National rally round a huge event

THE news that Wairarapa's favourite rallying son, Richard Mason, will be competing in his Group N Subaru is the icing on the cake for the team organising next month's Racetech Rally Wairarapa.
The event is Round 3 of the Parker Enzed New Zealand Rally Championship, and when Mason withdrew from that series and opted to run his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 in Rally Xtreme a little of the shine must have been removed from his home event.
With Mason back in the Subaru the field is now complete, and motorsport fans will be able to enjoy some of the best competition ever seen in this neck of the woods.
The event is huge, with something like 1200 people ranging from drivers to flag marshalls involved. It's being held over two days on the Saturday and Sunday of Queen's Birthday Weekend, June 4 and 5, over 12 special stages totalling 242km between Masterton and Eketahuna,
They are Daggs Road (14.89km), the same as last year; Barton's Line at Ihuraua, extended to 23.05km; Central Mangoane (15.65km), a new stage; Quarry Road (7.82km), a repeat of last year; Mangaoranga (15.20km), the same as 2004; North Road (13.65km), a repeat of last year; Horoeka Road (18.72km), new; Rimu Road (9.42km), new; Waihoki Valley (41.55km), extended from last year; Manuhara Road (44.67km), a new stage and longest of the event; Pori Road (13.72km), unchanged; and Barton's Line again, (23.05km).
The organisers are still working hard to get stage sponsors to help cover costs. Because this is a televised national round there are obvious advantages is this sort of exposure.
Manuhara Road, incidentally, is understood to be the longest stage in the national championship.
Organising committee chairman John Clunie, from Kapiti, said the departure of the big, powerful Group A cars both internationally and in New Zealand and the emergence of Group N as the premier rally machines had levelled the playing field and produced close competition.
Group N is a production-based formula. with basic rally modifications. Motors are factory-specification, with the inclusion of close-ratio gearboxes, and cars must even retain interior trim.
In addition to the national round, the rally is round two of the Autoworx Central Region Rally Series, so the talent will extend well down the field.
With organising at an advanced stage, Clunie's biggest concern now is manpower. Reduced profit for Trust House has meant they cannot support the rally as much as in the past, so the call has gone out for 300 Wairarapa volunteers for marshalling and crowd control. They will get specialised training and a ringside seat at what promises to be a memorable event.
Apart from the cost of bringing officials into Wairarapa for the rally, accommodation in the region is at a premium during the long weekend, so the more locals they get the happier they'll be.
Clunie said the Vintage Car Club and Wairarapa 4WD had been strong supporters of the rally in the past, and he looked forward to that continuing. Likewise, residents along the rally route had helped in the past during the two to three hours their roads were closed.
Interestingly, Clunie said, a lot of women had committed themselves to helping ? it was harder to get men.
There will be a repeat of last year's radio contest with a ride to school in a rally car for one happy student, and in addition there will be the chance to be involved with a service crew on the Saturday. There are two positions available, one with a Subaru team and the other with Mitsubishi. These are the two dominant marques, so competition will be keen.
The Motorsport New Zealand merchandising truck will also be on hand, selling rally memorabilia.
NZ championship cars will be scrutineered at Richard Herrick Transport, in Judd's Road, between 1pm and 4pm on Friday, June 3, and Central Region cars will be checked from 4pm to 6.30pm Friday and 7.30am to 9am Saturday.
On Saturday, the first car will be flagged away from the Horseshoe Tavern at 10.30am and will return there around 4.30pm.
Day two will start at Copthorne Resort Solway Park at 7am and return at around 4.30pm.
In future articles we will profile some of the drivers and publish a route map and guide to the best viewing spots.