Australia Will Stage National SUV Rally

SUV owners finally can believe they have joined the mainstream, as Australia announces it will become the first country to conduct a national rally series for the vehicles.

Australian Rally Series CEO Scott Pedder says starting in 2012, the new class will be open to all vehicles specified as SUVs by local industry statisticians, either in 2- or 4-wheel-drive form, and no more than 10 years old.

SUV rally to welcome turbodiesel or normally aspirated gasoline vehicles.

Pedder says the new SUV Australian Rally Series will welcome turbodiesel or normally aspirated gasoline vehicles and will give the fastest-growing sector of the Australian vehicle market access to relevant motor-sport competition that is the perfect showcase.

“SUVs are perfectly suited to the sport of rallying,” he says. “They are built for rugged conditions but are often not full off-roaders – they are marketed as vehicles that cross over from normal road conditions to dirt tracks and, most importantly, there is currently no other form of motor-sport that provides an arena for SUVs to compete in.”

Rules for the new SUV rally championship will keep the cars close to standard, with only minor wheel, tire, brake, suspension and exhaust modifications allowed along with mandatory safety equipment.

“This means the SUV rally championship will be a relatively economical way for manufacturers to become involved in rallying and to showcase their product in the heat of competition,” Pedder says.

The rules also will allow the original electronic control units for the turbodiesel or normally aspirated gasoline engines to be reflashed. The exhaust system must remain standard from the engine to the catalytic converter but after that is free.

The minimum weight for a rally SUV will match the auto maker’s specifications for that exact model plus 51 lbs. (23 kg), which is arrived at by subtracting 44 lbs. (20 kg) for the removal of the air-conditioning system and adding 95 lbs. (43 kg) for installing mandatory safety equipment.

The vehicle’s gearbox must remain standard and only can be in the form available for sale in Australia.

If the SUV is sold only as an automatic, it cannot be fitted with a manual transmission, even if a manual version is available overseas.

The rules do allow for an additional external transmission-cooling device if desired.

The standard differential must be retained. But a mechanical limited slip may be fitted to 2-wheel SUVs, while the driveshafts are free to ensure durability.

“The rules are simple, straightforward, cost-effective and will deliver a fantastic new market-relevant motor-sport arena for privateers and manufacturers alike,” Pedder says.