Ben Hunt has got one hand on the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) after the opening day of the International Rally of Whangarei.
Hunt sits second to rally leader and fellow title contender Hayden Paddon after a dramatic opening day, in which the leading drivers that could threaten Hunt’s chances of the second-place finish that would secure him a third national title, fell by the wayside.
Paddon (Hyundai New Zealand i20 Rally 2) leads the rally by two minutes and 38 seconds from Hunt (Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally 2).
Emma Gilmour (Vantage NZ Citroen C3) edged Dylan Thomson, in an older model Subaru Impreza, for third place ahead of Haydn Mackenzie (Albany Toyota Yaris AP4).
Earlier, talented youngster Zeal Jones (Smith & Sons Skoda Fabia R5) slid off the road on the second stage after posting the second fastest time on SS1, while Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4) crashed on the third stage.
Andrew Graves was crowned champion in the Rally Challenge 4WD class and the Group A Challenge after another superb drive in his Mitsubishi EVO 6.
Graves came home in front of Jay Pittams (Subaru Impreza) and Carter Strang (Mitsubishi EVO 10) to claim the title in an emphatic fashion.
Graves led home Pittams and James Macdonald (Subaru Impreza) in the Group A Challenge, meaning the Gore driver will do the title double.
Jared Parker successfully defended his Rally Challenge 2WD crown after winning the class on his first-ever visit to Whangarei.
Parker (Toyota Corolla) beat Kyle Percival (Ford Escort) by over three minutes, and Pat Norris (Toyota Yaris) finished third and secured runner-up in the title battle.
Bryn Jones leads the NZRC 2WD class after a very strong drive in his Ford Fiesta Rally 4.
He holds a lead of over two minutes over Jack Stokes (Ford Fiesta) and Tim Mackersy (Ford Fiesta).
Willy Hawes (Toyota 86) trails Dave Strong (Honda Jazz) just over a minute in the Open 2WD battle. However, Hawes just needs to finish the event to collect enough points to secure the 2024 title.
Anthony Jones holds a dominant lead in the Historic 2WD class in his Ford Escort. He leads champion-in-waiting Paul Fraser (Ford Escort) while Mike Cameron will rejoin after electrical trouble in his Mitsubishi Lancer on Saturday.
The action continues on Sunday with eight more special stages.
Day One Results
01: H. Paddon/J. Hudson (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) – 1h 25m 54.4s
02: B. Hunt/T. Rawstorn (Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) + 2m 38.8s
03: E. Gilmour/M. Read (Citroën C3 Rally2) + 4m 36.4s
04: D. Thomson/B. Thomson (Subaru Impreza WRX) + 4m 36.8s
05: H. Mackenzie/K. Anstis (Toyota Yaris AP4) + 5m 24.5s
06: A. Graves/H. Graves (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III) + 6m 20.5
07: S. Reid/B. Haggarty (Mitsubishi Mirage AP4) + 7m 02.8s
08: J. Pittams/J. Van der Meys (Subaru Impreza WRX) + 8m 45.3s
09: C. Strang/C. Flynn (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) + 9m 02.2s
10: G. Feast/M. Hayward (Subaru Impreza WRX) + 9m 10.0s