The first round of the 2024 KickAss Motorsport Australia Rally Championship season takes place this weekend, with a solid field heading to the APX Suspension Manumbar Rally.
 
Spread across the Nanango, Elgin Vale and Gallangowan State Forest areas, 30 crews will be looking to start their seasons on a high, with the opening round to run over eight picturesque stages.
 
A star-studded line-up will contest the opening round of the season, with reigning champions Ian Menzies and Robert McGowan, national young guns Ryan Williams and Brad Jones, the returning Glenn Brinkman, who has Jacci Hughes alongside him this year, and Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) regulars Simon and Elysia Jansen amongst the event’s top contenders.
 
View the full entry list.
 
In addition to the outright state championship, a decent entry list is also locked in to tackle the Acworth Recruitment Clubman Series and WSC Novice Series.
 
Clerk of the Course, Iain Robertson was confident the event would prove a major success.
 
“The weather looks to be favourable, the roads are in great condition, and we now have everything we need for this to be a great start to the QRC season,” Robertson said.
 
“Competitors will enjoy a mix of old favourites and rarely used roads, many of which have had recent work undertaken thanks to our long-time supporters, HQPlantations.
 
“Finally, I would like to thank the Nanango SES for stepping in to assist us in the running of one of our spectator points, allowing us to have a spectator friendly location close to the township of Nanango.


“I would like to give particular thanks to Shaun and the APX Suspension team for their considerable support of and leading up to the event, as well as to every single official, competitor, and supporter who has worked cooperatively with myself and the Brisbane Sporting Car Club to get us to what will be a brilliant event. 
 
“While it has been a challenging ride to get to this point, I and my team of over 140 volunteers look forward to welcoming 30 crews to an event with a slightly different format to recent events.”
 
With multiple stages open to fans to enjoy plenty of action throughout the day, there are two spectator points available, with the first point being on the Paradise stage, which will run three times, and the Kadanga stage, which will be run twice.
 
Fans will not only be able to see the cars on stage, but they will also be able to get up close and personal at the Nanango Showgrounds when crews are getting their cars serviced. There will also be a remote service at the Manumbar Campdraft Grounds.
 
View the Spectator Guide.
 
The APX Suspension Manumbar Rally kicks off the 2024 KickAss Motorsport Australia Rally Championship in Nanango, Elgin Vale and the Gallangowan State Forest on 16 March.