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Motorsport News - Taihape Rally
Courtesy of Car.co.nz Motorsport News
2002 NZ Rally Season Kick-off
By: Lance Hastie www.car.co.nz
The start of the National Rally Calendar and Central Region Rally Series kicks off with The "BP" Gumboot Rally in Taihape this weekend.
Round One of the Palmside NZ Central Region Rally Series takes place in Taihape signalling the start of the 2002 National Rally Series.
Kicking off from 9am on Saturday 23rd of March, The BP Gumboot Rally covers 9 special stages of challenging top quality gravel plus the ultimate 'Ruru Rd' final stage seal sprint around the back streets of Taihape.
The top class field of around 100 cars includes current National Rally Champions Bruce Herbert and Rob Ryan. Included in the line-up are many other top national names as they shake down before the onset of the 2002 National Rally Championship.
The mid-day lunch break in Taihape also included the traditional 'gumboot' throw, where both driver and co-driver are required to throw a gumboot as far as they can. While not counting toward the overall result, it is a unique twist to the atmosphere created in the country setting of Taihape.
First car is expected back in Taihape to cross the finish line at 5pm on the Saturday evening.
The five round series moves to the Taranaki Rally on the 19th of April - an all tarmac event.
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