Motorsport: Top field expected for rally

Taranaki driver Nigel Adams took home victory in class D in last year's Tanoa Paihia Hotel Rally of the North. PHOTO/ BEN HUGHES, PROSHOTZ PHOTOGRAPHY

With just a few days until the cut-off, entries are already rolling in for the Tanoa Hotel Paihia Rally of the North which will take place this weekend.

Over 20 contenders are already confirmed, with entries received to date ranging from club based two-wheel-drive competitors to three previous event winners.

Another three previous winners have indicated their intention to enter also.

With the event doubling as the final round for both the Rally Xtreme and Top Half Rally Series, it is expected that battles for not only overall honours but each of the classes in the respective series will be exciting with a final chance for a series class win up for grabs.

"This year's rally is really shaping up to have a good strong and exciting field, with as many as seven previous winners possibly taking the start," says chairman of the event organising committee Anita Greenland.

"The battles right through the field are going to be intense and that bodes well for an exciting event."

The event sees more than 180km of special stages heading north from the host town of Paihia with morning stages passing Kaitaia, where the lunch break will take place from 11am. The afternoon comprises two stages over 30km as the event passes back down the east coast before finishing back in Paihia.