Motorsport: Rally NZ officials breathe sigh of relief

Rally New Zealand officials have allayed fears the event would be disrupted by flight delays due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption.

Organisers confirmed that the planes carrying rally cars and team equipment for World Rally Championship (WRC) competitors were on schedule to depart Europe for New Zealand on Wednesday.

"Certainly the teams have had less time to prepare for Rally New Zealand than originally planned after the delays they experienced returning to their home-bases from Rally Turkey, but the scheduled flights bringing the cars and equipment to Auckland will leave next Wednesday as planned," Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr said in a statement.

"Both Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines have confirmed their schedules, and we expect both cars and people to arrive on time.

"... There's no doubt the event will be going ahead as planned."

Rally New Zealand opens with the ceremonial start in Auckland on May 6.

The rally itself takes place over three days, from May 7-9 on roads through the Whangarei, Kaipara, Franklin, North Waikato and Kaipara districts, with competitors returning to the event's home base in central Auckland each evening.

- NZPA