By BOB PEARCE
After three years running down its financial reserves, Rally of New Zealand will have a naming sponsor from next year.
Sky City, operator of the Auckland casino, has signed a three-year deal that will keep the rally in Auckland and bolster its world championship status.
The event was run from Sky City last year and won an award from the world controlling body. Sky will continue that involvement for the rally in July and assume the naming sponsorship from then on.
Rally of New Zealand had initiated a bidding process for the siting of the 2001 event and received strong bids from Christchurch and Rotorua, as well as the existing Auckland-Manukau council consortium.
Rally supremo Morrie Chandler said the decision had been difficult because of the quality of all the bids.
But the strength of the existing rally infrastructure and the views of sponsors and teams had been factors in favour of Auckland-Manukau.
He conceded that Sky's sponsorship, which came after the bidding process began, was also influential.
This year's rally, from Thursday, July 13, to Sunday, July 16, will have a ceremonial start in Aotea Square, at which the cars and drivers will be available to the public.
Competitive rallying will start in the Waikato on the Friday with the cars competing over the Manukau Superspecial in the evening.
Maungaturoto will be the centre for Saturday's competition.
The final day will be spent in the Maramarua Forest.
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