Fast & low

Rally Australia chopper flying

Finely tuned race vehicles tear down slippery forest roads at almost 200km/h passing only centimetres from trees and boulders before torturing their brakes towards the next hairpin turn. But if you think they are having all the fun, you should speak to the chopper pilots overhead! Rally Australia awakened the quiet bush roads of Western Australia around Perth for 19 years in award winning style. The WA event took out such titles as Rally of the Year, Best World Rally and Award for Excellence no less than eight times since its inception. Alas, in a questionable state government decision the event has been let go, with the 2006 rally the last to be held in the west before it moves to Queensland next year or 2009. However, the skies above the rally will be thick with helicopters of all shapes and sizes performing a variety of well planned support roles, no matter where it is held. It’s a highlight for the pilots as it produces some of the most varied and enjoyable flying imaginable.

As an official leg of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Australia brings with it all of the infrastructure, planning and logistics necessary for a first class international event.