Allport To Drive Group B Ford Rs200 At Rallyfeste

PROMOTED BY RALLYFESTE INCORPORATED
P.O. Box 12201 Hamilton, New Zealand.

Media Release.
10 March 2007 - Immediate Release.

Allport To Drive Group 'B' Ford Rs200 At Rallyfeste

Aucklander, Neil Allport has been handed the keys to what is definitely one of New Zealand's most expensive rallycars, Peter (PJ) Johnston's Ford RS200 Group 'B' Rally supercar, for the Dunlop Rallyfeste weekend.

Allport's only instructions from the owner, were to "use the car". PJ imported the historic 1986 rally car from the UK about two years ago and has since competed in several Dunlop Targa events, but this will be the first time Allport has driven the car in a rally.

The car is the only one of its kind in Australasia, with only just over 200 ever built. It boasts huge horsepower, is four wheel drive, has a lightweight body, and is from the turbo charged, flame spitting, mid 1980s era. Shortly after these were introduced, the world rally body banned them along with the other highly powerful Group 'B' cars, the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, Lancia Delta S4 and Audi's Sport Quattro.

Previously Allport drove Mazda's to win three New Zealand National Rally Championship crowns, the first in 1986 driving the Group 'B' Mainfreight RX7 (now owned and restored for classic rallying by Bert Murray and also entered in this event). Allport won again in 1989 and 1992 using a Mazda 323 4x4.

Allport and his Ford RS200 join the growing list of competitors entered in the Rallyfeste Rally "event", which is set to start from the Hamilton's Waikato Event's Centre (Claudlands), at 7.30am, on the morning of Saturday March 24th.

From Hamilton, the rally competitors will travel to the northern Waikato, for four high speed tarmac special stages, followed by a service park in the township of Te Kauwhata, and then in the afternoon, to four gravel special stages in the "home of rallying" the Maramarua Forest, before returning to Claudlands.

Dunlop Rallyfeste chairman Laurie Brenssell said "It is great to have one of our rallying stars in Neil Allport, and using such a historic car, take part in the rally. Neil and his motorsport business have always supported the sport they are in, and both he and the car will attract the spectators out to watch the action."

The Waikato Event's Centre at Claudlands, will be the base for the celebrations for the Rallyfeste Weekend, (March 23rd - 25th 2007) with a Rally Show for the public on the Friday evening, the Rallyfeste Rally, and a celebration dinner marking four decades of Rallying in New Zealand on the Saturday evening.

Rallyfeste organisers encourage past and present competitors, enthusiasts, and officials from the all of the four decades to participate, and ask that they register now to become part of the rally event and the weekend's celebration functions.

With a vision to the future of rallying, any profits arising from the Dunlop Rallyfeste weekend will be donated to the Motorsport New Zealand Rally Scholarship Trust."
Further information is available on the Dunlop Rallyfeste website - www.rallyfeste.co.nz

End.

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