However Hyundai has not been forthcoming with any other rallies for Atkinson this season.

It means that Rally Australia, aside from the nationalistic viewpoint, remains arguably the most important event in his long career.

A winner of 41 WRC special stages and six podium

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finishes, Atkinson has paid his dues and is armed with the ability to climb to the top step.

Whether Volkswagen or Hyundai’s history-making Neuville will allow that is another matter.

Gordon Lomas Editor in Chief, Speedcafe.com

Coates Hire Rally Australia I Cover Story

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Taming the wild Aussie bush E

ven in the unpredictable world of rallying, the German round was a rollercoaster ride of mammoth proportions.

Before the event had started Hyundai’s campaign appeared doomed when Thierry Neuville crashed during the shakedown, leaving the squad a tight schedule to fix substantial damage.

A monumental effort saw Neuville make the start of the rally which then saw world champion Sebastien Ogier crash not once but twice.

His Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Latvala was in control at the front and seemingly just had to make the finish to maintain Volkswagen’s perfect record in the nine rounds in 2014.

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But Latvala would also crash before Kris Meeke met the same fate after inheriting the lead with a pace-note mistake seeing his Citroen DS3 become intimate with a wall.

It left Hyundai’s Neuville in front with team-mate Dani Sordo second with the pair completed an historic WRC one-two for the Korean manufacturer.

The maiden WRC victory had been helped in no uncertain terms by the unusually high amount of retirements ahead of Neuville.

It was the first rally of the year where Volkswagen did not climb the top step of the podium.

Hyundai will go into Australia with a massive amount of confidence headed by their full-time lead driver Neuville.

Hyundai will draft Australia’s most successful WRC driver, Chris Atkinson, into the #8 i20 with Stephane Prevot calling the pace notes.

But based on previous Rally Australia results and outright performance in 2014, Hyundai will need more than an ounce of luck.

While Hyundai were not yet on the scene, Volkswagen were at a level of domination rarely seen at Rally Australia last year.

While there have been some tweaks including a new super special stage and service park location the stages out in the forest to the north and south of Coffs Harbour remain relatively the same.

Ogier captured 19 of the 22 stages last ™

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Cover Story

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year with Andreas Mikkelsen winning the opening sprint in the satellite factory Polo with Latvala winning SS10 while Mikko Hirvonen was the only non VW driver to win a stage.

Volkswagen team boss Jost Capito said it will be more challenging to repeat the domination this year but says Ogier and Latvala can maintain maximum attack against each other in the race for the title.

Ogier currently holds a 44-point margin at the top of the standings over Latvala.

“With the current situation in the world championship it has the potential to be particularly exciting in 2014,” Capito said.

“In the Ogier versus Latvala duel, both drivers have been given the go-ahead to fight for victory.

“We also have a good chance of being able to celebrate winning the manufacturers’ title early.

“Last year we won 21 of 22 special stages and started the longest winning streak in

the history of the WRC. “We’re proud of this. However, it won’t be easy to be successful once again.”

Latvala was stung by letting a certain 25 points slip through his fingers after Ogier had crashed for a second time with his rally over.

With the difference remaining 44 points in favour of Ogier, Latvala remains positive about his chances against his world champion team-mate.

“In Germany it was all those points (gone), given the position I was in, we would be in a good position fighting now for the title.,” Latvala said.

“But okay the mistake did happen and I have to learn from it but I have not given up for the fight yet.

“It will be more difficult for sure but anything is still possible.

“I need to be clever and I need the points and need to finish now.

“But I’m still going to go for it and fight.”

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Season So Far

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SEASON SO FAR: OGIER LEADS THE WAY Round 1 - Monte Carlo (Jan 14-19):

Round 4 Portugal (April 3-6):

Defending world champion Sebastien Ogier was off to a flying start winning the round as Volkswagen started in ominous form with a blindingly quick car.

The surprise of the event was Bryan Bouffier, the Hyundai test driver, who was campaigning in a one-off M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta who finished second ahead of Citroen’s Kris Meeke.

Hyundai’s re-entry as an official factorybacked effort got off to shaky start with its lead driver Thierry Neuville crashing heavily in the opening stage.

Team-mate Dani Sordo would last until SS5 before being being forced out with electrical problems.

Ogier and Ingrassia surged to a fourth win in Portugal to be one short of the king of the country’s rally, Markku Alen with five.

Mikko Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Letinen earned a much needed second place with Mads Ostberg and Jonas Andersson claiming third.

The win kept VW’s factory effort unbeaten.

Round 2 - Sweden (February 5-8): Volkswagen maintained its seemingly considerable edge on the first snow rally but not through Ogier.

Jari-Matti Latvala took the honours to lead home team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen and the Citroen of Mads Ostberg.

Ogier was mired down in sixth place while Hyundai’s attack again showed no joy with Neuville in 28th and Juho Hanninen, handling the #8 i20, in 19th.

Round 3 - Mexico (March 6-9): Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia struck back immediately to maintain concentration over the rough, long 22-stage rally to have more than a minute to spare over Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila.

After a rocky start to its campaign, the Shell Hyundai World Rally Team claimed its first podium with Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul claiming third.

Australia’s Chris Atkinson was given his maiden rally after leading the squad in testing last year and guided the #8 i20 into the points in seventh place.

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Round 5 Argentina (May 8-11): The Volkswagen juggernaut kept rolling with Latvala/Anttila scoring their second win of the year with just over 1:25s to spare over Ogier/Ingrassia.

Citroen’s Kris Meeke finished third ahead of Mikkelsen with Neuville claiming fifth for Hyundai.

Round 6 Sardinia (June 5-8): Running to form, Volkswagen maintained its domination over the field with Ogier and Ingrassia claiming their fourth win.

Ostberg/Andersson claimed second for Citroen with Latvala/Anttila filling the podium.

commanding the event with Latvala turning the tables on Ogier in a continuation of their intense inter-team dual.

Kris Meeke picked up more valuable points for Citroen to claim the final podium position.

Round 9 Germany (August 21-24): With the score sheet 5-3 in favour of Ogier over Latvala, VW’s invincibility showed no signs of weakening.

However in one of the most tumultuous results seen in the WRC, the German manufacturer would see its colours lowered.

Hyundai went into the final day with an historic victory within its grasp.

After seeing Ogier and later Latvala both crashing off the road, Hyundai pair Neuville and Sordo found themselves first and second and duly finished with a Korean quinella, the first WRC success in two different eras for the marque.

Andreas Mikkelsen guided his Polo R to the final podium spot after his more fancied team-mates had been upstaged.

After 9 of 13 rounds Ogier leads the points on 187 over Latvala (143) with Mikkelsen third on 110 in an all VW top three.

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Round 7 Poland (June 26-29): Ogier completed the 24 stages of the combined Polish/Lithuanian rally to lead home a VW quinella with Mikkelsen just over one minute in the Frenchman’s wake.

Neuville took another strong result for Hyundai with Latvala in fifth.

Hyundai’s Hanninen was sixth while newcomer to the Korean brand, Kiwi Hayden Paddon and his co-driver John Kennard were eighth.

Round 8 Finland (July 31-August 3): After the summer break, the championship returned to the timehonoured big jumps of the Finnish roads.

Little changed however with VW

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Special Stage Map

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Special Stage Map

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Special Stage Map

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Special Stage Map

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Special Stage Map

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Car Comparison

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Hyundai World Rally Car versus road car i20 WRC

i20 1.4MPi (manual) road car

Type

1.6 Turbo GDI

1.4 Gamma MPI

Power

300bhp (220.65kW)

100bhp (73.55kW)

Torque

400Nm

137Nm

Transmission

6-speed sequential

6-speed manual

Drivetrain

four-wheel-drive

front-wheel-drive

0-100km/h

4s

11.6s

Top speed

200k/h

181km/h

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Entry List

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Rally Australia Entry List ENTRY LIST 11 - 14 SEPTEMBER 2014 Comp.

Competitor No 1 VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 45

Driver Co-Driver OGIER Sebastien INGRASSIA Julien LATVALA Jari-Matti VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT ANTTILA Miikka CITROËN TOTAL ABU DHABI WORLD MEEKE Kris NAGLE Paul RALLY TEAM CITROËN TOTAL ABU DHABI WORLD OSTBERG Mads ANDERSSON Jonas RALLY TEAM HIRVONEN Mikko M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM LEHTINEN Jarmo EVANS Elfyn M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM BARRITT Daniel NEUVILLE Thierry HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT GILSOUL Nicolas ATKINSON Chris HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT PREVOT Stephane MIKKELSEN Andreas VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT II FLOENE Ola KUBICA Robert RK M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM SZCZEPANIAK Maciej PADDON Hayden HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT N KENNARD John AL RAJHI Yazeed YAZEED RACING ORR Michael PROTASOV Yuriy YURIY PROTASOV CHEREPIN Pavlo RENDINA Max WWW.RALLYPROJECT.COM srl PIZZUTI Mario TANAK Ott DRIVE DMACK MOLDER Raigo KETOMAA Jari DRIVE DMACK LINDSTROM Kaj AL-ATTIYAH Nasser NASSER AL-ATTIYAH BERNACCHINI Giovanni BERTELLI Lorenzo F.W.R.T srl DOTTA Mitia SERDERIDIS Jourdan JOURDAN SERDERIDIS MICLOTTE Frederic AKSA Subhan BOSOWA RALLY TEAM ARENA Nicola VAN TUINEN Matt MATT VAN TUINEN KELLY Erin SULLENS Tony RON CREMEN BARKLEY Julia COPPIN Adrian PHIL COPPIN BATTEN Tim FRISIERO Fabio FABIO FRISIERO SCATTOLIN Simone FULLERTON Bruce BRUCE FULLERTON REARDON-SMITH, Hugh VLAD Razvan RAZVAN VLAD NICOLI Daymon BLAIR Darren DARREN BLAIR BOORMAN Julie STILLING John JOHN STILLING GELSOMINO Alessandro GRIGG Martin MARTIN GRIGG MESSER Rachel DUNN Peter PETER DUNN ROURKE Michael

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71 73 74 75 76 77 78 79

Nat

Car

Class

Pri.

Elig.

FRA FRA FIN FIN GBR IRL NOR SWE FIN FIN GBR GBR BEL BEL AUS BEL NOR NOR POL POL NZL NZL SAU GBR UKR UKR ITA ITA EST EST FIN FIN QAT ITA ITA ITA GRC BEL IDN ITA AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS ITA ITA AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS AUS ITA AUS AUS AUS AUS

VOLKSWAGEN Polo R WRC VOLKSWAGEN Polo R WRC CITROËN DS3 WRC CITROËN DS3 WRC FORD Fiesta RS WRC FORD Fiesta RS WRC HYUNDAI i20 WRC HYUNDAI i20 WRC VOLKSWAGEN Polo R WRC FORD Fiesta RS WRC HYUNDAI i20 WRC FORD Fiesta RRC FORD Fiesta RRC MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo X FORD Fiesta R5 FORD Fiesta R5 FORD Fiesta RRC FORD Fiesta RRC FORD Fiesta R5 FORD Fiesta RRC SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti CITROËN DS3 R3T CITROËN DS3 R3T MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX FORD Fiesta ST SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IX MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo X SUBARU Impreza WRX Sti

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

M

RC1

1

RC1

1

T

RC1

1

T

RC2

3

WRC2

RC2

3

WRC2

RC2

3

RC2

3

WRC2 Prod Cup WRC2

RC2

3

WRC2

RC2

3

WRC2

RC2

3

WRC2

RC2

3

WRC2

RC2

3

WRC2

RC2 RC3 RC3 RC2 RC2 RC3 RC2 RC2 RC2 RC2

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Rally Terminology

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Rally Terminology Some of rallying’s unique terminology and regulations explained;

PACE NOTES Co-driver reading back information about the road. Accuracy of these notes are crucial to performance. A misread of a note or poorly written notes can prove disastrous.

The common method of rating corners is a 1-6 or 1-10 system (1 being a tight corner).

Notes will often be read out such as ‘100 (metres( 3 right into 4 right’ for example.

ROAD BOOK A navigational guide with maps provided by the rally organiser with instructions on how to drive to a special stage from the service park.

These detailed books are the bible in how crews operate during the considerable transport stages during a rally.

TIME CARD GPS tracking has not yet made the time card obsolete.

Co-drivers use this to calculate their time of arrival at the next time control.

A time control marshal adds the actual time to the card at the end of a special stage.

It is crucial in fixing any problems which may occur particularly if there are any computer errors.

STICKERS Coloured stickers on windscreens determine different classes within a rally.

Green = WRC Red = WRC2 Orange = WRC3 Blue = Junior WRC

Rally Car, RRC).

N4 and R4 class cars are also based on production models which feature fourwheel-drive and turbo charged engines.

R5 is for production models with a 1.6litre turbo where less modifications than RRC can be made but where the air restrictor can be 2 mm larger.

The rest of the field comprises front-drive cars in sub categories RC5, RC5, and RC3 focussing on production-based bodywork.

Key engine differences are: RC5: naturally aspirated max 2 litre or turbo with max 1.4litre. RC4: naturally aspirated with max 2 litre a turbo with max 1.6 litre or a turbo diesel with a max 2litre.

The GT class is for cars which include Porsche 911s.

This reconnaissance must be done at speeds between 30-90km/h depending on the conditions.

This vital preparation is one of the keys to the skill of rally driving.

srentrap munitalp duorp ruO ROAD STAGE Driving from one special stage to another is called a transport. liaison or road section phase of the rally.

Most are on public roads which means the rally cars must be road registered. ™

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CARS WRC: Contested in 2014 by the Volkswagen, Citroen, Hyundai and Ford factory teams.

RC2: Three types of vehicles which are similar in performance comprise this class. Super 2000 are based on production models which are naturally aspirated 2-litre, a 1.6-litre turbo petrol (Regional

RALLY2 Allows crews to line up for action the next day if they are forced to abandon a stage through a breakdown or accident.

For every special stage a team misses, a 5 minute penalty is added to their best time.

If the only stage they miss is the final one, a 10 minute penalty is levied.

Rally 2 does not apply for the last leg of a rally nor is it in place for events such as the season-opening Monte Carlo.

RECCE Prior to an event teams are allowed to drive stages in order to write and perfect their pace notes.

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Championship Standings

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WRC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS TOP 20

WRC TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

Pos Driver

Points

Pos

Team

Points

1

Sebastien Ogier

187

1

Volkswagen Motorsport

305

2

Jari-Matti Latvala

143

2

Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT

138

3

Andreas Mikkelsen

110

3

Hyundai Motorsport

131

4

Mads Ostberg

74

4

M-Sport Ltd

128

5

Thierry Neuville

73

5

Volkswagen Motorsport II

109

6

Mikko Hirvonen

73

6

Jipocar Czech National Team

40

7

Elfyn Evans

57

7

RK M-Sport WRT

21

8

Kris Meeke

54

8

Hyundai Motorsport N

12

9

Martin Prokop

37

10

Henning Solberg

26

11

Juho Hanninen

20

12

Bryan Bouffier

18

13

Dani Sordo

18

14

Robert Kubica

12

15

Ott Tanak

11

16

Benito Guerra Latapi

8

17

Hayden Paddon

8

18

Chris Atkinson

6

19

Pontus Tidemand

6

20

Jaroslav Melichare

4

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Previous Winners

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PREVIOUS RALLY AUSTRALIA WINNERS Year

Driver

Car

2013

Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2012

Not held

2011

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen

2010

Not held

2009

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen

2008

Not held

2007

Not held

2006

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen

Ford Focus RS WRC

2005

Francois Duval/Sven Smeets

Citroen Xsara WRC

2004

Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena

Citroen Xsara WRC

2003

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills

Subaru Impreza WRC

2002

Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen

Peugeot 206 WRC

2001

Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen

Peugeot 206 WRC

2000

Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen

Peugeot 206 WRC

1999

Richard Burns/Robert Reid

Subaru Impreza WRC

1998

Tommi Makinen/Risbo Mannisenmaki

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V

1997

Colin McRae/Nicky Grist

Subaru Impreza WRC

1996

Tommi Makinen/Seppo Harjanne

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III

1995

Kenneth Eriksson/Staffan Parmander

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III

1994

Colin McRae/Derek Ringer

Subaru Impreza

1993

Juha Kankkunen/Nicky Grist

Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185

1992

Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli

Lancia Delta HF Integrale

1991

Juha Kankkunen/Juha Piironen

Lancia Delta Integrale 16V

1990

Juha Kankkunen/Juha Piironen

Lancia Delta Integrale 16V

1989

Juha Kankkunen/Juha Piironen

Toyota Celica GT-Four ST 165

1988

Ingvar Carlsson/Per Carlsson

Mazda 323 4WD

Ford Fiesta RS WRC Ford Focus RS WRC

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#1 TEAM: VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT CAR: POLO R WRC

DRIVER: SEBASTIEN OGIER CO-DRIVER: JULIEN INGRASSIA NATIONALITY: French DATE OF BIRTH: December 17, 1983 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 WRC DEBUT: Mexico, 2008 WRC RALLY WINS: 21 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 1st (187 points) WEBSITE: http://www.sebastien-ogier.com/en/

BAGMAN COMMENT Made a small mistake with big consequences crashing out on day one in Germany. Taking a penalty he re-entered the next day only to crash out again. All but sealed his maiden championship at Rally Australia last year. The one they will all be chasing.

#2 TEAM: VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT CAR: POLO R WRC

DRIVER: JARI-MATTI LATVALA CO-DRIVER: MIIKKA ANTTILA NATIONALITY: Finnish DATE OF BIRTH: April 3, 1984 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 0 WRC DEBUT: Great Britain, 2002 WRC RALLY WINS: 10 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 2nd (143 points) WEBSITE: http://www.jmlatvala.com/en/

BAGMAN COMMENT Put in some of his best career performances this year with three victories from the nine events to date. Faces another huge challenge to match teammate Ogier who was in invincible form at this rally last year.

#3 TEAM: CITROEN TOTAL ABU DHABI WRT CAR: CITROEN DS3 WRC

DRIVER: KRIS MEEKE CO-DRIVER: PAUL NAGLE NATIONALITY: British DATE OF BIRTH: July 2, 1979 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 WRC DEBUT: Great Britain, 2002 WRC RALLY WINS: 0 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 8th (54 points) WEBSITE: http://www.krismeeke.com

BAGMAN COMMENT Found himself in the lead following the retirement of Latvala with three stages to go in Germany.

Made a mistake at the start of SS16 which led to him crashing out of the rally. Went away from Rally Australia with some unhappy memories last year and needs a big result here.

#4 TEAM: CITROEN TOTAL ABU DHABI WRT CAR: CITROEN DS3 WRC

DRIVER: MADS OSTBERG CO-DRIVER: JONAS ANDERSSON NATIONALITY: Norwegian DATE OF BIRTH: October 11, 1987 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 0 WRC DEBUT: Sweden, 2005 WRC RALLY WINS: 1 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 4th (74 points) WEBSITE: http://www.madsostberg.no

BAGMAN COMMENT Had some decent results highlighted by a second place Sardinia. Out of the points then in Poland and Finland. Needs to strike a clean effort here to keep Citroen in second place in the manufacturer’s title ahead of Hyundai.

#5 TEAM: M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM CAR: FORD FIESTA RS WRC

DRIVER: MIKKO HIRVONEN CO-DRIVER: JARMO LEHTINEN NATIONALITY: Finnish DATE OF BIRTH: July 31, 1980 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 0 WRC DEBUT: Finland, 2002 WRC RALLY WINS: 15 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 6th (73 points) WEBSITE: www.mikkohirvonen.com

BAGMAN COMMENT Season highlight was his second at Portugal behind Ogier. Remains without a WRC win since 2012 and played second fiddle on pace to his team-mate at the German rally. Looking for a big result on the gravel of Rally Australia.

#6 TEAM: M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM CAR: FORD FIESTA RS WRC

DRIVER: ELFYN EVANS CO-DRIVER: DANIEL BARRITT NATIONALITY: Welsh DATE OF BIRTH: December 28, 1988 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 WRC DEBUT: Italy, 2013 WRC RALLY WINS: 0 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 7th (57 points) WEBSITE: www.elfynevans.com

BAGMAN COMMENT Cutting his teeth at the top level and has put in some sound performances. Gathering plenty of experience and looking to push for another solid top five finish after his equal best of fourth in Germany.

#7 TEAM: HYUNDAI SHELL WORLD RALLY TEAM CAR: I20 WORLD RALLY CAR

DRIVER: THIERRY NEUVILLE CO-DRIVER: NICOLAS GILSOUL NATIONALITY: Belgian DATE OF BIRTH: June 16, 1988 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 0 WRC DEBUT: Spain, 2009 WRC RALLY WINS: 0 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 5th (73 points) WEBSITE: http://www.thierryneuville.be

BAGMAN COMMENT Hyundai’s only full-time driver created history by supplying the Korean giant with its first WRC win in Germany.

Although inheriting positions Neuville took full advantage to lead the team to a 1-2. It was his third podium of the year after thirds in Mexico and Poland.

#8 TEAM: HYUNDAI SHELL WORLD RALLY TEAM CAR: I20 WORLD RALLY CAR

DRIVER: CHRIS ATKINSON CO-DRIVER: STEPHANE PREVOT NATIONALITY: Australian DATE OF BIRTH: November 30, 1979 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 4 WRC DEBUT: New Zealand, 2004 WRC RALLY WINS: 0 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 18th (6 points) WEBSITE: www.atko.com.au

BAGMAN COMMENT Vastly experienced WRC campaigner who is only having his second world championship start this year with the Hyundai factory team. Has a point to prove and will be massively quick at his home rally. Has 41 WRC stage wins to his credit.

#9 TEAM: VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT II CAR: POLO R WRC

DRIVER: ANDREAS MIKKELSEN CO-DRIVER: OLA FLOENE NATIONALITY: Norwegian DATE OF BIRTH: June 22, 1989 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 WRC DEBUT: Great Britain, 2006 WRC RALLY WINS: 0 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 3rd (110 points) WEBSITE: http://www.andreasmikkelsen.no

BAGMAN COMMENT Only out of the points once this season at Mexico earlier in the year.

Up and coming driver who is highly regarded within the Volkswagen Motorsport squad.

Looking a strong chance to secure a podium again.

#10 TEAM: RK M-SPORT WORLD RALLY TEAM CAR: FORD FIESTA RS WRC

DRIVER: ROBERT KUBICA CO-DRIVER: MACIEK SZCZEPANIAK NATIONALITY: Polish DATE OF BIRTH: December 12, 1984 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 WRC DEBUT: Portugal, 2013 WRC RALLY WINS: 0 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 14th (12 points) WEBSITE:

BAGMAN COMMENT Began the 2014 season in brilliant fashion when he led the opening two stages of the Monte Carlo rally in January. Only two points scoring rallies have been Argentina and Sardinia. Will again be quick at times but needs to get to the finish on Sunday afternoon.

#20 TEAM: HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT N CAR: I20 WORLD RALLY CAR

DRIVER: HAYDEN PADDON CO-DRIVER: JOHN KENNARD NATIONALITY: New Zealander DATE OF BIRTH: April 20, 1987 TOTAL CAREER CHAMPIONSHIPS: 4 WRC DEBUT: Great Britain, 2007 WRC RALLY WINS: 0 CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 18th (4 points) WEBSITE: http://haydenpaddon.com

BAGMAN COMMENT Although this is his first year in full blown WRC competition, has gathered plenty of experience at world level since debuting in the PWRC at home in NZ in 2007. Greatest year was 2011 when crowned 2011 PWRC champion.

Given huge opportunity in Hyundai’s satellite N factory team.

Coates Hire Rally Australia I Recent Champions

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WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS Season Country

Driver

Car

Wins

1977

Italy

Sandro Munari

Lancia Stratos HF

3

1978

Finland

Markku Alén

Fiat 131 Abarth

4

1979

Sweden

Björn Waldegård

Ford Escort RS1800

2

1980

West Germany

Walter Röhrl

Fiat 131 Abarth

4

1981

Finland

Ari Vatanen

Ford Escort RS1800

3

1982

West Germany

Walter Röhrl

Opel Ascona 400

2

1983

Finland

Hannu Mikkola

Audi Quattro A1/A2

4

1984

Sweden

Stig Blomqvist

Audi Quattro A2/Sport Quattro

5

1985

Finland

Timo Salonen

Peugeot 205 T16/E2

5

1986

Finland

Juha Kankkunen

Peugeot 205 T16 E2

3

1987

Finland

Juha Kankkunen

Lancia Delta HF 4WD

2

1988

Italy

Miki Biasion

Lancia Delta HF 4WD Lancia Delta Integrale

5

1989

Italy

Miki Biasion

Lancia Delta Integrale Lancia Delta Integrale 16V

5

1990

Spain

Carlos Sainz

Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165

4

1991

Finland

Juha Kankkunen

Lancia Delta Integrale 16V

5

1992

Spain

Carlos Sainz

Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD

4

1993

Finland

Juha Kankkunen

Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD

5

1994

France

Didier Auriol

Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD

3

1995

United Kingdom

Colin McRae

Subaru Impreza 555

2

1996

Finland

Tommi Mäkinen

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III

5

1997

Finland

Tommi Mäkinen

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV

4

1998

Finland

Tommi Mäkinen

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V

5

1999

Finland

Tommi Mäkinen

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI

4

2000

Finland

Marcus Grönholm

Peugeot 206 WRC

4

2001

United Kingdom

Richard Burns

Subaru Impreza WRC 2001

1

2002

Finland

Marcus Grönholm

Peugeot 206 WRC

5

2003

Norway

Petter Solberg

Subaru Impreza WRC 2003

4

2004

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën Xsara WRC

6

2005

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën Xsara WRC

10

2006

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën Xsara WRC

8

2007

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën C4 WRC

8

2008

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën C4 WRC

11

2009

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën C4 WRC

7

2010

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën C4 WRC

8

2011

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën DS3 WRC

5

2012

France

Sébastien Loeb

Citroën DS3 WRC

9

2013

France

Sébastien Ogier

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

9

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I TV Times

35

TV Times The Coates Hire Rally Australia will be shown on free-to-air television on ONE and Network TEN throughout the weekend.

Friday September 12 - TEN Adelaide 11.30pm12am

DAY 1 Melbourne 11.30pm-12am

Brisbane 11.30pm-12am

Sydney 11.30pm-12am

Perth 11.30pm-12am

Saturday September 13 - TEN Adelaide 11.30pm12am

Brisbane 11.30pm - 12am

DAY 2 Melbourne 11.30pm-12am

Sydney 11.30pm-12am

Perth 11.30pm-12am

Sunday September 14 Adelaide 3pm-4pm (ONE) 11pm-11.30pm (TEN)

Brisbane 3pm-4pm (ONE) 11pm-11.30pm (TEN)

DAY 3 Melbourne 3pm-4pm (ONE) 11pm-11.30pm (TEN)

Sydney 3pm-4pm (ONE) 11pm-11.30pm (TEN)

Perth 3pm-4pm (ONE) 11pm-11.30pm (TEN)

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Coates Hire Rally Australia I Schedule Event

36

Rally Australia Event Schedule

Thursday Rally Show 1.00 pm – 6.30 pm STAGE First WRC car due Stage Distance

Friday SS1 - Hydes Creek I 9:18 am 10.73 KM SS2 - Bellingen I 10:11 am 10.72 KM SS3 - Newry I 10:39 am 24.91 KM SS4 - Hydes Creek II 2:27 pm 10.73 KM SS5 - Bellingen II 3:20 pm 10.72 KM SS6 - Newry II 3:48 pm 24.91 KM SS7 - Hyundai Super Special Stage I 6:30 pm (Classics start at 4.30 pm) 1.66 KM SS8 - Hyundai Super Special Stage II 6:40 pm (Classics start at 4.30 pm) 1.66 KM

sSS9 re-nNambucca trap Im unitalSaturday p duorp ruO 8:18 am 49.37 KM SS10 - Valla I 10:06 am 9.07 KM SS11 - Nambucca II 2:24 pm 49.37 KM SS12 - Valla II 3:52 pm 9.07 KM ytiruceS enO-nI-llA SS13 - Hyundai Super Special Stage III 6:30 pm (Classics start at 4.30 pm) 1.66 KM SS14 - Hyundai Super Special Stage IV 6:40 pm (Classics start at 4.30 pm) 1.66 KM ™

Sunday SS15 - Shipmans I 8:08 am 31.61 KM SS16 - Bucca I 9:16 am 10.83 KM SS17 - Wedding Bells I 10:06 am 9.23 KM SS18 - Shipmans II 12:52 pm 31.61 KM SS19 - Bucca II 2:00 pm 10.83KM SS20 - Wedding Bells II (Powerstage) 3:06 pm 9.23 KM

2013 Rally Australia stage winners SS1 Coffs 1 1.60 km Andreas Mikkelsen 1:22.1 70.16km/h SS2 Coffs 2 1.60 km Sebastien Ogier 1:23.1 69.31km/h SS3 Tuckers Nob 1 8.44km Sebastien Ogier 5:27.9 92.66 km/h SS4 Bellingen 1 10.72 km Sebastien Ogier 6:26.1 99.95 km/h SS5 Newry 1 24.91km Sebastien Ogier 15:10.1 98.53 km/h SS6 Tuckers Nob 2 8.44km Sebastien Ogier 5:20.8 94.71 km/h SS7 Bellingen 2 10.72km Sebastien Ogier 6:15.4 102.80km/h SS8 Newry 2 24.91km Sebastien Ogier 14:38.8 102.04 km/h SS9 Coffs 3 1.60km Sebastien Ogier 1:20.8 71.29 km/h SS10 Coffs 4 1.60km Jari-Matti Latvala 1:19.8 72.18 km/h SS11 Nambucca 1 49.90km Sebastien Ogier 28:19.7 105.69km/h SS12 Valla 1 14.84km Sebastien Ogier 8:47.3 101.32km/h SS13 Nambucca 2 49.90km Sebastien Ogier 27:41.3 108.13km/h SS14 Valla 2 14.84km Sebastien Ogier 8:34.3 103.8 km/h SS15 Coffs 5 1.60km Sebastien Ogier 1:23.3 69.15km/h SS16 Coffs 6 1.60km Sebastien Ogier 1:21.4 70.76 km/h SS17 Bucca 1 10.89km Mikko Hirvonen 6:19.5 103.30km/h SS18 Wedding Bells 1 22.24km Sebastien Ogier 11:29.0 116.20km/h SS19 Shipmans 1 29.44km Sebastien Ogier 15:08.7 116.63km/h SS20 Bucca 2 10.89km Sebastien Ogier 6:07.7 106.62km/h SS21 Wedding Bells 2 22.24km Sebastien Ogier 11:11.2 119.28km/h SS22 Shipmans 2 29.44 km Sebastien Ogier 14:44.9 119.77km/h

New for 2014

New mixed surface super special stage which will be run in darkness at the end of Friday and Saturday’s action.

Service park switches to the C-ex Coffs International Stadium, which adjoins the super special stage.

Rally distance

20 special stages over 319.58km Total rally distance 946.54km

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