Preparations for this year’s Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland are well underway with the Brisbane Sporting Car Club putting in the extra hard yards to make sure the rally is ready to roll.
Just over two months remain until the Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) arrives in Gympie for the event and already, it is looking in good shape according to Clerk of Course Brian Everitt.
A provisional itinerary and competitive distance has been locked in, the stages have been upgraded and the roads have received plenty of work.
For Everitt, there was a growing excitement among event organisers to welcome back the ARC and make it one of the biggest and best Queensland rallies in recent times.
“We have had a bit more time to get prepared this year and things are progressing quite well right now,” Everitt said.
“There is plenty going on for the club and everything is on track. We have beautiful weather and these perfect conditions are expected to stay like this for quite a while.
“The roads are also in excellent shape. They have been upgraded and refurbished since last year’s longstanding rain, so we are pretty happy with how the road conditions are.
“As for the event itself, there is no doubt it’s going to be a challenging itinerary for crews with around 130 kilometres expected on Saturday and a further 86 on Sunday.
“We have also included a new stage that was used back in the International Rally of Queensland days, so that will be something crews can look forward to.
“We are also looking at doing some work to the EROAD Power Stage, which will be run on the same roads as previously run but we’re looking at extending it.
“Overall, the distance is looking good and the roads look great so we’re excited about July.”
In addition to the positive work the club has been doing to get the event ready, the local community has also doubled-down in its support of the rally.
“The Gympie Regional Council is being very supportive again this year and continues to assist wherever possible,” Everitt added.
“We are also receiving support from Accent Benchtops as a naming rights partner, so we thank both them and the Council for backing us once again – it goes a long way in putting this event on and gives us a lot of confidence.
“We just can’t wait to put on a great event for the ARC, the Motorsport Australia Queensland Rally Championship and the Gympie community as a whole.”
More details about July’s Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland will be released in the coming weeks.
Photo: CH Images
