Northern Advocate sports reporter Adam Pearse goes for a spin ahead of the International Rally of Whangārei
I don't know what it is that makes it impossible not to appreciate fast cars.
Is it the low grumble of the car as it approaches the starting blocks? Is it the screech of the engine as the driver tests the throttle? Perhaps it's the heavy scent of fuel inthe air that makes you feel slightly guilty but also incredibly excited?
It's probably all of the above, but after my short experience in a rally car around the Pohe Island track, you can understand why motorsport is a lifestyle for so many New Zealanders.
Now, I don't pretend to be your regular car man in day-to-day life. I know enough to get by in an emergency but just like most of us entitled, selfish, good for nothing millennials, I've chosen to walk the path of blind acceptance whenever I take a trip to the mechanic.
But sitting in the passenger seat of a brand new category one, four-wheel drive Subaru Impreza rally car, all I could think was, 'What I wouldn't give to have a go behind the wheel".
Strapped in and putting on a brave face. Adam Pearse (right) sits with rally driver Dylan Thomson. Photo / John Stone
That thought immediately shot out of my head as the driver, current two-wheel drive national champion Dylan Thomson put his foot to the floor, making the stones and dirt fly out from behind us as we tore away.
Before we took to the track, Thomson told me this was only his second rally in his new Subaru and mentioned casually, "we don't really know what the car will do yet".
But the 24-year-old from Auckland, now based in Christchurch, knew what he was doing. After racing for three years, Thomson and co-driver Amy Hudson were a great team, so good in fact that after a year driving together, they became a couple.
Thankfully Amy stepped aside to give me the opportunity of a ride along which was such an extreme shot of adrenaline, it'll last me a good while yet.
From afar, it seems the car slides along the track with little control or direction. But behind the windscreen it's such a different feeling where the car responds to every little adjustment made by the driver.
Even wearing padded overalls in sweltering 65 degree heat, Thomson navigated tight corners and twisting turns with relative ease, albeit with compete focus and concentration.
What can happen when things go wrong. Haowen Chu rolls in his car at the Pohe Island track yesterday. Photo / Malcolm McLeod
While I tried to keep a calm exterior, flying past track barriers and flirting with the corner's edge was enough to send that immediate and instinctual sense of panic through me, but with a few pumps of the pedals, Thomson was back on course and what felt like a lifetime in the seat, it only spanned a matter of seconds until we had reached the end of the course.
I couldn't recommend the experience more and if you do get the chance, grab it with both hands. Just make sure to fasten your seatbelt, say your prayers and be very polite to your driver.
For information on the Rally of Whangārei's timetable for today and tomorrow, visit www.rallywhangarei.co.nz.
