A solid Subaru Canberra Rally of Canberra field is starting to build ahead of entries closing this week, with 26 crews already entered in the Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) season finale.
Taking place in and around the forests of Canberra, the final endurance event of the season will see crews tackle 181 competitive kilometres over 12 special stages.
Headlining the entry list so far are the two major players in the 2023 outright ARC title, with Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin holding a slight advantage over Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia teammates Harry Bates and Coral Taylor. The battle could go down to the final EROAD Power Stage, with bonus points likely to decide the winner should the pair finish first and second outright.
Joining them will be a large portion of ARC regulars, including Activ Rallysport’s Troy Dowel and Bernie Webb, AGI Rallysport’s Luke Anear and Malcolm Read, and Luff Motorsport’s Jamie and Bradley Luff.
Molly Taylor will return in the Subaru WRX after a strong performance at the PowerPlay Adelaide Hills Rally, and will go head-to-head with Steven Maguire in the White Wolf Constructions ARC Production Cup round battle.
There are also a number of drivers who will be making their first appearances for the year, with Chris Higgs, Peter Dimmock and Timothy Wilkins appearing in the ARC for the first time since last year’s ARC round in Canberra.
With the event also hosting the final round of the Motorsport Australia NSW Rally Championship, Clerk of Course Adrian Dudok was looking forward to a late influx of crews.
“It’s all very exciting to have the cream of Australian rallying in Canberra for the season finale, and I have no doubt they will put on a show,” Dudok said.
“We are really happy with the quality of talent for the ARC component of the entry list so far, and I am sure there are still a few more names to come.
“We would love to get to about 50 crews for the rally and I think there are quite a few NSW crews who were going to see how the most recent round at Bega went.
“I am hopeful that we should double the entry list over the next few days with these state crews – as a former rally competitor myself, I know that people often like to leave things to the last minute.
“For those who decide they don’t want to compete, there is always room for officials, and we would love them to get involved in some capacity.”
The Subaru Canberra Rally of Canberra takes place in the forests of Canberra on 17-19 November.
