2022 Coffs Coast Rally set for thrilling finish to Australian championship

Coffs Harbour is hosting the top level of rallying outside the WRC. Meet the drivers and find out more about the hotly anticipated event.

The Subaru Impreza WRX of Max McRae, nephew of rallying royalty Colin McRae, at the 2022 Coffs Coast Rally testing day.

Coffs Harbour has a long relationship with rallying, having hosted the Australian leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) since 2011.

With Rally Australia falling off world rally’s premier calendar, due to the Black Summer bushfires, the region has been yearning for the return of one of the most exciting sporting events of the year.

Tickets to the Coffs Coast Rally have been selling rapidly, with more than 1500 secured.

The event from Friday night until Sunday serves as the final round of the season.

The Australian Rally Championship, FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, and NSW Rally Championship will all be run over 14 stages of pitted loose gravel roads around Coffs Harbour.

A bumper field for the 2022 running is on the cards, with 70 entrants from around the globe, That includes WRC driver Hayden Paddon, motorsport royalty Max McRae and local contender Nathan Quinn.

The Subaru Impreza WRX of Max McRae, nephew of rallying royalty Colin McRae, at the 2022 Coffs Coast Rally testing day.

The event starts with the Rally Show on Friday night from 5.30pm at Coffs International Stadium alongside the opening ceremony.

Racing gets underway on Saturday with eight stages, including two special stages at Raleigh Raceway.

Sunday’s competition continues with six more stages, culminating in an asphalt power stage that will likely decide the championship.

Three teams have been in contention heading into the weekend.

Coffs Harbour itself has produced two local competitors in the event, both with their own unique stories.

NATHAN QUINN

Nathan Quinn poses with his Hyundai i20 ahead of the 2022 Coffs Coast Rally.

Nathan Quinn was born and raised in Coffs and will be competing this weekend to “try and put on a bit of a show for the locals”.

The local mechanic runs the Goodyear service centre on Orlando St with his father Martin, and has been involved in rallying for more than 15 years.

The 36-year-old is looking forward to giving the top teams a challenge, arguing his newly delivered Hyundai i20 still presents a challenge to top teams driving R5-spec cars that cost twice as much.

“If we can challenge the Toyotas and the Skodas that cost $350,000 with a Hyundai that costs half as much, that’ll really show people that you don’t have to spend ridiculous amounts to be competitive at the top end in rallying,” Quinn said.

With the North Coast baked by recent hot temperatures, the dust clouds rising high above the Sherwood test stage were an ominous sign for Quinn, who knows the roads well.

“It’s been so hot that the top of these roads has been starting to break up, and given they’re clay-based soils, you know it’s got to be seriously dry for that to happen,” Quinn said.

“We’ve already seen that start to form some strong ruts, so I’m expecting the weekend to break quite a few cars, at least by Sunday.”

Quinn sits 18th in the drivers’ championship, having only entered the ACT and SA rounds.

SAM HILL & MAKENZIE DAVIDSON-HILL

Sam Hill (left) and Makenzie Davidson-Hill (right) in their Subaru Impreza RS, which they'll compete with at the 2022 Coffs Coast Rally.

Woolgoolga’s Sam Hill is no stranger to enlisting support for his rallying endeavours, but bringing in his daughter is a new one.

Makenzie Davidson-Hill only turned 16 the day before the father-daughter pair were due to compete in their first ever rally. She has spent most of her youth as an accomplished dancer.

Swapping her dance shoes for those more suited to driving, Makenzie’s dad said rallying has been a recent passion for her.

“I really just started looking for a way to include her in my passion, and we’re really excited to have her co-driving,” he said.

“It’s only the second time I’ve been the main driver, and obviously Makenzie’s first.”

The Bishop Druitt College student will be responsible for “just about everything except steering the car”, with rallying considered a team motorsport, more than many other disciplines.

Co-drivers describe the road ahead with pace notes for their driver.

At high speeds, travelling close to long drop offs and hillsides, the Hills will need to work in tandem.

The Subaru Imprezas of Sam Hill and Makenzie Davidson-Hill for the 2022 Coffs Coast Rally.

The weekend’s conditions won’t be easy for the 16-year-old, with temperatures inside the car expected to reach as high as 60C.

“Rallying is a very physically demanding sport – you wouldn’t know it given you’re sitting on your bum, but you’re wrestling the car around and the temperatures inside the car get extremely hot,” the senior Hill said.

“We’ve laid out a plan of action to make sure Makenzie is well-prepared and hydrated throughout the weekend, it’ll be her first time dealing with it”.

The pair will be competing in a Subaru Impreza RS, built and backed by local businesses.

As the president of the Woolgoolga Chamber of Commerce, Sam reached out to a variety of institutions, including the Woolgoolga Brewing Co and Woopi Backpackers, which serve as major sponsors.