July 09, 2008 12:00am
TASMANIA is set to host the first tarmac-based round in the 41-year history of the Australian Rally Championship.
The round will be run out of Burnie from October 4-5, which Tasmanian rally legend and event director Les Walkden believes is a perfect location for the event.
"It is widely acknowledged that Tasmania has the best driving roads in the country, and some of the best in the world," Walkden said.
"We are lucky that so many of them are in the Burnie Shire, and the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge already uses them on an annual basis."
The Burnie round of the ARC will be incorporated into the existing tarmac challenge, giving Australian drivers valuable experience on a surface with growing popularity on the world circuit.
Australian Rally Commission Chairman Col Trinder believes that this is important in the development of Australian drivers.
"Chris Atkinson is doing a great job showcasing Australian talent in the world championship at the moment, but four years ago he had no tarmac experience at all."
The opportunity for Tasmania to join the Australian Rally circuit arose last week when the rally of Melbourne withdrew its event from the calender, because of a sponsorship shortfall.
Although there are only 13 weeks until the Tasmanian round, Walkden is confident the event will be world class.
"It's not a lot of time but it's time enough." he said.
"Tasmanian rally events have run for a long time, and our operators are some of the most experienced in the game.
The Burnie event will cover about 190km over the two days, and incorporate legendary stages such as Hellyer Gorge and Savage River
作者: Mao 时间: 2008-7-10 00:31
这个我喜欢~~ 哈作者: 荷包蛋 时间: 2008-7-10 18:19
茂参加不？