This weekend’s International Rally of Whangarei is a two-pronged battle for Kiwi teams as they chase championship points while competing against the largest-ever international field for this event for outright honours.
The 15 to 17 July event is the fourth of five rounds in the 2011 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC), in association with Neil Allport Motorsports. Also the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), the rally covers 301.9 competitive kilometres on roads through the Kaipara and Whangarei districts.
For the 24 teams competing in the domestic series it offers the opportunity to match their talents against several world-class rivals. The Whangarei event has been won by Kiwis for the past four years – Geraldine’s Hayden Paddon three times and Christchurch’s Chris West once. Can a Kiwi team take outright victory again in 2011 against the in-form Proton team-mates former World Rally Championship drivers Chris Atkinson from Australia and Scot Alister McRae, or and current APRC champion Katsuhiko Taguchi from Japan?
Seven New Zealand teams can potentially earn points for APRC teams or, as wildcard entrants, for themselves in the prestigious APRC.
Paddon is the man to beat – for both outright honours and maximum NZRC points. Paddon took a clean-sweep in the first two NZRC rounds earlier this year, but missed round three in Wairarapa, being away successfully winning his second Production World Rally Championship event overseas. The popular driver has a 46 point deficit to current NZRC series leader Richard Mason and says the goal this weekend is to win – not just to score points, but to seek continual improvements in his own performance as well.
“We need to drive flat-out to be in the zone for driving flat-out when we get to Finland, our next PWRC round]. Of course, we are always going as fast as we can but it’s lifting the pace to the next level. It’s not a strategy to just finish and get the best points we can; it’s taking all the points by being fastest,” says Paddon, who will be driving the CR Properties Placemakers Subaru STI.
Current NZRC leader Richard Mason says his approach is more tactical. A dramatic come-from-behind win at his home round in the Wairarapa puts Mason and co-driving wife Sara at the head of the Goldstar drivers’ championship standings. Mason is determined to maintain this position despite the challenges of piloting a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X for China’s SouEast Motor Kuhmo Team – and driving for APRC points for the team – rather than his usual BNT Subaru STI.
“The priority for us is to come away from the weekend in Whangarei still leading the championship. We’re in a good position at the moment and we can gauge what we need to do for the weekend. Obviously it’d be nice to be at the front of the rally but we’re not going to do anything to compromise going faster than we need to. We made a decision at the start of the year we’d drive tactically and that’s what we’re planning on doing,” says the two-time NZRC champion. “The team that we’re driving for in the APRC category are only interested in APRC points so we have to keep an eye on that as well, but based on past years at Whangarei the New Zealand drivers have been at the head of the field anyway.”
Four young NZRC teams have been awarded wildcard APRC entries, meaning they start amongst the international field. These comprise Whangarei’s Ben Jagger (Subaru STI), Rotorua’s Sloan Cox (Mitsubishi Evo X), Nelson’s Ben Hunt (Ford Fiesta ST150) and Christchurch’s Matt Jansen (Subaru STI).
Registered for APRC points with Team MRF while pursuing her own NZRC points’ chase is Dunedin’s Emma Gilmour (Subaru STI). Long-time APRC competitor Palmerston North’s Brian Green (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) is entered in both championships for the first time in several years. Green backs the New Zealand series through his business Brian Green Property Group.
Expected to start further down the order, defending series champion Dean Sumner from Rotorua and Christchurch’s Chris West can either benefit or be handicapped by their position, depending on the weather.
“A lot of it is going to be dictated by road position and that’s going to relate to the road conditions,” said West, winner of the 2008 International Rally of Whangarei. “Having said that there has been a lot of rain so you’d argue starting up the front would be best. But it is what it is, we’ve just got to make the most of what we’ve got – and for ourselves we’ve got a good car. We’ve identified the issues that have caused us problems at the last two events which is our big positive. For us the car has been our weak link – so it’s good to now believe that’s behind us.
“At the end of the day the championship title is somewhat distant, but there is still a way to go so we’re still going in to put our best foot forward and would dearly love to take the trophy home again.”
West and co-driver Erin Kyle will be in the Andrew Simms Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
They will be followed by Howick’s Glen Inkster (Mitsubishi Evo IX, Kerikeri’s Kingsley Thompson (Mitsubishi Evo X) and Mt Wellington’s Dave Strong, in the naturally-aspirated Super 2000 Ford Fiesta.
Following shortly behind, the category 3 and 4 open-class and historic cars include defending open-class champion Geof Argyle from Feilding, driving the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8. Although two-wheel-drive campaigner and title leader Ben Hunt will be running further up the field courtesy of his APRC wildcard status, Christchurch’s Josh Marston, and Tauranga’s Phil Campbell will be campaigning the similar specification Ford Fiesta ST cars, trying to narrow their points’ deficit to Hunt.
“Obviously starting down the order we’ll have to keep an eye on in the first pass through the stages with Ben Hunt running further up to see what the difference may be,” says Marston, who trails Hunt by 64 points. “The weather forecast isn’t great so that won’t help but we’ll have to do our best. “In terms of a result; I’m really looking to building the pace. I don’t think we’re quite there in terms of an overall win but we’ve had stage wins at the last round where it went really well. So I want to build on that and the consistency.
“I’ve only done Whangarei once before and really enjoyed it but I’ve got to get in the rhythm where the roads are quite cambered and quite a lot different to other events. But I’m looking forward to it,” added the full-time mechanical engineer and driving instructor.
Leading the historic challenge trophy section, Hamilton’s Gary Smith has benefited from consistency in his Ford Escort RS1800 to currently lead former champion Rob Wylie from Takapuna in the Nissan 240RS by three points.
Of the three rounds contested, Smith has yet to secure a win with the spoils going firstly to Wylie at Otago, Kaipoi’s Marcus van Klink (Mazda RX7) at Rally New Zealand and Hastings Ron Davey (Ford Escort) in the Wairarapa.
Smith, who has a long rally pedigree, will be making his first start in Whangarei aware any one of his six rivals entered could oust him from the top step over roads known for their fast and flowing nature.
The NZRC competitors are among a 76-strong field for the International Rally of Whangarei and participate in numerous pre-event activities. Beginning on Friday morning 15 July, drivers take colouring competition winners for a ride to school in their rally car, all supporting CureKids Red Nose appeal day by wearing red noses.
Teams then get the chance to complete pre-event testing, called shakedown, later in the morning before the street parade through the centre of Whangarei from 12:15pm. Drivers then get a chance to show their paddling prowess in the waka challenge from 1:15pm in the harbour at Quayside Town Basin. Following that they head downtown to Cameron Street Mall from 3:30pm for an autograph signing session before the ceremonial start activities at 4:30pm. In reverse starting order, the first car crosses the ramp at 5pm with the number one seed last.
The rally action starts from Whangarei’s Quayside Town Basin on Saturday morning, taking competitors as far south as Maungaturoto and back to Whangarei for the super special stage at Pohe Island. The event wraps up with the ceremonial finish at Quayside Town Basin 3:30pm on Sunday afternoon.
More details, including results and news, are on the NZRC website – www.nzrallychampionship.co.nz – and fans can also find out more information about any of the events on the New Zealand Rally Championship Facebook page.