The event will be held across November 16-19

Shannons Insurance as naming-rights holder to the Shannons Adelaide Rally and NAPA Auto Parts as the new Competition category sponsor for 2023 say they have come together to reignite tarmac rally in the wake of a tumultuous 24 months in the sport.
Thanks to the support of naming-rights holder Shannons Insurance and category sponsor NAPA Auto Parts, the outright competition entry fee of $6600 has now been slashed to $1800 for the first 25 entrants.
This mega-dollar deal was brokered between the sponsoring parties and organisers of the Shannons Adelaide Rally event as an initiative to reignite the sport of tarmac rally which has been on hold whilst Motorsport Australia has undertaken an extensive review of the discipline. 
While the sport has awaited new rule changes that have very recently been handed down by Motorsport Australia, the Shannons Adelaide Rally has been the only tarmac rally event to consistently operate and weather the tumultuous times. 
“We are so incredibly grateful to Shannons Insurance and NAPA Auto Parts for working with us on this offering to revive the outright Competition category that has taken a hit of late,” Shannons Adelaide Rally Event Director, Tim Possingham, said.
“There are a number of extra safety systems that these cars need now, and entry-fee relief of this magnitude will be well received by the competitor base.
“At the same time, we have managed to work with Motorsport Australia to adopt a more streamlined approach to licencing and training for our event and this has provided further relief to the competitor base to what was originally proposed, whilst still increasing levels of safety in the sport.” 
“We have a long history in this space, and we have a long term future planned for this space as well,” Shannons Insurance Representative, Jeff Hughes, said.
“We are genuinely passionate about motorsport and pride of ownership and are doing all we can to support these types of events and get the sport back on the road again.
“This is a great initiative that we are proud of, and we hope that the competitor base recognises the opportunity and joins us in Adelaide with a big field that demonstrates that we are pushing ahead.”
“NAPA Auto Parts is a big supporter of grassroots motorsport, and our commitment to the NAPA Motorsport Academy has seen us help drivers of all types of cars produce their best results – from circuit racing to rallying,” NAPA Auto Parts Head of Sponsorship, Mitch Wiley, said.
“The Shannons Adelaide Rally is no different, and we are looking forward to supporting the event and helping grassroots racers achieve their best result on stage.”
The Shannons Adelaide Rally has an expanded offering of categories approved by Motorsport Australia for the November 17-19 event and plans to match its record field of 440 cars posted at the 2021 event over the next couple of years whilst the sport rebuilds.
In recent times the event has posted the largest field size of any tarmac rally event in the country and continued to go from strength to strength whilst navigating a new event framework.
“The recent Motorsport Australia Tarmac Rally Review Recommendations, in respect to vehicle eligibility, go further than what was in the original set of recommendations that we supported,” Tim said.
“However, there’s relief on things like licencing fees and we have managed to deliver a massive benefit in entry fee relief.
“The greatest impost is probably to turbocharged four-wheel drive cars that now have to run a restrictor and there are a handful of exotic cars that are now ineligible to run. Some of those ineligible cars were star-cars at the event and it’s a shame to see those go.
“In respect to the course and safety systems changes that were part of the Motorsport Australia recommendations, we were already complying with these for many years, and they don’t present a challenge for us.” 

For more information, visit www.adelaiderally.com.au