The Great Lakes has lost the Great Lakes Rally, one of the regions biggest events.
Australian Rally Championship organisers knew weeks ago the Great Lakes leg had been scrapped, but only told local officials last Tuesday.
The ARC website still lists the race for September 20 to 21 2008, although an article about the rally’s move to Coffs Harbour has also been posted.
Four ARC media staffers in four separate conversations failed to mention the rally’s axing to the Advocate earlier this month.
“Rally organisers are still in talks about scheduling issues,” was ARC media coordinator Alison Macqueen’s reply when asked on May 6 whether preparations for the rally were on target.
A Hunter consortium who brought the 2007 rally to Forster were outbid by a rival Coffs Harbour group for the 2008 event. Negotiations were settled weeks ago, but Great Lakes Council was kept in the dark. Tourism manager Richard Old found out via the website that one of the region’s biggest events had been canned.
“It’s sort of frustrating first hearing about it through the internet,” Mr Old said.
“If they knew about it for some time it would have been nice to at least get a phone call that it wasn’t happening.”
An ARC press release announced the Coffs Harbour Rally would resume on November 15 and 16 after an eight year hiatus.
“The Australian Rally Commission (ARCom) has been working for some weeks with members of the NSW rally community to identify a time and location for the NSW round of the ARC following advice the event would not proceed at its original Forster location,” ARCom Chairman Colin Trinder said in a press release.
“The Coffs Harbour and District Car Club has stepped up to the plate and agreed to tackle a round of the Australian Rally Championship in the forests around the north coast town.”
The Great Lakes Rally’s demise is the latest in a string of public relations disasters. Rally fans last year faced confusion over ticket outlets, vantage points and even the race route.
“Every driver and competing team was full of praise for the Great Lakes location, but there were major issues with the organisers,” Mr Old said.
“It’s a shame that it’s going after just a year. It’s hard to know the impact it’ll have on local tourism because it hadn’t been going long, but it definitely brought people to town and gave us exposure.”
He insisted there are already plans to fill the tourism void.
“We’ve got a few other events on the horizon for the next couple of years, so as one door closes a few more open. I can’t be more specific at this stage because we still need to finalise a few things.”
Former Great Lakes Rally promoter Mike Bell will coordinate the Coffs Harbour event in November. He also issued a statement.
“We realise this will be a disappointment to many and it is with regret we are unable to bring the rally to the region this year. I would like to take this time to thank the Forster and wider Great Lakes communities for all of the support shown to event organisers in 2007.”
The thanks will be some comfort to the Great Lakes as it joins Bathurst on the scrapheap of NSW towns discarded by the ARC in the last two years.
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