A whopping 70 cars will compete in this month’s Supercheap Auto Coffs Coast Rally.
 
The event incorporates the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Championship (ARC), with 33 entries making up the national and international elements of the entry list. A further 27 cars will compete in the state component, including the Motorsport Australia NSW Rally Championship and East Coast Classic Rally Series, along with the NSW Clubman Rally Series and NSW Hyundai Rally Series.
 
Click here to view the entry lists.
 
First car on the road and one of the APRC favourites is Kiwi Hayden Paddon in his Hyundai backed i20. Also entered in the APRC is Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia’s Harry and Lewis Bates, along with Shamrock Motorsport’s Richie Dalton, AGI Rallysport’s Luke Anear and Realty Lane’s Daniel Gonzalez.
 
Aside from Paddon, all are cross-entered in the ARC with a national Championship battle set to go down to the wire alongside the battle for international supremacy.
 
In the ARC, Lewis Bates currently leads brother and teammate Harry Bates heading into the final round, meaning the title fight will be well and truly on. Both Dalton and young gun Troy Dowel also remain in mathematical contention for the title and will be eager to make sure they are at the top of the standings when the final EROAD Power Stage is run.


Another event favourite is Coffs Coast local Nathan Quinn in his Midstate Freight Hyundai G4. An expert on these local roads, Quinn will be full of confidence heading into his home event and the site of his 2017 ARC triumph.
 
Curiositi Learning Technology’s Taylor Gill is the first of the White Wolf Constructions ARC Production Cup runners on the road in car 8, with other title contenders Ronald Bustard, Max McRae and Jamie Luff are among those in the battle for Cup honours.
 
Alex Rullo will return to the ARC again after his outing at the 2022 Make Smoking History Forest Rally earlier this year, while Glendun’s Cahal Carey returns after missing South Australia’s Adelaide Hills Rally.
 
In the Shamrock Haulage 2WD Cup, Guy Tyler, Dean Ridge and James Dimmock will be eager to push for Cup honours of their own, while Molly Spalding and Aidan Peterson, along with Dimmock, will also be battling hard for the Glendun Junior Cup win.


Director of Motorsport & Commercial Operations Michael Smith said the 70-car entry list highlighted the strong interest in this event.
 
“The roads around the Coffs Harbour region are some of the very best rally roads in the country and have plenty of history, previously hosting a number of landmark events, including Rally Australia,” Smith said.
 
“The Supercheap Auto Coffs Coast Rally will see international rally return to the region through the APRC, as well as one of the closest Australian title fights in recent years between some of the best drivers in the country in the RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship.
 
“Already we’ve seen a really strong level of spectator interest, with the free tickets flying out the door, so we expect a big attendance across the weekend, beginning with the free Rally Show at the C.ex International Stadium on Friday evening.”
 
For spectator information and to register for free tickets, head to www.rally.com.au/coffscoast.

The event officially kicks off on the Friday night with the Rally Show to take place C.Ex Coffs International Stadium at 6pm AEDT.
 
The Supercheap Coffs Coast Rally takes place on 25-27 November in the forests around Coffs Harbour.