KEY POINTS:
New Zealand driver Mark Tapper will drive a Group N car in six rounds of next year's World Rally Championship.
After scoring the most points in Rally Malaysia, the final Asia Pacific qualifying event, Tapper was named the Asia Pacific Pirelli star driver of 2008 and awarded the prize valued at 500,000 ($1.25 million).
Launched this year by the governing body FIA, the Pirelli star driver scheme funds five young drivers - one from each of the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions and two from Europe.
Tapper, 27. said he would realise a lifelong dream.
"To actually now have the opportunity to rally competitively in the WRC in a car like the Mitsubishi EVO that I'm very familiar with is the beginning of a whole new challenge," he said. "The aim is to be the best of the five [Pirelli drivers] at each event.
"We've been told the top driver from next year will be driving a number of rallies in a WRC car paid for by Pirelli and the FIA in the next season that follows. So obviously that is the next goal at the moment."
Tapper has yet to confirm his co-driver for the six WRC rounds, which are in Portugal (April 3-5), Italy (May 22-24), Greece (June 12-14), Finland (July 31-August 2), Spain (October 2-4) and Britain (October 23-25).
He also wanted to contest WRC rounds in Argentina and Australia but would need extra funding.
President of MotorSport New Zealand Steven Kennedy was delighted at the opportunity handed to Tapper.
"Mark did the job in what proved to be a very difficult rally to get to this stage and we are sure he will do well at the international level," he said.
"This Pirelli-backed scholarship is the biggest opportunity ever offered to a young New Zealand rally driver. It is effectively a works drive which will take Mark's knowledge and skills to a new level.
"It is extremely difficult and expensive for a Kiwi to compete at the WRC level, yet, as we have seen in the past, our top drivers are very competitive given good machinery."
- NZPA
