Motorsport: Rally drivers fume over rush-hour

The timing of the shakedown in the Auckland Domain made little sense to foreign competitors. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen has hit out at Rally New Zealand organisers for forcing teams to drive through peak-hour traffic to get to shakedown in the Auckland Domain.

The Finn blew his clutch yesterday as he tried to make his way to the Domain from the rally's service park on Queens Wharf.

Hirvonen says that at no other world rally championship event were participants forced to drive through peak-hour traffic.

The cost for his team to replace the clutch would be about €$10,000 ($17,600), he said. He would be sending the bill to the rally organisers.

However, organisers said shakedown - the official test session - was timed so that it would not happen during rush-hour traffic.

"Shakedown in the Auckland Domain saw competitors able to prepare for their test runs from 8am with their actual test runs not starting until 9.30am - timed to be after the main peak traffic flows," said the Rally New Zealand clerk of the course, Willard Martin.

But Hirvonen said he was not able to get much out of the shakedown anyway, as the test session was on tarmac and the rally will be on gravel.

Six-time defending champion Sebastien Loeb agreed with his Ford rival, slamming organisers for having the shakedown testing at rush-hour.

"It's like you drive at nine o'clock in Paris, maybe the same problem."

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA