Motorsport: Top rally teams heading north

Chris West with co-driver Garry Cowan during a Hawkes Bay special stage. Photo / Glenn Taylor

Now that the Australasian round of the World Rally Championship alternates between New Zealand and Australia (this year's hosts), all heads turn towards Whangarei this weekend.

For the third year in a row, the Asia Pacific Rally Championship will tear up the gravel roads of the Kaipara district for the International Rally of Whangarei.

It's a big weekend as there are points up for grabs in three different championships - the APRC, the Pacific Cup and the domestic New Zealand Rally championship.

Some teams are contesting more than one series with seven drivers in the two international categories from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, France and India. They are joined by another 26 drivers jostling for the NZRC along with 24 competitors fighting it out in the Top Half Rally series classes.

All these classes are more than a little confusing but at the end of the weekend the driver first across the line bags the bragging rights. Last year's round winner Chris West hasn't had the best of starts to his NZRC season and is sixth in the table.

"The ultimate goal is to repeat our success of last year," said West. "While we're not as well prepared as we've been in past years we're here to put our best foot forward and see what happens over the weekend."

West and his team are running an older model car as the new model isn't quite ready. And as discretion is the better part of valour, West has decided to wait until the new car is completely ready, instead of coming out half-cocked.

Last year's NZRC champion and 2007 Whangarei winner Haddon Paddon, is keen to get to grips with the roads and reduce the 10-point gap Richard Mason has on him at the top of the table.

"The roads are in quite good nick, there's quite a bit of gravel around, lots of camber and it's pretty fast," said Paddon after Thursday's reccie drive.

"We're looking forward to it as Hawkes Bay was a bit of a disaster although we got some points. Otago was much better [they won] and we want to carry the momentum on."

Two-time national champion Mason is hoping it'll be third time lucky this weekend, as both his previous visits up north have ended in tears. Although he leads the domestic title race, Mason will be starting behind the APRC drivers, as it's an FIA international event, but that comes with advantages. If the roads remain dry the front-runners will have swept the gravel aside.

"This is a difficult place for us. We've had a tough run here in the past," said Mason. "I'm at a lost to explain it really, I like the roads and theoretically they suit my car. Whenever it was a WRC event we went really well. We're in a good position leading the championship but we've got to get past this place first."

Of the foreign visitors, three-time APRC winner, and current series leader, Australian Cody Crocker will be hard to beat in his new Subaru Impreza.

Kiwi Emma Gilmour is contesting the full APRC series this year and is poised nicely in third place coming into Whangarei.

This event, for the second time, is a qualifying race for the Pirelli Star Driver award where the regional winner has a chance of a fully paid WRC Group N drive. Last year New Zealander Mark Tapper won the Asia-Pacific seat and is now racing in Europe and elsewhere.

The rally also offers points towards the inaugural Rally New Zealand Rising Stars scheme available to two young Kiwi drivers. The winners receive $50,000 towards their local 2010 campaign.

RANKINGS

FIA APRC CHAMPIONSHIP

Cody Crocker (Australia) 16pts
Katsu Taguchi (Japan) 12
Emma Gilmour (New Zealand) 7
Gaurav Gill (India) 6
Brian Green (New Zealand) 4

NZRC

Richard Mason 141
Hayden Paddon 131
Emma Gilmour 104
Matt Jansen 68
Dean Sumner 65
Chris West 60
Josh Marston 56
Ben Jagger 48