Australian rally officials concede the pressure is on for the race to retain its place on the world tour as teams voice concerns about the remote Coffs Harbour leg due to start on Friday.
It will be the sixth time the northern NSW coastal city has hosted Rally Australia and it is locked in to hold the final round of the World Rally Championship again next year.
But its spot on the calendar is not guaranteed beyond 2018, with year-to-year deals now preferred on a 13-leg tour that includes stops in Argentina, Monte Carlo and Finland.
Poland has already been bumped in place of Turkey next year, while New Zealand's bid has gone flat over a lack of funding.
Hyundai team manager Alain Penasse thinks the Australian leg should be looked at, even suggesting a possible shift back to Perth, given Coffs Harbour is "too small and complicated".
"It is not a coveted destination; it's a bit too remote and drivers want a lot of spectators and here they are missing it," the WRC veteran told AAP.
"We've been here now some time, I think it's time to go for another challenge."
Driver Thierry Neuville, sitting second overall ahead of the three-day season finale, was also critical of the destination.
"I like the stages but compared to the other events it's quite quiet, in the middle of nowhere," he told AAP.
"There is much more interest there (in Europe) but it's important for the manufacturers to come here and I'm just doing my job."
Rally Australia chairman Ben Rainsford admitted he was feeling the heat as rivals vied for a spot at Australia's expense.
"It is (a genuine concern)," the chairman said.
"There are a huge number of events falling over themselves to get on the tour, you've got to keep doing it better and better or risk losing your spot and get swallowed up."
He said the concerns about Coffs Harbour were nothing new but he was confident the event would continue after $5 million was tipped into the local economy last year and the NSW government pledged three more years of funding in August.
