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On Monday 23 October Chris Atkinson and Glenn Macneall joined in the drills with Surf Life Saving WA on Scarborough Beach, Perth alongside the Spanish quartet of Dani Sordo, Marc Marti, Carlos del Barrio and Xavier Pons.

The drivers and co-drivers swapped helmets for beach gear as they ran along the sand performing the arduous exercises that life savers use in training for their rescue roles.

It was Atkinson versus Sordo in the final flag race, an activity that saw the two young drivers diving to claim the victory flag from Scarborough's golden sand. Sordo came off the best, showing that he was a natural on the beach, despite this being his first visit to Rally Australia.

Hoping for dominance on his home rally, Atkinson , flexed his muscles and took on his WRC rivals in a paddleboard competition. He showed he was a natural athlete in this exercise but knows that it will be more than just driver strength that will bring success for him on the event. "This time we have to be a realistic - we still have some work to do to get the whole package working together again," said Atkinson.

After drying off from the beach activities, Chris and Glenn will take to the Gloucester Park super special in Perth on Thursday October 26, before heading out to the country stages on Friday through to Sunday. The Gloucester Park super special will run on Friday and for the the final time ever on Saturday.