2018 Rally Australia

2018 Rally Australia 27. Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2018
Round 13 of 13 in the 2018 World Rally Championship ←  Previous event
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 WRT 2:59:52.0
Power Stage winner	Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia M-Sport Ford WRT
Support category results
WRC-2 winner	Alberto Heller José Diaz M-Sport Ford WRT 3:22:20.5
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.

Background

Championship standings prior to the event

Defending world champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with a three-point lead over the defending rally winners Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul. ^[8] Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were third, a further twenty points behind. In the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT held a twelve-point lead over Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT.

In the World Rally Championship-2 standings, newly-crowned champions Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler lead the drivers' and co-drivers' standings by thirty-three points. Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson were in second, while the Finnish crew of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen were another twenty-one points behind in third. ^[9] However, all of them did not participate in the event. ^[4] In the teams' championship, Škoda Motorsport II held a seventeen-point lead over sister team Škoda Motorsport.

In the World Rally Championship-3 standings, Enrico Brazzoli and Luca Beltrame held a slender one-point lead over Taisko Lario and Tatu Hämäläinen, while 2018 Junior World Rally champions Emil Bergkvist and Johan Johansson were in third, eleven and seventeen points further behind in the drivers' and co-drivers' standings respectively. In the teams' championship, ACI Team Italia led Castrol Ford Team Turkiye by sixteen points.

Entry list

The following crews were entered into the rally. The entry list consisted of twenty-nine crews, including twelve World Rally Car entries, four entries in the World Rally Championship-2 and two in the World Rally Championship-3.

No.	Entrant	Driver	Co-driver	Car	Group	Eligibility	Tyre
1	M-Sport Ford WRT	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
2	M-Sport Ford WRT	Elfyn Evans	Daniel Barritt	Ford Fiesta WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
3	M-Sport Ford WRT	Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	Ford Fiesta WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
4	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger-Synnevaag	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
5	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Thierry Neuville	Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
6	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hayden Paddon	Sebastian Marshall	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
7	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
8	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
9	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
10	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Mads Østberg	Torstein Eriksen	Citroën C3 WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
11	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën C3 WRC	RC1	WRC manufacturer	M
21	M-Sport Ford WRT	Jourdan Serderidis	Lara Vanneste	Ford Fiesta WRC	RC1	WRC	M
31	Pedro Heller	Pedro Heller	Pablo Olmos	Ford Fiesta R5	RC2	WRC-2	M
32	Motorsport Italia	Armin Kremer	Pirmin Winklhofer	Škoda Fabia R5	RC2	WRC-2	P
33	M-Sport Ford WRT	Alberto Heller	José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	RC2	WRC-2	M
34	Gianluca Linari	Gianluca Linari	Pietro Elia Ometto	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	RC2	WRC-2	P
61	Enrico Brazzoli	Enrico Brazzoli	Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	RC3	WRC-3	P
62	Louise Cook	Louise Cook	Stefan Davis	Citroën DS3 R3	RC3	WRC-3	M
71	Eli Evans	Eli Evans	Ben Searcy	Škoda Fabia R5	RC2	—	MR
72	Harry Bates	Harry Bates	John McCarthy	Toyota Yaris AP4	ASN	—	MR
73	Team MRF Tyres	Gaurav Gill	Glenn MacNeall	Ford Fiesta R5	RC2	—	MR
74	Steve Glenney	Steve Glenney	Andrew Sarandis	Škoda Fabia R5	RC2	—	MR
75	Les Walkden Racing	Molly Taylor	Malcolm Read	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	ASN	—	MR
76	Raana Horan	Raana Horan	Michael Connor	Škoda Fabia R5	RC2	—	P
77	Tony Sullens	Tony Sullens	Kaylie Newell	Citroën DS3 R3	RC3	—	MR
78	Wayne Morton	Wayne Morton	Kirra Penny	Toyota Auris S2000	ASN	—	MR
79	Atsushi Masumura	Naoya Tanaka	Super Alex Troop	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X	RC2	—	H
80	Lewis Bates	Lewis Bates	Anthony McLoughlin	Toyota Corolla S2000	ASN	—	MR
81	Luke Anear	Luke Anear	Jon Mitchell	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	ASN	—	MR
Source: [4]

Report

Leg 1

Coming into Coffs Harbour, Sébastien Ogier was the championship leader. Being first on the road, he had to endured the lack of grip. He ended the day in seventh after title contender Thierry Neuville suffered a rear-left puncture in the second pass of Sherwood, which dropped him down to tenth overall. Another title rival Ott Tänak also had some issue. His Yaris' engine took on water in a river crossing, which tore the front aero from his car and affected its handling. The Estonian eventually finished in fifth overall, 16.9 seconds off the lead.

It was Mads Østberg and Craig Breen made full use of advantages of being late on the road that gave Citroën a 1–2. Jari-Matti Latvala was 1.9 seconds behind Breen in third, followed by Hayden Paddon, another 3.8 seconds behind in fourth. Esapekka Lappi recovered to sixth after of the same watersplash issue as Tänak's. Ford duo Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen completed the day in eighth and ninth respectively after giving positions to their defending world champion Ogier. Andreas Mikkelsen was the only major retirement of the leg. The Norwegian parked his i20 with suspected radiator damage after crashing into a ditch.

Leg 2

Because of the puncture on Friday, Thierry Neuville was the first manufacturer car on the road. The Belgian managed to catch two places despite dry roads meant he was effectively high-speed road-sweepers, cleaning the surface of thick gravel to expose a faster line with more grip for those starting later. He eventually ended the leg in eighth, more than 50 seconds behind the title rival Sébastien Ogier, who kept his position in sixth after a trouble free day. Meanwhile, Ott Tänak set some brilliant pace, which elevated him to the top spot, around 20 seconds cleared of his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala. If the rally ends today, Ogier will win his sixth consecutive drivers' title with 212 points, while Tänak will snatch the runner-up spot from Neuville with an advantage of only one point in the championship standings.

Following two Toyotas, Hayden Paddon was in third, just 4.4 seconds off Latvala. Mads Østberg came into the day as the rally leader, but he was struggled with his Citroën C3’s balance in the afternoon loop. The Norwegian completed the day in fourth, just edged Esapekka Lappi by 3.8 seconds. Teammate Craig Breen fared worse — He spun into a bank and damaged his rear suspension, which dropped him down to tenth overall. Seventh-place Elfyn Evans provided a convenient buffer between Ogier and Neuville, with teammate Teemu Suninen finished the leg in ninth.

Leg 3

It turned out the final leg of the season was a total disaster for two title contenders Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak. Neuville, who led the championship for most of the year, clipped a bank and a tree on SS22 and forced to retire. ^[10] One stage later, Tänak stopped because of the damage to transmission. ^[11] Following two title rivals' retirements, Sébastien Ogier successfully won his sixth drivers' title with a fifth-place finish. ^[12] Toyota's Jari-Matti Latvala won the rally, which helped the team to win their first manufacturers' title for the first time since 1999. Hayden Paddon and Mads Østberg rounded out of the podium, followed by Esapekka Lappi in a third Yaris. Elfyn Evans completed the event in sixth after teammate Ogier, while Craig Breen gained one place from Teemu Suninen, who retired his Fiesta before the final test following an impact in the previous stage. WRC-2 category winner Alberto Heller, local driver Steve Glenney and rally veteran Jourdan Serderidis covered out of the leaderboard.

Classification

Final results

Pos.	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Class	Time	Difference
								to 1st	to prev.
1	7	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	WRC	2:59:52.0	0.0	0.0
2	6	Hayden Paddon	Sebastian Marshall	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	WRC	3:00:24.5	+32.5	+32.5
3	10	Mads Østberg	Torstein Eriksen	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	3:00:44.2	+52.2	+19.7
4	9	Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	WRC	3:00:54.3	+1:02.3	+10.1
5	1	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	3:02:22.8	+2:30.8	+1:28.5
6	2	Elfyn Evans	Daniel Barritt	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	3:02:22.8	+3:05.1	+34.3
7	11	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	3:08:51.0	+8:59.0	+5:53.9
8	33	Alberto Heller	José Diaz	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	3:22:20.5	+22:28.5	+13:29.5
9	74	Steve Glenney	Andrew Sarandis	Steve Glenney	Škoda Fabia R5	—	3:26:53.8	+27:01.8	+4:33.3
10	21	Jourdan Serderidis	Lara Vanneste	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	3:35:06.1	+35:14.1	+8:12.3
11	4	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger-Synnevaag	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	WRC	3:43:13.9	+43:21.9	+8:07.8
12	34	Gianluca Linari	Pietro Elia Ometto	Gianluca Linari	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	WRC-2	3:49:40.4	+49:48.4	+6:26.5
13	71	Eli Evans	Ben Searcy	Eli Evans	Škoda Fabia R5	—	4:05:03.5	+1:05:11.5	+15:23.1
14	80	Lewis Bates	Anthony McLoughlin	Lewis Bates	Toyota Corolla S2000	—	4:13:38.8	+1:13:46.8	+8:35.3
15	73	Gaurav Gill	Glenn MacNeall	Team MRF Tyres	Ford Fiesta R5	—	4:14:20.0	+1:14:28.0	+41.2
Ret	8	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	WRC	Retired SS23
Ret	3	Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	Retired SS23
Ret	5	Thierry Neuville	Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	WRC	Retired SS22
Ret	32	Armin Kremer	Pirmin Winklhofer	Motorsport Italia	Škoda Fabia R5	WRC-2	Retired SS21
Ret	31	Pedro Heller	Pablo Olmos	Pedro Heller	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	Retired SS20
Ret	76	Raana Horan	Michael Connor	Raana Horan	Škoda Fabia R5	—	Retired SS19
Ret	78	Wayne Morton	Kirra Penny	Wayne Morton	Toyota Auris S2000	—	Retired SS19
Ret	79	Naoya Tanaka	Super Alex Troop	Atsushi Masumura	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X	—	Retired SS19
Ret	61	Enrico Brazzoli	Luca Beltrame	Enrico Brazzoli	Citroën DS3 R3	WRC-3	Retired SS14
Ret	72	Harry Bates	John McCarthy	Harry Bates	Toyota Yaris AP4	—	Retired SS14
DNS	62	Louise Cook	Stefan Davis	Louise Cook	Citroën DS3 R3	WRC-3	Did not start
DNS	75	Molly Taylor	Malcolm Read	Les Walkden Racing	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	—	Did not start
DNS	77	Tony Sullens	Kaylie Newell	Tony Sullens	Citroën DS3 R3	—	Did not start
DNS	81	Luke Anear	Jon Mitchell	Luke Anear	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	—	Did not start
Source: [13] [14]

Point scorers

Pos.	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Class	Points
1	7	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	WRC	25 in WRC, 1 from Power Stage
2	6	Hayden Paddon	Sebastian Marshall	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	WRC	18 in WRC, 0 from Power Stage
3	10	Mads Østberg	Torstein Eriksen	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	15 in WRC, 3 from Power Stage
4	9	Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	WRC	12 in WRC, 4 from Power Stage
5	1	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	10 in WRC, 5 from Power Stage
6	2	Elfyn Evans	Daniel Barritt	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	8 in WRC, 2 from Power Stage
7	11	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	6 in WRC, 0 from Power Stage
8	33	Alberto Heller	José Diaz	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	4 in WRC, 25 in WRC-2
9	74	Steve Glenney	Andrew Sarandis	Steve Glenney	Škoda Fabia R5	—	2 in WRC
10	21	Jourdan Serderidis	Lara Vanneste	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	1 in WRC, 0 from Power Stage
12	34	Gianluca Linari	Pietro Elia Ometto	Gianluca Linari	Subaru Impreza WRX STi	WRC-2	18 in WRC-2

Special stages

Overall classification
Day	Stage	Name	Length	Stage winners	Car	Time	Class leaders
15 November	—	Bucca [ Shakedown ]	5.07 km	Sébastien Ogier — Julien Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	2:53.8	—
16 November	SS1	Orara East 1	8.77 km	Esapekka Lappi — Janne Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	4:45.5	Esapekka Lappi — Janne Ferm
	SS2	Coldwater 1	14.12 km	Jari-Matti Latvala — Miikka Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	7:56.3	Jari-Matti Latvala — Miikka Anttila Esapekka Lappi — Janne Ferm
	SS3	Sherwood 1	26.68 km	Mads Østberg — Torstein Eriksen	Citroën C3 WRC	12:49.0	Mads Østberg — Torstein Eriksen
	SS4	Orara East 2	8.77 km	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	4:43.5
	SS5	Coldwater 2	14.12 km	Thierry Neuville — Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	7:51.1
	SS6	Sherwood 2	26.68 km	Craig Breen — Scott Martin	Citroën C3 WRC	12:35.6
	SS7	Destination NSW SSS18 1	1.27 km	Sébastien Ogier — Julien Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	1:23.4
	SS8	Destination NSW SSS18 2	1.27 km	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	1:23.0
17 November	SS9	Argents Hill Reverse 1	13.13 km	Hayden Paddon — Sebastian Marshall	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	7:20.9
	SS10	Welshs Creek Reverse 1	28.83 km	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	15:12.6
	SS11	Urunga 1	20.11 km	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	11:32.3	Jari-Matti Latvala — Miikka Anttila
	SS12	Raleigh 1	1.99 km	Elfyn Evans — Daniel Barritt Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Ford Fiesta WRC Toyota Yaris WRC	1:33.1
	SS13	Argents Hill Reverse 2	13.13 km	Hayden Paddon — Sebastian Marshall	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	7:16.8
	SS14	Welshs Creek Reverse 2	28.83 km	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	15:01.4	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja
	SS15	Urunga 2	20.11 km	Esapekka Lappi — Janne Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	11:32.5
	SS16	Raleigh 2	1.99 km	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	1:32.2
	SS17	Destination NSW SSS18 3	1.27 km	Ott Tänak — Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	1:23.1
	SS18	Destination NSW SSS18 4	1.27 km	Thierry Neuville — Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	1:24.1
18 November	SS19	Coramba 1	15.55 km	Jari-Matti Latvala — Miikka Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	9:38.1
	SS20	Sapphire 1	19.27 km	Hayden Paddon — Sebastian Marshall	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	11:30.2	Jari-Matti Latvala — Miikka Anttila
	SS21	Wedding Bells18 1	7.16 km	Esapekka Lappi — Janne Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	4:14.9
	SS22	Coramba 2	15.55 km	Jari-Matti Latvala — Miikka Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	10:05.1
	SS23	Sapphire 2	19.27 km	Jari-Matti Latvala — Miikka Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	11:48.1
	SS24	Wedding Bells18 2 [Power stage]	7.16 km	Sébastien Ogier — Julien Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	4:16.2
World Rally Championship-2
15 November	—	Bucca [ Shakedown ]	5.07 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	3:08.9	—
16 November	SS1	Orara East 1	8.77 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	5:12.9	Alberto Heller — José Diaz
	SS2	Coldwater 1	14.12 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	8:42.3
	SS3	Sherwood 1	26.68 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	14:27.5
	SS4	Orara East 2	8.77 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	5:07.3
	SS5	Coldwater 2	14.12 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	8:32.3
	SS6	Sherwood 2	26.68 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	14:06.4
	SS7	Destination NSW SSS18 1	1.27 km	Armin Kremer — Pirmin Winklhofer	Škoda Fabia R5	1:29.0
	SS8	Destination NSW SSS18 2	1.27 km	Pedro Heller — Pablo Olmos	Ford Fiesta R5	1:27.3
17 November	SS9	Argents Hill Reverse 1	13.13 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	8:00.9
	SS10	Welshs Creek Reverse 1	28.83 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	16:46.0
	SS11	Urunga 1	20.11 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	12:55.0
	SS12	Raleigh 1	1.99 km	Armin Kremer — Pirmin Winklhofer	Škoda Fabia R5	1:38.0
	SS13	Argents Hill Reverse 2	13.13 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	7:55.1
	SS14	Welshs Creek Reverse 2	28.83 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	16:40.7
	SS15	Urunga 2	20.11 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	12:52.7
	SS16	Raleigh 2	1.99 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	1:38.0
	SS17	Destination NSW SSS18 3	1.27 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	1:28.2
	SS18	Destination NSW SSS18 4	1.27 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	1:27.2
18 November	SS19	Coramba 1	15.55 km	Pedro Heller — Pablo Olmos	Ford Fiesta R5	10:46.5
	SS20	Sapphire 1	19.27 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	13:07.3
	SS21	Wedding Bells18 1	7.16 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	5:14.7
	SS22	Coramba 2	15.55 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	12:32.6
	SS23	Sapphire 2	19.27 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	15:01.2
	SS24	Wedding Bells18 2	7.16 km	Alberto Heller — José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	4:52.3
World Rally Championship-3
15 November	—	Bucca [ Shakedown ]	5.07 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	3:48.6	—
16 November	SS1	Orara East 1	8.77 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	6:40.5	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame
	SS2	Coldwater 1	14.12 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	10:23.4
	SS3	Sherwood 1	26.68 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	18:08.6
	SS4	Orara East 2	8.77 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	6:04.6
	SS5	Coldwater 2	14.12 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	10:12.7
	SS6	Sherwood 2	26.68 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	25:08.6
	SS7	Destination NSW SSS18 1	1.27 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS8	Destination NSW SSS18 2	1.27 km	No stage-winner		—
17 November	SS9	Argents Hill Reverse 1	13.13 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	9:24.8
	SS10	Welshs Creek Reverse 1	28.83 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	19:01.0
	SS11	Urunga 1	20.11 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	15:03.4
	SS12	Raleigh 1	1.99 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	1:49.8
	SS13	Argents Hill Reverse 2	13.13 km	Enrico Brazzoli — Luca Beltrame	Citroën DS3 R3	9:10.3
	SS14	Welshs Creek Reverse 2	28.83 km	No stage-winner		—	No leader
	SS15	Urunga 2	20.11 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS16	Raleigh 2	1.99 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS17	Destination NSW SSS18 3	1.27 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS18	Destination NSW SSS18 4	1.27 km	No stage-winner		—
18 November	SS19	Coramba 1	15.55 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS20	Sapphire 1	19.27 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS21	Wedding Bells18 1	7.16 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS22	Coramba 2	15.55 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS23	Sapphire 2	19.27 km	No stage-winner		—
	SS24	Wedding Bells18 2	7.16 km	No stage-winner		—

Power stage

The Power stage was a 7.16 km stage at the end of the rally. Additional World Championship points were awarded to the five fastest crews.

Pos.	Driver	Co-driver	Car	Time	Diff.	Pts.
1	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	4:16.2	0.0	5
2	Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	4:16.3	+0.1	4
3	Mads Østberg	Torstein Eriksen	Citroën C3 WRC	4:18.9	+2.7	3
4	Elfyn Evans	Daniel Barritt	Ford Fiesta WRC	4:19.2	+3.0	2
5	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	4:20.4	+4.2	1

Penalties

The following crews were given time penalties during the rally.

Stage	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Class	Reason	Penalty
SS5	79	Naoya Tanaka	Super Alex Troop	Atsushi Masumura	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X	—	13 minutes late	2:10
SS8	76	Raana Horan	Michael Connor	Raana Horan	Škoda Fabia R5	—	1 minute late	0:10
SS9	72	Harry Bates	John McCarthy	Harry Bates	Toyota Yaris AP4	—	4 minutes late	0:40
SS9	76	Raana Horan	Michael Connor	Raana Horan	Škoda Fabia R5	—	17 minutes late	2:50
SS9	78	Wayne Morton	Kirra Penny	Wayne Morton	Toyota Auris S2000	—	13 minutes late	2:10
SS10	78	Wayne Morton	Kirra Penny	Wayne Morton	Toyota Auris S2000	—	Jump start	0:10
SS12	11	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	23 minutes late	3:50
SS17	11	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	1 minute late	0:10

Retirements

The following crews retired from the event. Under Rally2 regulations, they were eligible to re-enter the event starting from the next leg. Crews that re-entered were given an additional time penalty.

Stage	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Class	Cause	Re-entry
SS3	4	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger-Synnevaag	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	WRC	Rolled	Yes
SS3	71	Eli Evans	Ben Searcy	Eli Evans	Škoda Fabia R5	—	Mechanical	Yes
SS3	80	Lewis Bates	Anthony McLoughlin	Lewis Bates	Toyota Corolla S2000	—	Mechanical	Yes
SS6	61	Enrico Brazzoli	Luca Beltrame	Enrico Brazzoli	Citroën DS3 R3	WRC-3	Mechanical	Yes
SS8	79	Naoya Tanaka	Super Alex Troop	Atsushi Masumura	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X	—	Mechanical	Yes
SS9	79	Naoya Tanaka	Super Alex Troop	Atsushi Masumura	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X	—	Mechanical	Yes
SS10	31	Pedro Heller	Pablo Olmos	Pedro Heller	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	Mechanical	Yes
SS11	73	Gaurav Gill	Glenn MacNeall	Team MRF Tyres	Ford Fiesta R5	—	Mechanical	Yes
SS14	61	Enrico Brazzoli	Luca Beltrame	Enrico Brazzoli	Citroën DS3 R3	WRC-3	Accident	No
SS14	72	Harry Bates	John McCarthy	Harry Bates	Toyota Yaris AP4	—	Engine	No
SS14	76	Raana Horan	Michael Connor	Raana Horan	Škoda Fabia R5	—	Mechanical	Yes
SS16	32	Armin Kremer	Pirmin Winklhofer	Motorsport Italia	Škoda Fabia R5	WRC-2	Mechanical	Yes
SS19	76	Raana Horan	Michael Connor	Raana Horan	Škoda Fabia R5	—	Mechanical	No
SS19	78	Wayne Morton	Kirra Penny	Wayne Morton	Toyota Auris S2000	—	Accident	No
SS19	79	Naoya Tanaka	Super Alex Troop	Atsushi Masumura	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X	—	Mechanical	No
SS20	31	Pedro Heller	Pablo Olmos	Pedro Heller	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	Mechanical	No
SS21	32	Armin Kremer	Pirmin Winklhofer	Motorsport Italia	Škoda Fabia R5	WRC-2	Mechanical	No
SS22	5	Thierry Neuville	Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	WRC	Lost wheel	No
SS23	3	Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	WRC	Mechanical	No
SS23	8	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	WRC	Accident	No

Championship standings after the rally

• Bold text indicates 2018 World Champions.

Drivers' championships World Rally Championship Pos. Driver Points 1 Sébastien Ogier 219 2 Thierry Neuville 201 3 Ott Tänak 181 1 4 Jari-Matti Latvala 128 1 5 Esapekka Lappi 126 World Rally Championship-2 Pos. Driver Points 1 Jan Kopecký 143 2 Pontus Tidemand 111 3 Kalle Rovanperä 90 4 Gus Greensmith 70 5 Łukasz Pieniążek 56 World Rally Championship-3 Pos. Driver Points 1 Enrico Brazzoli 98 2 Taisko Lario 97 3 Emil Bergkvist 86 4 Denis Rådström 80 5 Jean-Baptiste Franceschi 79

Co-drivers' championships World Rally Championship Pos. Co-driver Points 1 Julien Ingrassia 219 2 Nicolas Gilsoul 201 3 Martin Järveoja 181 1 4 Miikka Anttila 128 1 5 Janne Ferm 126 World Rally Championship-2 Pos. Co-driver Points 1 Pavel Dresler 143 2 Jonas Andersson 111 3 Jonne Halttunen 90 4 Przemysław Mazur 56 5 Craig Parry 55 World Rally Championship-3 Pos. Co-driver Points 1 Luca Beltrame 98 2 Tatu Hämäläinen 97 3 Johan Johansson 80 4 Romain Courbon 79 5 Stefan Davis 59

Manufacturers' and teams' championships World Rally Championship Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 368 2 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 341 3 M-Sport Ford WRT 324 4 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT 237 World Rally Championship-2 Pos. Team Points 1 Škoda Motorsport II 150 2 Škoda Motorsport 133 3 Printsport 81 4 ACI Team Italia WRC 80 5 Hyundai Motorsport 76 World Rally Championship-3 Pos. Team Points 1 ACI Team Italia 83 2 Castrol Ford Team Turkiye 67 3 OT Racing 62 4 ADAC Sachsen 62 5 Équipe de France FFSA Rally 55

References

1. "Rally Aus retains WRC finale in 2018". speedcafe.com . Speedcafe. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
2. "Kennards Hire Rally Australia". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
3. "Sunday in Australia: Neuville Secures Fourth Win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
4. "Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2018 Entry List" (PDF). rallyaustralia.com.au. Rally Australia. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
5. "Sunday in Australia: Six of the best for Ogier". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
6. "WRC 2 in Australia: Alberto Heller Seals Comfortable Win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
7. Van Leeuwen, Andrew (18 November 2018). "Rally Australia: Latvala wins as Ogier, Toyota claim WRC titles". autosport.com . Motorsport Network . Retrieved 18 November 2018.
8. "Breaking News: Dream Win for Loeb". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
9. "WRC 2 in Spanin: Rovanperä Nets Masterful win". wrc.com. WRC. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
10. Evans, David (18 November 2018). "Ogier, Tanak to fight for WRC title as Hyundai's Neuville retires". autosport.com . Motorsport Network . Retrieved 18 November 2018.
11. Evans, David (18 November 2018). "Rally Australia: Tanak retires with one stage left - Ogier wins WRC". autosport.com . Motorsport Network . Retrieved 18 November 2018.
12. "Sunday in Australia: Six of the Best for Ogier". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
13. "Rally Australia Results". wrc.com. World Rally Championship. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
14. "27. Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2018". ewrc-results.com. Retrieved 15 November 2018.

External links

• Official website (in English)
• 2018 Rally Australia in e-wrc website
• The official website of the World Rally Championship

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Previous rally: 2017 Rally Australia	2018 Rally Australia	Next rally: TBD 2019 edition cancelled