Four more iconic Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) events have cemented their place on the calendar into the future, with Forest Rally, Rally Queensland, Adelaide Hills Rally and Gippsland Rally extending their agreements with Motorsport Australia.

Forrest Rally will continue to write further chapters in its history, the long-standing Western Australian fixture to be extended for a further three years.

An event steeped in history, the ARC has held a round in the west every year since 1974 – with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 – making it the longest-serving event in the Championship’s calendar.

Taking place in and around the forests of Nannup and Busselton, Forest Rally has had several homes over its 50 years on the calendar – previously hosted in Mundaring, Collie, Grimwade and Perth.

Long-time Clerk of Course and Event Organiser Ross Tapper OAM was pleased to see the Forest Rally locked away for another three years, continuing the event’s long and storied history.

“We’re proud to host the longest running event on the ARC calendar, adding another three years to Forest Rally’s 50-year history,” Tapper said.

“Every year we challenge ourselves to deliver the best event for competitors and spectators alike, so we’re very pleased to be continuing this fantastic event at its home in Busselton, Nannup and surrounds.

“A Western Australian event has been a hallmark of the ARC calendar for many years and the Forest Rally is a much-loved and spectated event for locals.”

Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland will also remain a feature of the ARC calendar going forward, with event organisers and long-time promoters, the Brisbane Sporting Car Club, extending for a further two years.

Much like Forest Rally, Rally Queensland has a long history on ARC calendars – a Queensland event was first introduced in 1968 and more recently reintroduced to the calendar with an enthusiastic welcome from the town of Gympie.

Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland Clerk of Course Brian Everitt was thrilled to confirm the two-year extension following the success of the 2024 iteration of the event.

“We’ve seen strong entry numbers and incredible local support for our event in recent years and are very pleased to announce its continuation,” Everitt said.

“We’re incredibly lucky to call Gympie home and believe we have some of the best rally stages on the calendar to continually attract and challenge competitors.

“This year we were able to host more than 60 crews across the weekend and create a terrific course of 14 stages – we can’t wait to grow the event and provide an even better product for our spectators.” 

Also committing for a further two years, Adelaide Hills Rally organisers have confirmed the event will run through to 2026.

Event Organiser Andrew Admiraal was pleased to see rallying continue in and around the council and shire roads of the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula regions going forward.

“We are very pleased to keep the ARC in our region for another two years and bring rallying to spectators across the Adelaide Hills,” said Admiraal.

“It has been great to see the ARC grow the way it had in the last couple of years and continue to gain interest from competitors and spectators.

“We’re gearing up for next weekend’s 2024 Adelaide Hills Rally and can’t wait to continue to deliver this wonderful event in future.”

Rounding out the positive news, Victoria’s The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally will again feature on the 2025 ARC calendar following the confirmation of a one-year extension.

The most recent event to take place in 2024, competitors battled it out across 16 stages in Heyfield and Gippsland’s surrounding regions, with a season-high 63 crews competing across the weekend.

Fresh off a successful 2024 event, Clerk of Course and Event Organiser Andrew Roseman was pleased to confirm Gippsland as the home of the Victorian edition of the ARC in 2025.

“The 2025 event will mark the fourth year that the Gippsland Rally has formed part of the national championship, something we’re incredibly proud to deliver in the region,” Roseman said.

“Last month’s rally was a fantastic event and we received wonderful feedback from competitors and spectators over the weekend, so we’re excited to be going around for another year.

“We think 2025 is going to be bigger and better than ever before and look forward delivering another exceptional event.”

The 2025 Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship calendar will be confirmed soon, with exciting plans in place to see the continued growth of the Championship into next year and beyond.

The fifth round of the 2024 Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship, Adelaide Hills Rally, takes place in and around the Adelaide Hills on 13-15 September.