Competitors Ready Themselves for Rally Wairarapa

28 - 29 April 2012: Competitors Ready Themselves for Rally Wairarapa

Rally fans got a taste of what is to come at the Trusthouse Racetech Rally Wairarapa last weekend, with the running of the Whariti Road Hillclimb, just north of Woodville.

With the event being used by many competitors as a shakedown for their rally season, a cross section of club, regional and national competitors were out to test themselves and their equipment over the 7km gravel course.

Sloan Cox has entered the 2012 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother, with his modern Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, and was setting the pace until an axle broke on one of the final runs. Initially only a matter of seconds away, Geof Argyle went on to take overall honours with the fastest time of the day in his older Lancer Evo as he counts down to the Total Lubricants Rally Xtreme Challenge.

Also there was Ray Wilson in an Audi Quattro who, having registered for the Historic Class in the NZ Rally Championship, will be a likely contender for the Malcolm Stewart Classic Rally.

In between there was a good representation of competitors who will be contesting both the Geartech Central Region Rally Series and the Rally Xtreme Challenge.

If the level of competition at Whariti Road is anything to go by, the competition at Rally Wairarapa will be fast and hard fought. Especially as Rally Wairarapa will be the first round where all of the championship, challenge and series competitors come together in the one event.

Despite the economic times, there is a renewed buzz happening in the gravel spitting brigade, as competitors are once again starting to take their rally cars out of their sheds. However competitors will need to get their entry forms in fast if they want to be a part of the action at Wairarapa.

Normal Entries close at 5pm this coming Wednesday, 28th March. Any entries sent in received after this time will be a late entry and is likely to incur additional fees.

All of the Entry Forms, Regulations and contact details are on the Rally Wairarapa web site. www.rallywairarapa.co.nz

Fast Facts
• Round 2 of 2012 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother
• Round 1 of Geartech Central Region Rally Series, (points scoring based on Saturdays results only)
• Round 1 of the Classic Challenge Trophy
• Round 1 of the Total Lubricants Rally Xtreme Challenge
• 16 Special Stages, 8 on Saturday 28 April, and 8 on Sunday 29 April
• 253km of competitive Special Stages, 142km on Saturday, 110km on Sunday

ENDS

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