Press releases
Press archive

Date : 7th November 2005

Barratt heads Down Under for finale

World Rallying's leading lady, Natalie Barratt, heads Down Under this weekend for the final round of the 2005 season, the Telstra Rally Australia.

The OMV World Rally Team driver will tackle the spectacular Perth-based event behind the wheel of her favoured Subaru Impreza with Finland's, Kaj Lindstrom, assisting from the co-driver's seat again.

Sixty-two cars, representing no fewer than eighteen nationalities, are lined up to tackle the demanding special stages.

It is not the first time the Manchester driver has ventured onto the perilous Australian 'red marble gravel'.

"It really is a great rally, but it is certainly one of the trickiest on the calendar too," she explained. "The surface of the road is like red marble which means it's very slippy, whether it's wet or dry and it's often difficult to see the edges of the road.

"The stages are generally very narrow and there is no room for error, but like any rally, you have to be 100% committed.

"There are long road sections between the stages and the service, so even if you sustain minor damage to the car - which is pretty easy to do with the amount of tree stumps on the rally, the likelihood of making it back to service and staying in the rally is dramatically reduced.

"These long road sections mean your chances of making it to service, and remedial help from the team for even the smallest error or mechanical failure could be massively jeopardised."

Rally Australia is also home to the legendary 'Sotico' forestry complex and the awesome 'Bunnings Jumps' where the cars literally 'take off' before a spectacular splash down in a watery ford. "Without question, I think it is one of the most spectacular finishes to the World Rally," adds Barratt.

Press archive