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World Rally Cars are coming to Oz, see http://rallyaustralia.com/

Ive been to the GP's and Superbikes at the Island alot and (and eastern creek for a few years before they went down south), but have never been to a car race- let alone one in a straight line!

How do I watch a rally?

Do i need to buy tickets for normal stages, i've read all the maps etc but how do you choose where to go and how easy is it to drive to a new spot for the next stage?

any ideas would be helpful,

thanks
Robert

My brother is a race marshall for the upcoming WRC race. He has snuck me in to a rally before but to be honest, it wasn't all that much fun. I was covered in dust and rocks for most of the time, in blazing heat, but it was an experience.

ozimax wrote: it wasn't all that much fun. I was covered in dust and rocks for most of the time, in blazing heat

So, which part wasn't all that much fun?

I used to be quite heavily involved in rallies: I've competed as a navigator, sat on a control, been a part of a service crew (including on a London to Sydney Marathon) and have even directed a couple of events.

Standing out in a forest, in the dead of a winter's night, in the rain and mud ... what's not to like?

I should get back to some real motorsport

I wish I was, but too close to a big overseas photo tour.
Have been to Rally Australia in Perth 3 times and Rally NZ once. Always great places for great action photographs, and always good possibilities to get good crew shots in the service parks.

gstark wrote:So, which part wasn't all that much fun?

Rally drivers/nav's are, in a word, NUTS. Talk about a dangerous sport. OK, maybe not as dangerous as competing with a bunch of women at a Boxing Day sale, but close.

My brother kept asking me to come for a drive in his rally Hyundai. No way, Jose. I'll stick to sedentary pursuits like mountain climbing, snake handling and flambe.

ozimax wrote:rally Hyundai.

That is the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Start with a car with no handling, no roadholding, and a tendency to fall off the road as soon as it's pointed anywhere near a corner, and use it for rallying? That's a deathwish looking for somewhere to happen.

Ahhhh ... I long for the days of the Datsun 1600. The best Asian car ever made.

gstark wrote:

ozimax wrote:rally Hyundai.

That is the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Start with a car with no handling, no roadholding, and a tendency to fall off the road as soon as it's pointed anywhere near a corner, and use it for rallying? That's a deathwish looking for somewhere to happen.

Ahhhh ... I long for the days of the Datsun 1600. The best Asian car ever made.

It was cheap. It got sold. Actually there's quite a lot of Hyundai's racing in the lower echelons of the sport. Well, maybe not racing, but moving somewhat.

At least it's not a Daewoo.

As for the Dato 1600, my grandpa had one, pristine condition, and traded it for a TC Cortina.

ozimax wrote:At least it's not a Daewoo.

Which is now Holden. Several Holden models are actually Daewoo (absence of) designs, and they're trying to sell them against Honyotas. One short drive reveals the sad tale , however.

As for the Dato 1600, my grandpa had one, pristine condition, and traded it for a TC Cortina.

You do realise exactly what you've just admitted to about your family? Hyundai, TC Cortina ... Rabbitohs ......

Don't tell anybody but I too had a TC Cortina. Traded it up to a Mini Moke. No, I don't follow the Sharks.

gstark wrote:You do realise exactly what you've just admitted to about your family? Hyundai, TC Cortina ... Rabbitohs ......

The truth is now out. My great great grandfather was a convict, arriving in Port Jackson around 1808. He drove a one horsepower horse...

I also had several Cortinas (which car incidentally won the first ever Bathurst 500), one of which was a TD model with a modified Capri V6 gearbox. Now that was a car, when it actually ran...

ozimax wrote: He drove a one horsepower horse...

And sold rabbits around Redfern!

To aspiring rally drivers, of course.

WRC was great, the car I am involved with came 15th overall, and 2nd Australian home, a great result

Spectator points were dissapointing, I dindt bother with Media creds this year, even though I should have, photo ops were very poor... Distances travelled were bloody huge as well! We had a brand new hire car, and gave it back with about 2500kms on the clock for 5 days!

The speed on tweed night super special stages were poorly setup for any photography, fences fences and more fences, then waist high barriers.. made it practically impossible to shoot anything.

Over all not a bad event, but I wouldnt bother running it in that area again thanks to the morionic protestors complaining about anything and everything. So many cars were damaged by them throwing rocks it wasnt funny.
My opinion: move it to an area that has public and residents that wish the millions of dollars to be spent there.
And tell the greenies to get f^^%$ed.

I just turned up expecting it to be like the european races where you could go wherever you wanted- was I in for a big surprise!! It was so inconsistent at each road closure- some guys said noone allowed past, others said Ok to next check point etc... I did end up getting to see a fair bit but not exactly a lot of the cars, as they are past before you know it.

Let me also say that they were sooooo much faster than i thought a car could go- and i watch it all the time on TV. WOW the way they can brake into a corner from well over 100kmh is amazing & and then just pull so hard out of the corners- absolutely mind boggling!!!

Sebastien Loeb




Results of a small excursion for Henning Solberg


Danny Sordo


Tough times photographically- they are so fast and unlike a track where you get a few goes as they go around you only get one shot before you move on to another site and get things right there.


Comments very welcome- I am new to doing very fast cars obscured by grass and branches!!


Robert

These all seem pretty good to me Robert. Especially considdering the speed and dust.
I like the varying anlges that you have had to cope with as well.