Licence to thrill

The legalities of driving a snarling, snorting World Rally car on the road are interesting. WRC cars are initially registered in Europe and are deemed road legal throughout the world by utilising the international licencing system. In Australia, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development controls the registration, which is approved for a certain period of time and carries a strict mandate that the car is only used for driving to and from motorsport events. Drivers are also required to hold a CAMS and/or FIA licence to drive the cars, neither of which I have. Not that the police even asked. We had two discussions with the local authorities during our two-day adventure and in both instances the officers were polite and genuinely curious about the i20. One even agreed to pretend to write me a ticket.