MOTORSPORT - Pair hope for win to mark year as team

Ben Jagger and co-driver Ben Hawkins are hoping to celebrate their first anniversary together as a team with what could be a fruitful result in the Rally of Whangarei.
A top finish will not only earn them valuable points in the Kiwi 2 class in national rally championships but could also see them take a near unassailable lead in a secondary contest - to win a trip to England and the chance to nab a driving contract in the United Kingdom.
After taking the plunge and entering the two-wheel drive class of the national rally championships, Jagger and Hawkins are currently 24 points clear ahead of second-placed Patrick Malley in the New Zealand Ford Fiesta Trophy.
"If we win the (Ford Fiesta) class we get to compete over in England at the shootout - and whoever wins that gets a year's contract with M-Sport. That's what we're aiming for and that's the reason we chose this car to compete in," Jagger said.
Currently the pair are fourth in the Kiwi Two-Wheel Drive Championships behind Aaron Cook, after two rounds of the championships in Otago and Wairarapa.
Jagger, 18, and Hawkins, 22, teamed up for their first rally together in Whangarei last year. Driving a Suzuki Swift they made a promising start until everything quickly went pear-shaped.
"We were winning our class until we blew a gearbox in the afternoon of the first day. Then we went on a bit of a mission to get a new gearbox in and completed the second day," Jagger said.
Jagger said the pair, who work together at Bindons Auto Electricians, were looking forward to the rally on their home roads after undergoing a steep learning curve in the first two "away" rounds of the national championships.
"It's a lot more full-on than anything else we've done before but we've been soaking it up. I've learned heaps already, mainly in the way we use the pacenotes because we're still trying to get used to them.
"The Rally of Whangarei is a lot easier to prepare for because we don't have the hassle of getting the car somewhere else and organising accommodation, and so on," he said.
The reduced cost of competing will also help the team out.
As a new team on the national scene, Jagger said they were hoping to pick up a big sponsor.
"We were looking for a national sponsor but we've discovered that it's hard to find those kind of sponsors.
"We're always looking to increase the sponsorship for our car. At the moment we've only got a little bit and we're paying the majority of the costs - and it's not a cheap sport. But as long as mum and dad keep backing me we'll keep on going," he said.
Dad Murray and mum Helen are a vital part of the team and the cows on their Whangarei Heads dairy farm also play their part in keeping the car competing.
"As long as the cows keep producing milk we'll be all right (for the rest of the season)," Jagger laughed.
The pair hope their second Rally of Whangarei will be less eventful than their first and will help to advance their dreams of international competition.
* Rally of Whangarei a transtasman tussle
The Rally of Whangarei is upon us in two weeks and the battle is shaping up to be something we all know and love - a scrap between the Kiwis and the Aussies.
Sixty-three entries have already been confirmed for the NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei, which takes place in Whangarei and on various Northland and Kaipara District roads from Friday through to Sunday, June 6-8.
The event is part of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), attracting top-class rally drivers from Australia, Japan, New Caledonia, Indonesia and India. The popular Whangarei event will allow top Kiwi drivers such as Richard Mason, Hayden Paddon and Chris West to compare themselves against international drivers.
Top seed is Australian driver Cody Crocker in the Motor Image Team Subaru. Mentored by Kiwi rally great Possum Bourne for many years, Crocker is aiming to take out his third consecutive APRC title this year, but arrives in Whangarei third on the points table.
At the top of the APRC leader-board is another Australian, Dean Herridge, who has had consistent results in the first two rounds at New Caledonia and Canberra. He will be hoping to overtake Japan's Katsuhiko Taguchi, who won the opening round and is second overall.
Indonesia's Rifat Sungkar is Crocker's team-mate in the Motor Image Subaru Team, while Brian Green is the sole New Zealander in the APRC field.
A long-time APRC competitor, the Palmerston North local is fourth overall heading to Whangarei.
With Richard Mason, Hayden Paddon and Stewart Taylor heading the points table coming into Whangarei, the battle for victory is sure to be super-heated.