Newcastle Cruising YC gets hosting rights for IRC Nationals 2014

by Craig Heydon on 25 Jan 2013 The Audi IRC Australian Championship 2014 will be held at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club in New South Wales, Yachting Australia announced on Friday.

The 2014 Audi IRC Australian Championship will be held over the Easter long weekend, with racing taking place between April 17 and 21.

The dates coincide with school holidays, allowing families to combine a vacation with sailing activities in the Newcastle region.

Yachting Australia CEO Phil Jones said that 2014 would be the third year that the Audi IRC Australian Championship would be held as a standalone event, rather than a four event series.

'Yachting Australia is looking forward to holding this event in regional New South Wales, outside of the traditional Sydney basin,' said Jones. 'This allows us to create a destination event for the Championship which we believe will appeal to sailors from across Australia.'

'We look forward to working with the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club to deliver an event which is a success both on and off the water and are keen to welcome competitors in the Audi IRC Australian Championship to Newcastle in 2014,' he said.

Competitors at the 2014 Audi IRC Australian Championship will take part in five days of racing, held offshore from Nobby’s Beach, within close proximity of the entrance to Newcastle Harbour and the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club.

Audi Australia’s General Manager of Marketing, Kevin Goult, said that Audi is proud of it’s long association with sailing and the Audi IRC Australian Championship event, which the brand has supported now for six years.

'The Championship represents a key pillar in Audi’s support of sailing in Australia. It’s a national championship event which attracts competition of the highest order, and we’re proud to support that,' Mr Goult said.

'The decision to host the 2014 Audi IRC Australian Championship in Newcastle is important, as it means the Championship will be an event in itself. The decision to work with the Newcastle Yacht Club as host club sends a strong message to the sailing community that both Audi and Yachting Australia are looking for world-class competition on courses that offer excellent sailing conditions,' Mr Goult said.

As in previous years entrants in the Audi IRC Australian Championship will be split across three classes, A, B and C, designed to create a level playing field, with similar sized yachts competing against each other. IRC Australian Championship