Three days of international rally action.

Three days of international rally action.

Competitors will face a variety of conditions in July’s Hella Battery Town Rally of Rotorua ranging from flowing public roads to fast forest tracks and winding gorge passes. The range of elements provides the backdrop for round 2 of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

The Rally begins with a ceremonial start at City Focus in the heart of Rotorua City on the evening of Thursday 10th July. The competition begins the following morning with crews heading to the Eastern Bay of Plenty and the infamous Motu region tackling four stages throughout the day.

The Motu made its name in the early nineties when it formed part of the World Championship Rally NZ. The worlds best drivers and teams feared its reputation as a decisive point in the rally.

The past master of the Motu was Colin McRae and Subaru, in recent years it has been Palmerston North Subaru driver Bruce Herbert who has stamped his mark on the rally in this area. Saturday’s leg is based around a service area at Kawerau with three separate loops of stages in the surrounding region.

The spectator’s favourite will be the classic Manawahe stage, which sweeps its way along the edge of Lake Rotoma, and includes the spectacular Helicopter Corner viewing point. The remainder of the day is spent on the challenging Kaingaroa Forest roads.

Sunday’s final leg is a race to the finish beginning with a double pass through a new stage in the Waiotapu region.

The Rotorua Lakefront service is followed by two public road stages both repeated providing great opportunities for spectators to witness the cars in action on roads close to the city.

The event concludes with the traditional victory celebrations to be held on the finish podium at City Focus in Rotorua City on the afternoon of Sunday 13th July.

The route will test competitors in round 2 of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship including European Champion Armin Kremer, defending Asia Pacific Champion Karamjit Singh, and current New Zealand Champion Bruce Herbert.

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