Subaru Australia will sponsor the Rally of Canberra for the next three years, it was announced today.

The sponsorship starts with the 2001 Subaru Rally of Canberra from 4-6 May.

Subaru Australia General Manager, Mr Nick Senior, said: "As the most successful team in Australian rallying it's a logical step for us to support the local leg of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

"We've always enjoyed great support for Team Subaru at the Canberra event. It's one of the best organized of the local rallies and it offers some of the best and most exciting spectator points. We're keen to build on that enthusiasm."

Mr Senior said the ACT represented Subaru Australia's second largest market, with a 4.3 per cent share, compared with a national average of 3.5 per cent.

The 2001 rally will coincide with Subaru Australia's second annual Impreza WRX Festival. The inaugural event attracted hundreds of Subaru WRX drivers to Canberra over rally weekend in 2000.

The festival is believed to have been the largest-ever gathering of Impreza WRXs - commemorated with a historic photo-shoot in front of Old Parliament House.

Mr Senior said: "Our sponsorship of the rally will allow us to expand the festival activities even further, which is good news for Impreza WRX fans."

The 2000 Impreza WRX Festival included driver training activities, opportunities to meet the Team Subaru drivers, guided tours to spectator points and exclusive barbecue and viewing areas at Canberra's Exhibition Park Super Special stages.

Team Subaru enjoyed an outstanding season in the 2000 Australian Rally Championship, achieving the trifecta of the Manufacturers, Drivers and Group N Drivers titles.

Possum Bourne gained a record fifth consecutive Australian Rally Championship, in the Impreza WRC, while Cody Crocker won his third consecutive Group N title in the Impreza WRX.

Bourne is the only driver in the Championship's 32-year history to win five consecutive titles.

Subaru has now achieved a remarkable nine titles in the Australian Rally Championship since 1968:

1985, Barry Lowe, with co-driver Kevin Pedder, Subaru Leone 4WD
1986, Barry Lowe, with co-driver Kate Officer, Subaru Leone 4WD
1991, Rob Herridge, with co-driver Steve Vanderbyl, Subaru Legacy
1992, Rob Herridge, with co-driver Mark Nelson, Subaru Liberty
1996, Possum Bourne, with co-driver Craig Vincent, Subaru Impreza 555
1997, Possum Bourne, with co-driver Craig Vincent, Subaru Impreza 555
1998, Possum Bourne, with co-driver Craig Vincent, Subaru Impreza 555
1999, Possum Bourne, with co-driver Craig Vincent, Subaru Impreza WRC
2000, Possum Bourne, with co-driver Mark Stacey, Subaru Impreza WRC

Apart from his amazing Australian Rally Championship success, Bourne distinguished himself in the 2000 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, where he took out the Drivers and Manufacturers titles, winning in Canberra, China and Malaysia.

Bourne previously won the Asia-Pacific Championship in 1993 and 1994. Crocker was quickest of the Group N cars in the national capital's rally.