The WRC Gallery: Rally Australia
Kennards Hire Rally Australia delivered a season-ending thriller set against the stunning backdrop of northern New South Wales.
We look back on the championship's final round with a selection of our favourite photographs from wrc.com snappers Jaanus Ree and @World’s Andre Lavadinho.
Below these, you'll find our top-five video highlights.
A winning finale
This was the last chance for Andreas Mikkelsen to prove himself in a Volkswagen - and he delivered the performance of his life. Untouchable on stage [below] there were emotional scenes in the VW service area when the Norwegian brought his car home one last time [above].
Dust rocket
Estonia's Ott Tänak was going well in third until a sticking throttle and a spin dropped him out of podium contention. The committed jump below reminds us of his aerobatic display in Poland earlier this year.
Rallying in the shires
Most of the stage mileage in Australia was through open country shire roads. Dry conditions mixed with the loose, powdery surface meant cars - like Hayden Paddon's Hyundai i20 below - left clouds of dust in their wake.
And rallying on the beach
Well, almost. The Destination NSW Super Special Stage ran along the top of Boambee Beach in Coffs Harbour and organisers added a line of sand dunes to give the impression cars were racing along the shoreline. And that's just how it looked.
Latvala's mojo: found again
Jari-Matti's rally went down the tubes just a few kilometres into the opening stage when he slid off line and clattered his Polo R into a bridge. But his stage-winning comeback [below] was one of his finest.
