North Island Rally Series crews are preparing for Round 2 , a return to the testing tarmac stages around Stratford on Sunday 25th June. The SBT group Taranaki Tarmac Rally will be a big change from the gravel stage Bothwell loop of Round 1.

Looking forward to once again mixing it with the 4wd cars is Hamilton rally driver Mike Goldsbury, whose scintillating performance at the opening round of the Winmax Brake Pads North Island Rally Series has seen him awarded ‘Drive of the Day’.

Goldsbury finished the Bothwell Loop Rally, run in conjunction with Pukekohe Car Club’s annual northern region rallysprint event, in 4th position overall.

Goldsbury and codriver Andy Watkins were delighted with the result, only beaten to the podium by a trio of modern turbo 4wd vehicles.

Their 1981 Toyota Corolla DX also finished outright first 2wd, but for much of the event was mixing it with state-of-the-art R5 and AP4 machinery.

Goldsbury admits that a change in mindset helped secure the significant result.

“While I’m familiar with the Bothwell course, I was unfazed when the promoting club elected to run in the opposite direction to usual. Typically, I would run worn tyres for the first stage but (the vastly experienced) Charlie Evans suggested I needed to go hard right from the very start. We strapped on new rubber front & rear, and the times speak for themselves.”

The pair scored 3rd fastest time on the opening stage, and never dropped below 4th overall in the cumulative standings for the rest of the day.

Goldsbury is philosophical about his chances at the Taranaki event.

“Our poor Corolla is tapped out at 160 km/hr so we may struggle to match the more higher-powered cars. I’m looking to fit a higher ratio differential, but we’ll just have to concentrate on carrying our momentum through the corners to make up for the lack of grunt.”  

NIRS organisers have also announced a replacement event for the Hawkes Bay rally, cancelled after the province was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We’re very fortunate to have Motorsport Bay of Plenty offer to run a round of the Winmax Brake Pads NIRS,” says series coordinator Marty Roestenburg. “This still allows our competitors to contest five events as we originally offered.”

The MBoP round will be based at Whakatane and is scheduled for Sunday 15th October.

A return of the Manawatu-based Daybreaker Rally has been confirmed as the now five-round Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship is set.

With extreme weather events earlier this year forcing Rally Hawke’s Bay and Rally Coromandel off the 2023 calendar, championship organisers have been able to bring back an old favourite thanks to the work of local rally organisers. 

The 2023 Daybreaker Rally based out of Feilding is set to run on Saturday September 23 and will serve as round four of the 2023 championship. 

The final round will be Rally Bay of Plenty, which moves back one day to run on Sunday October 15 to avoid a clash with the General Election – the date being announced after the original calendar had been released. 

Championship organisers had tried desperately to keep the season as a six-round event but the challenges have proven too difficult to overcome. 

“An enormous amount of work has gone into establishing the Daybreaker event for 2023 and examining all possible options as we attempted to keep the championship as similar as possible to our original schedule,” coordinator Blair Bartels said. 

“It is fantastic to have some certainty now and we appreciate the patience all competitors and stakeholders have demonstrated as we worked through everything that needed to be ticked off. 

"Also, I need to thank several other entities we worked with to try and make events happen, but for many reasons they didn't come together.  

“The Daybreaker rally is an iconic event and we’re thrilled to welcome it back to the championship. I want to especially thank Paul Fallon, Tony McConachy and the rest of their team in helping create this event from scratch in a very short timeframe.”

Elton Goonan, CEO of MotorSport New Zealand, was delighted to see a favourite of so many Kiwi rally fans back on the calendar, especially under such circumstances.

"Whilst its a shame we can't be in the Hawke's Bay and Coromandel later this year due to the extreme weather, it's fantastic to see the New Zealand Rally Championship return to the central North Island," said Goonan. 

"The region has a strong affinity with motorsport and the return of the famous Daybreaker Rally will be a highlight for locals and national rally fans alike."   

The 2023 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship stops next in Timaru for Rally South Canterbury on Saturday June 17 before the Daybreaker Rally on Saturday September 23 and the finale at Bay of Plenty on Sunday October 15. 

Just four-points separate Robbie Stokes and Josh Marston heading into the one-day Lone Star Canterbury Rally in association with Joe's Garage this Sunday.  It’s the second round of the 2023 Mainland Rally Championship which has attracted a top field across all Classes. Also, within striking distance of taking the overall series lead are Marcus van Klink (Mazda RX8) and 2022 champion Deane Buist (Toyota Corolla AE86), third and fourth on the points table.  Add in Michael Tall (Mitsubishi Mirage), David Quantock (Skoda Fabia) and Sean Haggarty (Subaru Impreza WRX) and we have a fierce battle over eight gravel Special Stages totalling 130 km taking place on some great North Canterbury roads.    

While Stokes and co-driver Dave Neill won the opening round at Rally Otago in April driving a Ford Fiesta AP4, they have made the switch to a classic Ford Escort and will start sixth on the road.  Marston and Andrew Graves (Holden Barina AP4) now start favourites as first seed ahead of Tall, Quantok, Haggarty and Van Klink.  

RDL Performance, Brita Safety, Palmside NZ and Winmax Brakes have put up cash prizes for each Class winner at the end of the Mainland Rally Championship season.  $500, $250 and $100 for first, second and third respectively for each class as well as trophies for all classes and overall for both driver and co- driver. Vehicles are divided up into seven different classes according to engine size, year of manufacturer and two or four-wheel drive.  

A full field of Ford Escorts plus a Datsun 180B make up the Historic Class F & G.  Jeff Judd/Grant Marra (Ford Escort RS1800) currently lead the Class ahead of Tim McIver/James McIver (Ford Escort) and Ally Mackay/Mikko Johnston (Ford Escort Mk1).  These three may have their hands full with the very competitive Graham Ferguson/Ross Moody (Ford Escort RS1800) having entered and the return of Brent Rawstron/Ian McKee (Ford Escort RS1800).  

Marcus van Klink makes a return to the event as the top Class C (2WD 1601cc and over) driver having missed the 2022 round, although Stokes and Buist will be tough competition.  In 2022 Buist finished first in Class and fourth overall and this Sunday it could be a matter of who has the best car and driver combo that suits the North Canterbury roads.  

The ever-popular Class B (2WD 1301-1600cc) has 12 entrants and will be a battle of the front vs rear-wheel drive.  David Birkett/Jack Birkett (Toyota Levin) won the class in 2022 and will have some tough competition from the likes of Harri Silcock/Mark Greenwood (Toyota Starlet), Jack Stokes/Sarah Faulkner (Ford Fiesta R2), Jared Parker/Lachlan Thomson (Toyota Corolla) and Kerry Sloan/Henry Raymond (Toyota Starlet).  

The competitive Class H will again be a close fight between James Macdonald/Josh Edwards (Subaru Impreza H6) who last season finished sixth overall and first in Class, Nick Marston/Peter Calvert (Subaru Impreza H6), Tom Milliken/Chris Cunningham (Subaru Impreza H6) and Amy Keighley (Subaru Impreza H6).  

Rally cars, drivers and teams will be on display from 3:30pm Saturday 3 June at the Lone Star on Manchester St, Christchurch.  Sunday’s action gets underway at the Ashley Forest (Ashley Forest Sprint Rd) with the first car departing at 8:18am before six more stages around Amberley, Cheviot and Hawarden before returning to Ashley Forest for the eighth and final stage at 4:06pm and then returning to the Lone Star, Christchurch, from 5:06pm.  Spectator Guilds are available form Lonestar Manchester St and Joes Garage Rangiora.  Spectator viewing points can be found on the Autosport Club Facebook page or at autosport.org.nz .  

Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard continue to lead the 2023 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) after securing a hard-fought second place at Rally Poland which ran 18-21 May.  

Paddon and Kennard, from Cromwell and Blenheim respectively, got off to a flying start in Poland in the BRC-run Hyundai i20 N Rally 2 car. Second quickest in Friday night’s opening super special stages in the host city of Mikołajki, north of Warsaw, the pair won two Saturday morning stages and held the rally lead through to SS5. As expected, the afternoon’s repeated runs through the four gravel stages saw the roads become more rutted. Paddon and BRC team management made the call to focus on getting the car safely through the remainder of the day, which meant balancing wanting to fight for the rally win and the ultimate goal of a strong finish to maximise championship points. They ended the day with another stage win and just eight seconds off the leader, Latvian Martins Sesks.  

Sunday’s stages and conditions were tougher than expected, with ruts and holes throughout the day’s eight stages challenging all competitors. Tyre damage on the morning’s first stage meant Paddon had no spare tyre for the remainder of the morning loop. Another puncture on the afternoon loop meant Paddon controlled his pace to minimise the risk of a further puncture, which would have meant retirement from the rally. The Kiwis held second place throughout the day and fought for bonus points in the final, power stage.

Their considered drive earned them second place overall and allowed Paddon to extend his lead on the ERC points-table to 85 points, 37 points head of Sesks.  

Paddon says: “It was a really good rally here in Poland. We have competed here before but these stages weren’t familiar to me. To come away with second place is perfect for our championship along with a couple of extra bonus points on the power stage.  

“It certainly wasn’t without its challenges. I’d say today was one of the more stressful days we’ve had. The conditions were very rough. We had some tyre problems we had to manage so that made us a little bit on edge to prevent any more problems which could have ended our rally. We’re happy with some stage wins and being able to demonstrate speed against a very competitive European field. Today (Sunday) the focus was on keeping second place and securing the points to build our championship lead, which we were able to do. So overall, a very good weekend with great work from everyone at the BRC team with our Hyundai.”

Looking ahead, the next ERC event is in Latvia in June. “The first three rounds have gone to plan,” says Paddon. “We want to continue this momentum. For sure, we want to fight for rally wins, but ultimately it’s about putting ourselves in a good position to try and win the championship.”  

Paddon’s next rally is a new one for the experienced Kiwi – he heads to Rally Barbados where he and Kennard will run a Hyundai i20 R5 in the Caribbean event, 9-11 June.  

Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand Rally appreciate the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Makita, Open Country, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, Ben Nevis Station, Bailey Caravans, Repco NZ, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, ETCO, Jacanna Freight, Pak N’ Save, Machinery House, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, Zealandia Systems, Carters Tyres and Signbiz.

Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson survived a dramatic Rally of Whangarei where less than half field finished but the event had it's own challenges for the Cusco Toyota C-HR team.

On the third stage of the day Young clipped a tree on the outside of a corner and bent a rear suspension arm.

The part proved more difficult to replace than anticipated and as a consequence over 2 minutes was lost at the morning service break, dropping the team down to 12th overall.

The rest of the event was a fight back to get back into a points scoring position.

By SS17 the penultimate stage Young and and Hudson were back up to 5th overall, however midway through the final test, a rock wedged itself between the brake caliper and the alloy wheel, ripping the sidewall of the tyre open.

With a deflated front tyre Young was lucky to keep the C-HR on the road before stopping and changing the tyre mid-stage.

The time lost dashed any hopes of a top five finish, the Cusco pair eventually finishing 10th overall and 4th in the Asia Pacific category.

"Overall it's been a good weekend - the roads up here in Whangarei are awesome and we finished when many others didn't. We've got a long way to go, still trying to find that sweet spot with the car, its heavy and doesn't work as well but we're getting there and gradually fine tuning it. Had a few issues over the weekend and a big thanks to the service crew for keeping us in the event - they did a great job as I kept them busy with the things I broke!".

Young and the team's next event is South Canterbury Rally on the 17th June.

Mike Young Motorsport is supported by Cusco, Dunlop, Seeka, Go Logistics, Wurth New Zealand, PF Automotive, Pacific Toyota, Cooke Howlison Toyota, McDermid Auto Collective, Northland Toyota, Opotiki Tyres Service, Robert Monk Transport, Asia Pacific Sports Media and Yoda Rallying.

It’s all go for New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard at present, having secured another win in the New Zealand Rally Championship, the second round of which took place in Whangarei from 12 to 14 May.

The pair now head straight back to Europe for round three of the 2023 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) in Poland starting 18 May.  

Paddon and Kennard took a start-to-finish win in Whangarei, winning all 18 stages and ultimately finishing three minutes, 53.9 seconds ahead of Ben Hunt in second place.  

The victory means the pair continue to hold first place on the NZRC Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ points-tables, and puts them in the unique position of leading a rally championship in New Zealand and another one in Europe.  

Paddon was understandably pleased with the weekend’s results in Whangarei.

“I’m really pleased to come away from here with maximum points in the championship, seeing as we’re missing the next round in South Canterbury. It was important we had a clean rally and there was a massive attrition rate here this weekend, with a number of competitors out for a variety of reasons. We just tried to keep our noses clean and have a good rally, so we’ve ticked all the boxes on that front.”

While it’s often on Paddon’s radar to aim for new stage records on the Kiwi rallies where he knows the stages so well, he admits that wasn’t his main aim this weekend.

“We got a couple of stage records, which is nice, but with heavy rain in the region last week, it didn’t allow for the roads to be in the best condition, plus we were chasing every point on offer and needed a clean rally.”  

An added bonus from the Whangarei result was the opportunity to secure the Pacific Cup as part of the 2023 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). The Pacific Cup is a sub-title for drivers and co-drivers and contested at three of the seven rounds on the 2023 calendar. Having scored maximum points in the second APRC round in Otago, Paddon and John Kennard overtook the lead previously held by Japan’s Takuma Kamada after the shortened Rally of Tsumagoi earlier in the year.  

Paddon paid credit to everyone at PRG.

“The whole team did an amazing job as they continue to do at every rally with our car and our PRG customer cars. Our team is gelling well and it’s a pleasure to be part of it all.”  

Looking forward to the next ERC round in Poland, which is based in Mikołajki in the Masurian lake district, a three-hour drive north from the capital Warsaw, Paddon says they expect a completely different rally.

“It’s obviously positive for us that we’re getting as much seat time as we can in the same model of Hyundai, but in terms of the road surface and the feeling we’ll have in the car next week in Poland, it will be quite different to Whangarei.”

Paddon is the number one seed for Rally Poland, ahead of what’s expected to be a close, fast field of drivers from Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland, France and other European countries.

The top level competitors do a qualifying stage on Friday lunchtime before the ceremonial start and a super special stage.

On Saturday, they do three stages twice plus an arena stage in the early evening.

On Sunday, they contest four stages repeated morning and afternoon.

Overall, the competitive distance travelled is 182 km.  

Paddon says: “We’re feeling good. We’ve had a very good start to the year, so we’re trying to carry this momentum on and bring home another podium finish next week.”  

Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand Rally appreciate the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Makita, Open Country, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, Ben Nevis Station, Bailey Caravans, Repco NZ, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, ETCO, Jacanna Freight, Pak N’ Save, Machinery House, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, Zealandia Systems, Carters Tyres and Signbiz.

WRC rally winner Hayden Paddon has completed yet another faultless drive to secure victory in round two of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship in Whangarei.

Paddon won all 16 stages over the weekend in his Hyundai New Zealand i20 Rally2 to take a commanding win of over three and a half minutes from two-time national champion Ben Hunt.

Hunt fended off the challenge of Raana Horan on Sunday to secure a comfortable second place in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2, while Horan finished third in the Generator Rental Services Skoda Fabia Rally2.

Josh Marston took a solid fourth place finish in his RDL Holden Barina AP4.

Dylan Thomson held off Jackson Clendon in an epic battle in the NZRC 2WD class with both youngsters charging hard in their Ford Fiesta Rally4 cars.

Thomson’s margin edged out to 24 seconds on Sunday afternoon after the pair battled toe-to-toe for most of the event.

Jordan Grant (Suzuki Swift) completed the podium.

Australian-based Irishman Glenn Alcorn took the class win in Open 2WD in his Ford Escort, holding off Daniel Haines (Ford Escort) and Dave Strong (Honda Jazz).

Stewart Reid claimed the famous Motogard Trophy by winning the Historic 2WD class in his Mazda RX7.

Defending class champion John Silcock battled mechanical issues, which hampered his charge.

Earlier the infamous Waipu Caves stage claimed a number of high profile victims with Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen, veteran Todd Bawden and Clint Cunningham all crashing out on the first pass through.

The series moves to South Canterbury in mid-June for round 3.  

Hayden Paddon has dominated the opening day of the International Rally of Whangarei to take a commanding lead overnight in the second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

Paddon leads two-time national champion Ben Hunt by just over two minutes in his Hyundai New Zealand i20 Rally2 car.

Hunt was sharp throughout the day to hold a comfortable second place in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2.

Raana Horan (Generator Rental Services Skoda Fabia Rally2) was third overnight with Josh Marston (RDL Holden Barina AP4) fourth, Todd Bawden (Online Contractors Ford Fiesta Rally2) fifth and Clint Cunningham (Skoda Fabia R5) in an impressive sixth.

Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen didn’t make it to the start of the opening stage after an electrical drama in his LJ Hooker/Giltrap Audi S1 AP4. He was able to re-start the event with the short two-passes through the Pohe Island Super Special stage in downtown Whangarei.

Robbie Stokes (Team Hutchinson Ford Fiesta AP4) had an engine issue that saw him fail to complete the opening stage, while runner-up from the opening round in Otago Ari Pettigrew (Manukau Auto Centre Holden Barina AP4) rolled on stage four.

Youngster Zeal Jones produced arguably the performance of the day to win the Rally Challenge one-day event in his Subaru Impreza, holding off defending champion Jeff Ward (Subaru WRX).

Dylan Thomson held a narrow lead of four seconds over Jackson Clendon in the NZRC 2WD battle. Thomson was debuting his new Ford Fiesta Rally4 car at the event and the pair traded stage times all day in a battle between identical cars.

Australian-based Irishman Glenn Alcorn came out on top of the Open 2WD after day 1 to lead Daniel Haines by over a minute – both in Ford Escorts.

Stewart Reid took advantage of defending historic champion John Silcock’s mechanical dramas to hold a 30 second lead in the Mazda RX7 battle in the Historic 2WD class.

Another six special stages await competitors on Sunday.    

The 12-14 May running of the 2023 International Rally of Whangarei is underway with teams now doing pre-event reconnaissance.  

Preparation for the return of the international level to the Whangārei region comes after numerous weather events and successive years hiatus through COVID-19 restrictions.  

Organisers are now looking ahead following Tuesday’s rain downpour – focussing on delivering the event as planned, with currently only one minor alteration to the timetable.  

Scheduled to be contested over 18 special sections of closed road, that has now been reduced to 16.  

“On the Sunday we’ve removed the Tangihua road from the timetable – which was to be used twice,” said Steve Foster, chairman of the organising committee.  

“Following the weather front that passed through last Tuesday we’ve had to ask and been asked the question as to the usability of some roads. Inspection has confirmed it only affected one section of road where there have been slips that are yet to be cleared. While it’s expected to be open again on Friday we’ve opted to remove it from our schedule.”  

At 14.40km long it will reduce the overall competitive distance from 254.60km to 225.80km.  

Foster says Pohe Island is now the current focus. The William Fraser Memorial Park is to host Saturday’s publicity section: “Current conditions make it marginal for hospitality to setup at Pohe Island – we’re working on an alternate option while remaining optimistic the clearer weather means we can run as planned.”  

With there was some rain squalls during Thursday, weather for the next few days is expected to be clear.  

“It’s possible a few showers could pass through later on Sunday however that’s a few days out and unlikely to affect anything,” added Foster.  

The event brings 47 teams to the region – 8 of them contesting the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) category. Top-seed drivers include Hayden Paddon and Shane van Gisbergen.  

Seven cars are offshore entries, including the Cusco Toyota C-HR of Michael Young. Others include Eugene Creugnet and Pierre-Henri Brunet from New Caledonia, Julien Lenglet and Nelson Law from Vanuatu, Australia-based Scot Stewart Reid and Irishman Glen Alcorn.  

Activity starts from 1pm Friday with shakedown testing at William Fraser Memorial Park’s Pohe Island. Drivers will then be at the Cameron St Mall from 4:45pm for a signing session ahead of the 5:30pm Ceremonial Start. The competitive section begins Saturday morning with four special stage tests to the north of Whangārei. They return to Pohe Island from 11:42am for a service stop before repeating the journey in the afternoon. The day concludes with a double run of the Pohe Island 1.15km spectator stage. Sunday now uses three road stage sections to the south – repeated after the 10:39am service break. The remaining teams return for the Ceremonial Finish at the Pūtahi Park - Town Basin, Whangārei, from 3pm. There is prize money of NZ$3,000 for the winning APRC entrant, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third, provided by Indian businessman and promoter Vamcy Merla.