A multi-event national championship has been held in Australia every year since 1968, establishing the ARC as one of the longer-running national rally series in the world. Over the decades the dominant cars shifted from rear-wheel-drive machinery through to the four-wheel-drive turbocharged era that came to define elite rallying globally. Early champions included Colin Bond, Greg Carr, George Fury, and Ross Dunkerton, drivers who shaped the competitive landscape in the series' formative years. Neal Bates, the late Possum Bourne, and Geoff Portman were among the notable names who built careers through the ARC, while the New Zealand-born Bourne became a beloved and high-profile champion before his death in 2003.
In 2015 Molly Taylor became the first woman to win a heat in the Australian Rally Championship, a landmark moment for inclusion in the sport.
The ARC is typically contested over six rounds held across various regions of Australia, combining both endurance and sprint formats. Endurance events span multiple days, with championship points awarded based on the overall rally result; the maximum on offer is 100 points for first place, decreasing to 2 points for twentieth. Sprint events are structured into separate heats held across two days, with points allocated at the conclusion of each heat rather than the overall event, beginning at 50 points for first and descending to 1 point for twentieth.
Each round incorporates a Power Stage, a designated final special stage that offers bonus points to the fastest crews. The current system awards 10 bonus points to the fastest crew, 6 to second, followed by 4, 2, and 1 point to the next three finishers respectively, providing an additional incentive for crews whose outright championship position may otherwise leave them with nothing to fight for on the final stage.
Tie-breaking rules apply in the outright championship based on higher overall event placings, while ARC Cups use the higher outright placing as the decider.
The ARC caters to a range of competitors across multiple categories. The outright competition at the top of the field is dominated by four-wheel-drive, turbocharged machinery with direct links to production cars through Group N regulations. The championship also accommodates Group N (P) and FIA Super 2000 regulations for manufacturers that do not produce standard Group N homologated cars. A Privateers Cup rewards competitors without factory-team backing.
Sub-championships known as ARC Cups run alongside the outright title: the Production Cup, 2WD Cup, Junior Cup, and Classic Cup each provide distinct competitive categories within the broader series structure. The F16 Championship caters to small 1600cc two-wheel-drive cars at a budget-friendly entry point, while the Aussie Cup targets large-engine cars above 2500cc, including popular V6 and V8 passenger car models.
In recent seasons the most competitive machinery in the ARC has comprised four-wheel-drive 2.0-litre turbocharged cars, primarily the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and Toyota Corolla ARC-specification cars running Toyota Celica GT-Four drivetrains. Privateers have historically fielded a broader mix, with earlier successes recorded in the Mitsubishi Mirage, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, Subaru Legacy, Datsun 1600, Datsun 240Z, Nissan Stanza, and Suzuki Swift GTi.
The Australian Rally Championship has provided a consistent developmental platform for drivers across more than five decades of competition. Its mix of remote gravel roads, varying surface conditions, and long competitive seasons has made it a rigorous proving ground. A handful of ARC graduates have gone on to compete in the World Rally Championship, and the series continues to serve as the primary stage for the most competitive rally crews in Australia.
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