Current Rookie and Junior New Zealand Rally Champion, Matt Jansen, was very pleased to steer his MITECH WELDERS Subaru over the Finish Ramp when the International Rally of Whangarei wrapped up in atrocious weather conditions last Sunday afternoon – July 4th.
Matt, and Co-driver Jason Farmer had to call on all their powers of concentration to safely negotiate some of the toughest conditions a New Zealand rally has been run in for many years.
Driving rain, that created pooling of water at key parts of corners, let alone the changes in road surfaces due to the ‘weather bomb’, caught out many far more experienced crews, but the 22 year old from Christchurch put in a very mature drive to be the youngest finisher – and in 9th place overall from the 67 starters.
“The conditions on Sunday afternoon were nothing short of ‘Horrendous’,” said Matt. “We had the wipers on full and still couldn’t see a thing.
“It was a big shock after such a fine day on Saturday, so we changed our approach on Sunday, knowing that survival was the top priority because it was incredibly slippery.”
That proved to be exactly the right approach as Matt and Jason moved the MITECH Subaru 5 places up the leaderboard on Day 2 from their overnight 14th.
“We are just so pleased to have made it through unscathed and without any major incidents – that in itself was quite an achievement.
“Being back on our more familiar DUNLOPS [tyres] helped us regain our confidence with the handling after [WRC] Rally NZ, and the efforts Dwight put in to get the most out of our Pump Fueled SCOTTSPEED PERFORMANCE ENGINES powerplant proved to be very worthwhile.”
“So now it’s time to get ready for one of our favourite rallies – Nelson – next month, where we have had some of our best results.
“With ‘only’ routine maintenance to do, and our confidence ‘on the rise’, we are really looking forward to continuing our great battles with the likes of fellow Subaru pilots Ben Jagger and Kieran Hall on some of the best forestry roads the South Island has to offer,” concluded Matt.
This year’s NZRC campaign would not be possible without the dedicated support of Mitech Welders, PMT Motorsport , Armstrong Subaru , Blue Bridge & Strait Shipping, Proflex Suspension, HGM Construction, Dunlop Tyres , Pagid Brake Pads, and ScottSpeed Performance Engines.
Photo Caption: Christchurch’s Matt Jansen working hard in the atrocious weather conditions on Day 2 of the International Rally of Whangarei.
Photo Credit: EUAN CAMERON
– Credit: www.chrissport.co.nz