| 2018 Rally Australia 27. Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
Round 13 of 13 in the 2018 World Rally Championship
| ||
| Host country |  Australia | |
| Rally base | Coffs Harbour, New South Wales | |
| Dates run | 15 – 18 November 2018 | |
| Start location | Coffs Harbour, New South Wales | |
| Finish location | Coramba, New South Wales | |
| Stages | 24 (316.30 km; 196.54 miles) | |
| Stage surface | Gravel | |
| Transport distance | 698.91 km (434.28 miles) | |
| Overall distance | 1,015.21 km (630.82 miles) | |
| Statistics | ||
| Crews registered | 29 | |
| Crews | 25 at start, 15 at finish | |
| Overall results | ||
| Overall winner |  Jari-Matti Latvala Miikka Anttila Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2:59:52.0 | |
| Power Stage winner |  Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia M-Sport Ford WRT | |
| Support category results | ||
| WRC-2 winner |  Alberto Heller José Diaz M-Sport Ford WRT3:22:20.5 | |
| WRC-3 winner | no classified finishers | |
The 2018 Rally Australia (formally known as the 27. Kennards Hire Rally Australia) was a motor racing event for rally cars that took place between 15 and 18 November. The event was open to entries competing in World Rally Cars and cars complying with Group R regulations. It marked the twenty-seventh running of Rally Australia and was the final round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship and its support series, the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships.[1] The 2018 event was based in Coffs Harbour in New South Wales and consisted of twenty-four special stages. The rally covered a total competitive distance of a 316.30 km (196.54 miles) and an additional 698.91 km (434.28 miles) in transport stages.[2]
Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the defending rally winners.[3] The Finnish crew of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen were the reigning winners of the World Rally Championship-2, but did not enter the rally this year.[4] There were no defending crews in the World Rally Championship-3 category since no crews entered here last year.
Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila won their first rally victory since 2017 Rally Sweden. Their team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, were the manufacturers' winners.[5] The M-Sport Ford WRT crew of Alberto Heller and José Diaz won the World Rally Championship-2 category in a Škoda Fabia R5.[6] In the World Rally Championship-3, there were no classified finishers.
Defending world champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia took fifth place, which was enough for them to secure their sixth consecutive drivers' and co-drivers' titles respectively. Following a win and a 4th-place finish, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT won their first manufacturers' title since 1999.[7] In the WRC-3 championships, Enrico Brazzoli and Luca Beltrame still secured the titles although the Italian crews retired from the event.
- ^ "Rally Aus retains WRC finale in 2018". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ "Kennards Hire Rally Australia". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ "Sunday in Australia: Neuville Secures Fourth Win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ "Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2018 Entry List" (PDF). rallyaustralia.com.au. Rally Australia. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ "Sunday in Australia: Six of the best for Ogier". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "WRC 2 in Australia: Alberto Heller Seals Comfortable Win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ Van Leeuwen, Andrew (18 November 2018). "Rally Australia: Latvala wins as Ogier, Toyota claim WRC titles". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 18 November 2018.