Round 2 - International Rally of Whangarei

After a good result at the first round of the Brian Green Properties New Zealand Rally Championship in Otago, we are looking to continue the momentum we currently have in our 2016 Subaru Sti this coming weekend at the International Rally of Whangarei. A good result at this two day event would make it one of the best starts we have had to our Championship Bid in recent years.

The majority of stages in the Whangarei event are stages from previous years. Helena Bay, a stage we really enjoy, is included again this year. It’s great to have a stage that can act as a base line every year to be able to compare stage times and see progression and development in the car. Friday night’s ceremonial start and first 2 special stages around Pohe Island always draw in a large crowd; it’s an awesome atmosphere racing under lights with crowds on the embankments. A good stage time around here clocks in under a minute, but if you push too hard your rally can come undone before you get to hit out on the awesome roads the region has to offer.

Saturday’s stages are based up towards Paihia totalling 150 km of competitive rallying with overnight Park Ferme in Whangaeri. Sunday the rally heads south with 8 stages covering 124km of racing. The Waipu Caves stage is really enjoyable and has featured several times in WRC and Asia Pacific Events in the past. This will be our first time running in a 4wd car through this stage. The camber in the region stages are a real highlight of the year for us. They are unique in style having the car jump from corner to corner and being able to carry small amounts of extra speed by using the centre of the road like a berm to help with the turn in mid corner.

It’s an honour and privilege to be driving a Subaru NZ backed car at this event. This week has marked the 15th anniversary of the passing of NZ Rallying Legend Peter Possum Bourne. He inspired many generations of rally drivers in NZ and Australia and made sure there will always be a fierce Trans-Tasman rivalry between the two countries drivers. This weekend we have the opportunity to keep up that tradition with a couple of fast Australian drivers entered in the event. It will be great to judge our speed against theirs and hopefully come out on top. Our pre-event build up and prep has happened perfectly and we have the best car for the job this weekend at our disposal. The team has had to work fast and efficiently with such a short turn around between events - it’s awesome to have a great team around you.