Major rally coming to Tauranga

Hyundai WRC star Hayden Paddon will be the main draw card when Tauranga hosts Rally of New Zealand later this month.

Tauranga's role as host city for this month's Rally of New Zealand could turn out to be a "one and done" opportunity.

This year's rally on November 24-26 is based at ASB Stadium Baypark and features a Friday evening ceremonial start in downtown Tauranga, a day of rallying across in the Raglan and Te Akau districts and a Sunday route that heads towards Rotorua with a spectator stage at the TECT All Terrain Park.

The rally was originally planned as preparation for New Zealand's bid to regain a place on the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar in 2018. That bid failed with Turkey recently confirmed as securing WRC status in 2018 and Tauranga won't figure in Rally New Zealand planning again until a return to the WRC has been secured.

Rally of New Zealand spokesman Peter Johnston, who has led the bid to secure a WRC round, says planning for this year's event has continued in spite of New Zealand not securing a place on the 2018 world championship calendar.

"Originally we planned the Tauranga event as a dress rehearsal because we were confident of being in the WRC in 2018," he said.

"For a national rally the format doesn't work as well but we've stayed committed to running the rally as we originally planned it because Tauranga has been good to us and it's important to train our staff and volunteer officials so they are ready to stage a WRC event in the future."

Johnston said a Tauranga-based rally would only run again in 2018 if New Zealand is successful in gaining a place on the 2019 WRC calendar.

This month's two-day rally will be the final round of the New Zealand Rally Championship and also revives the Rally of New Zealand title last used for the 2011 WRC event.

A 54-crew entry list is headed by Kiwi WRC star Hayden Paddon driving his AP4 specification Hyundai i20 and also features the national title contenders as well as international flavour with three crews from Japan and a New Caledonian team.

Looking ahead to 2018 the Tauranga event isn't included on the NZ Rally Championship calendar that was released earlier this week.

The Otago, Whangarei, Canterbury and Coromandel events remain part of the national championship while a new winter event based in Timaru is an addition to the series.

The recent Waitomo Rally won't run again next year while plans to use the Raglan and Te Akau stages are provisionally part of a Hamilton-based final round in October.