RALLY ACTION COMES TO THE HEART OF SYDNEY

A spectacular 1.1 kilometre Super Special Stage on the edge of the CBD is set to bring the excitement of the Australian Rally Championship to the heart of Australia's largest city on March 8-10.

The King St Wharf Harbour City Rally will be staged in Sydney and feature the fastest rally cars and drivers in the country when the competition kicks off at 7.30pm on Friday March 8.

The Super Special Stage will feature as the opening competitive stage on Friday night as well as running Saturday night before an expected crowd of several thousand.

It will be the first time a competitive motorsport event has ever been staged in downtown Sydney and promises to attract thousands of spectators to the King Street Wharf and the Wharf 8 precinct in the heart of Sydney.

It is also the first time a round of the Australian Rally Championship has been based in Sydney bringing the 260 horsepower rally machines to a whole new audience.

According to Chairman of the Harbour City Rally, Glenn Cuthbert, bringing the excitement of top level rallying out of the forests of the far north coast and into the middle of Sydney has been a long-term goal.

"Rallying is an incredibly spectacular sport, which for too long has been hidden far away from the public in dusty forests but the Harbour City Rally, will change all that," he said.

"People will be able to come into the city on Friday evening and enjoy the rally action under lights on the Super Special Stage and then enjoy a meal or drink in the nearby restaurants and bars afterwards," said Cuthbert.

"It really will be a night of great entertainment," he added.

"The invaluable assistance of the NSW Ports Authority, the NSW Government, Police and motorsport authorities have enabled this milestone in rallying to be achieved," said Mr Cuthbert.

More than 1000 volunteers will man time controls, road closures, safety points, and act as spectator marshals over the weekend of the King St Wharf Harbour City Rally.

The rally will take the crews north for competitive stages in the Watagan mountains of the Central Coast on Saturday and Sunday, before the official finish at the King Street Wharf on Sunday afternoon.

Rally organisers estimate the event will bring close to $2 million into the Sydney economy with the many interstate crews, spectators and media requiring, meals, accommodation and fuel over the period of the rally.

More than 80 cars are expected to enter this the opening round of the 2002 Australian Rally Championship Super Series.

It will be the first rally for the all new Australian Rally Car formula with the potential for the prototype 4WD turbo machines to line up against the production based group N factory Mitsubishis and Subarus.

Six times Australian Rally Champ, Kiwi Possum Bourne, will debut an all new Group N - Production version of the Subaru WRX for Subaru Australia alongside team mate Cody Crocker and Mitsubishi's rival Ed Ordysnki.

Safety is the major consideration of rally organisers with rally cars required to obey all normal traffic rules while on the transport or liaison stages between the closed road competition stages at Darling Harbour and in the Watagan forests.

"Spectator safety will be at the highest levels with specially designated areas on the rally stages to ensure fans are kept at a safe distance from the cars while still enjoying the spectacle," said Mr Cuthbert.

Rally cars will be based at Wharf 8 with the major competitive stages held in the forests of the Watagan Mountains 100 minutes north of the city near Wyong on Saturday and Sunday.

Sydney spectators will be able to get close to the drivers, teams and rally cars at Wharf 8 each evening in the rally village within the complex.