The Rally of Canberra is an automobile rally

Rallying

Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...

 event which was held in and around Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

, Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

 first held in 1988. The event is currently a round of the Australian Rally Championship

Australian Rally Championship

The Australian Rally Championship is a 6 Round National motorsport Championship run in forested countryside throughout Australia.-Current Competition:...

 (ARC); it has been part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship

Asia-Pacific Rally Championship

The Asia-Pacific Rally Championship is an international rally championship organized by the FIA. The championship was first held in 1988 and won by Japan's Kenjiro Shinozuka in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. Other winners include the two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz of Spain and the 1986...

 (APRC) in the past.

History

The modern Rally of Canberra began in 1988, but the attraction of forest roads through steep terrain so close to a city has been attracting rallying to the Canberra for years. Previously the Castrol International Rally

Castrol International Rally (Australia)

The Castrol International Rally was a major Australian rally held in the forests around Canberra, between 1974 and 1981.The rally originated as the Don Capasco Rally in 1974 and by 1976 had attracted major oil company Castrol as sponsor and was then run under the name 'Castrol International Rally'...

 was held in much the same area utilising some of the same stage roads. Run throughout much of the 1970s the rally attracted international teams and drivers from the World Cup and World Championship teams. The last of the old style event was held in 1980 although the rally continued into 1981 on a smaller scale.

The new rally was created as an ARC round in 1988, quickly becoming a popular event amongst crews and spectators. The initial event was won by that years national champion, Queenslander Murray Coote aboard a Mazda 323 GTX

Mazda Familia

Mazda's automotive plans for the early sixties consisted of growing alongside the Japanese economy. To achieve this goal, they began by building an extremely cheap Kei car, the R360 in 1960, planning on introducing gradually larger and pricier cars as the Japanese customers became able to afford them...

. The event rapidly grew in stature, becoming second only to the similarly aged Rally Australia

Rally Australia

Rally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in and around Perth, Western Australia from 1988 until 2006, when that state's tourism commission severed its collaboration with the event. The rally was part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1988 and the World Rally Championship...

 in prestige amongst Australian events.

The event become part of the APRC in 1999, returning international rallying to the Canberra region, attracting entries from teams in New Zealand, and most of the Asian rallying nations. Changing regulations in the ARC, in particular its emphasis on local classes, first the PRC (Production Rally Class) and later Group N+, as typified by the Neal Bates Motorsport constructed turbo 4WD Toyota Corolla

Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...

 Sportivo saw the event dropped from the ARC calendar as several of its competitors were not eligible to compete under the APRC regulations which consisted of the World Rally Car and Group N classes.

In more recent times the APRC has become a Group N only championship like many other regional and national championships. ARC regulations since 2006 though have instead of a single two day rally instead have two single day rallies over the course of weekend, giving the opportunity for cars that retire on the Saturday of an event to rejoin on the Sunday. This format has seen the ARC competitors return to Canberra racing with the APRC cars but essentially the rally is now two completely different events, run simultaneously over the same stages, the International Rally of Canberra for APRC competitors and the National Rally of Canberra for ARC competitors. Group N teams can compete in both events if they nominate for both.

The nature of this combination has given rise to a rivalry between APRC and ARC competitors as to who can complete the event in the shortest time. In 2008 for the first time an ARC competitor, Simon Evans completed the rally in a faster time than any of the APRC competitors, although strangely Evans did not win the ARC round after only placing third place at the end of Saturdays rally, thus collecting fewer points than his team mate Neal Bates

Neal Bates

Neal Bates is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Throughout his career Bates has been associated with Toyota in the Australian Rally Championship and for 19 years his Neal Bates Motorsport outfit ran Toyota's official rally program in Australia...

 who won Saturday and was second to Evans on Sunday.

Mineshaft

One of the biggest attractions of the Rally of Canberra, and the Castrol International before it, is the special stage called 'The Mineshaft'. The name originates from a section of the stage which plunges very sharply downwards towards a water crossing. It is a drop sharp enough that even the most cautious competitor will get airborne over the lip of the drop. Over the years the section has been regraded, softening the plunge but it is still a favourite for spectators, who grade the drivers going over the drop with scorecards, a tradition dating back to the Castrol International which has been attributed to an infamous troupe of Bathurst based rally officials and competitors known as the Killer Mullet Rally Team.

Controversially, the Mineshaft stage was dropped from the 2008 event for safety reasons.

Winners

Winners of previous editions of the Rally of Canberra were:

Year	Driver	Co-Driver	Car
1988	Murray Coote	Iain Stewart	Mazda 323 GTX Mazda Familia Mazda's automotive plans for the early sixties consisted of growing alongside the Japanese economy. To achieve this goal, they began by building an extremely cheap Kei car, the R360 in 1960, planning on introducing gradually larger and pricier cars as the Japanese customers became able to afford them...
1989	Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton is considered Australia's most successful rally driver to date, originating in Perth, Western Australia. He was previously a councillor for the Town of Bassendean, but moved with his family to Cairns in Far North Queensland in late 2007.Ross is married to his wife Lisa has two...		Mitsubishi Galant VR4
1990	Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton is considered Australia's most successful rally driver to date, originating in Perth, Western Australia. He was previously a councillor for the Town of Bassendean, but moved with his family to Cairns in Far North Queensland in late 2007.Ross is married to his wife Lisa has two...		Mitsubishi Galant VR4
1991	Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton is considered Australia's most successful rally driver to date, originating in Perth, Western Australia. He was previously a councillor for the Town of Bassendean, but moved with his family to Cairns in Far North Queensland in late 2007.Ross is married to his wife Lisa has two...		Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
1992	Possum Bourne	Rodger Freeth Rodger Freeth Rodger Freeth, Ph.D., was a New Zealand motor sport competitor.He held a Ph.D. in Physics and had a distinguished academic and motorsport career. His first love was motorcycles and whilst he was still at university he built a radical Yamaha TZ750A with an aerofoil...	Subaru Liberty RS Subaru Legacy The Subaru Legacy is a mid-size car built by the Japanese company Fuji Heavy Industries, and manufactured by its division Subaru since 1989, and is available as a sedan or wagon. Part of the original design goals for the Legacy model was to provide Subaru a vehicle in which they could compete in...
1993	Ed Ordynski Ed Ordynski Ed Ordynski is an Australian former rally driver. He served as Chairman of the Australian Rally Commission in 2007....		Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
1994	Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton Ross Dunkerton is considered Australia's most successful rally driver to date, originating in Perth, Western Australia. He was previously a councillor for the Town of Bassendean, but moved with his family to Cairns in Far North Queensland in late 2007.Ross is married to his wife Lisa has two...		Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
1995	Neal Bates Neal Bates Neal Bates is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Throughout his career Bates has been associated with Toyota in the Australian Rally Championship and for 19 years his Neal Bates Motorsport outfit ran Toyota's official rally program in Australia...	Coral Taylor Coral Taylor Coral Taylor is an Australian female rally co-driver.She began her motorsport career at the age of 18, when she co-drove for her father, Norm Fritter, in the 1979 Repco Round Australia Trial, sparking a passion that lives to this day....	Toyota Celica GT-Four Toyota Celica GT-Four The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback, with a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine, and full-time AWD. It was created to compete in the World Rally Championship, whose regulations dictate that a manufacturer must build road-going versions of the vehicle in sufficient...
1996	Possum Bourne	Craig Vincent	Subaru Impreza WRX Subaru Impreza WRX The Subaru Impreza WRX is a turbocharged version of the Subaru Impreza, an all-wheel drive, four-door passenger vehicle. It is available as a sedan or wagon....
1997	Neal Bates Neal Bates Neal Bates is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Throughout his career Bates has been associated with Toyota in the Australian Rally Championship and for 19 years his Neal Bates Motorsport outfit ran Toyota's official rally program in Australia...	Coral Taylor Coral Taylor Coral Taylor is an Australian female rally co-driver.She began her motorsport career at the age of 18, when she co-drove for her father, Norm Fritter, in the 1979 Repco Round Australia Trial, sparking a passion that lives to this day....	Toyota Celica GT-Four Toyota Celica GT-Four The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback, with a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine, and full-time AWD. It was created to compete in the World Rally Championship, whose regulations dictate that a manufacturer must build road-going versions of the vehicle in sufficient...
1998
1999	Yoshihiro Kataoka	Satoshi Hayashi	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI
2000	Possum Bourne	Mark Stacey	Subaru Impreza WRX Subaru Impreza WRX The Subaru Impreza WRX is a turbocharged version of the Subaru Impreza, an all-wheel drive, four-door passenger vehicle. It is available as a sedan or wagon....
2001	Possum Bourne	Craig Vincent	Subaru Impreza WRC
2002	Ed Ordynski Ed Ordynski Ed Ordynski is an Australian former rally driver. He served as Chairman of the Australian Rally Commission in 2007....	Iain Stewart	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7
2003	Cody Crocker Cody Crocker Cody Crocker is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Crocker has won seven titles in the last seven years and with 24 wins and four consecutive championships is the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.Crocker was discovered in the mid 1990s, winning a...	Greg Foletta	Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...
2004	Dean Herridge Dean Herridge Dean Herridge is an Australian rally driver. He finished eighth on the 2006 Rally Australia, scoring one World Rally Championship point.-Career:...	Bill Hayes Bill Hayes William "Bill" Foster Hayes III, born on June 5, 1925 in Harvey, Illinois) is a long-time American actor and Billboard Hot 100 #1 artist. Following a 20 year-long career as a musician, he achieved fame once again when he began playing Doug Williams on NBC's long-running Days of Our Lives in 1970. ...	Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...
2005	Cody Crocker Cody Crocker Cody Crocker is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Crocker has won seven titles in the last seven years and with 24 wins and four consecutive championships is the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.Crocker was discovered in the mid 1990s, winning a...	Dale Moscatt	Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...
Year	International Driver	International Co-Driver	International Car	National Driver	National Co-Driver	National Car
2006	Cody Crocker Cody Crocker Cody Crocker is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Crocker has won seven titles in the last seven years and with 24 wins and four consecutive championships is the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.Crocker was discovered in the mid 1990s, winning a...	Dale Moscatt	Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...	Neal Bates Neal Bates Neal Bates is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Throughout his career Bates has been associated with Toyota in the Australian Rally Championship and for 19 years his Neal Bates Motorsport outfit ran Toyota's official rally program in Australia...	Coral Taylor Coral Taylor Coral Taylor is an Australian female rally co-driver.She began her motorsport career at the age of 18, when she co-drove for her father, Norm Fritter, in the 1979 Repco Round Australia Trial, sparking a passion that lives to this day....	Toyota Corolla Toyota Corolla The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...  Sportivo
2007	Cody Crocker Cody Crocker Cody Crocker is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Crocker has won seven titles in the last seven years and with 24 wins and four consecutive championships is the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.Crocker was discovered in the mid 1990s, winning a...		Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...	Simon Evans Simon Evans Simon Evans , is an English comedian, born in Luton and currently living in Hove.-Early life:Simon Evans attended Verulam School in St Albans and then studied law at Southampton University, graduating in 1986.-Stand-up comedy:...	Sue Evans Sue Evans Sue Evans is an American jazz percussionist.Evans played piano before switching to drums. She studied under Warren Smith and Sonny Igoe, and graduated in 1969 from the High School of Music and Art. She was Judy Collins's touring drummer from 1969 to 1973, and worked with Gil Evans from 1969 to 1982...	Toyota Corolla Toyota Corolla The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...  Sportivo
2008	Cody Crocker Cody Crocker Cody Crocker is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Crocker has won seven titles in the last seven years and with 24 wins and four consecutive championships is the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.Crocker was discovered in the mid 1990s, winning a...	Ben Atkinson	Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...	Neal Bates Neal Bates Neal Bates is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Throughout his career Bates has been associated with Toyota in the Australian Rally Championship and for 19 years his Neal Bates Motorsport outfit ran Toyota's official rally program in Australia...	Coral Taylor Coral Taylor Coral Taylor is an Australian female rally co-driver.She began her motorsport career at the age of 18, when she co-drove for her father, Norm Fritter, in the 1979 Repco Round Australia Trial, sparking a passion that lives to this day....	Toyota Corolla Toyota Corolla The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million... S2000