Jagger out to cut loose on gravel and go hard

This Saturday's Rally of the North will not only present high-speed action-filled entertainment for all, but also an opportunity for locals to come out in support of recently crowned two-wheel-drive national champion Ben Jagger as he rips up  gravel roads from Hukerenui to Kaitaia.
Just last month at the season's final in Nelson, Jagger, who is the highest rated up-and-coming rally driver from Northland, won the New Zealand Rally Championship Group N 2WD title by a whopping 88 points over second-placed Ben Hunt.
This Saturday's rally will give Jagger the chance to once again climb back behind the wheel of the Seedforce Fiesta, which has taken him through two seasons of hot competition and, with it, the ultimate reward of winning the title this year.
The championship-winning rally car will go on sale after this weekend's event with Jagger's team planning to purchase a four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi or Subaru for the 2010 season.
Having achieved his goals for the 2009 season, Jagger will be able to just let loose on Saturday as he focuses all his attention on the one-day event without the weight of a lengthy championship to consider.
"It will just be a good rally and we don't have to worry about anything but going hard," he said.
Also, it will let him acknowledge his sponsors and supporters as he drives the Seedforce Fiesta through the north with the one-day rally implementing roads from Hukerenui and Ruapekapeka through the Hokianga, on to Kaitaia via Mangonui and Kaeo before returning to the starting point of Paihia. "We're doing this rally because it's a really good one to do and the roads are pretty mean - some say they are the best in New Zealand," said Jagger.
The Rally of the North base is in the picturesque Bay of Islands with the event starting at the Paihia public carpark at 7am and ending at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort in Waitangi, with the first car expected to return at around 5.10pm.
The rally will host about 60 cars from around the country, with  more than 10 drivers from Northland, including Brendon Oakden, who is currently holding second place in the Top Half Series leading into this exciting final round.
Maps, stage times and all details regarding the rally can be accessed on the website www.rallyofthenorth.co.nz or by visiting the Copthorne Hotel and Resort at Waitangi.
Jagger has a shoot-out in November to compete for Rally New Zealand's Rising Stars Scholarship and, in December, will fly to the UK for a Ford Fiesta Trophy international shoot-out where he will compete for a place in the world class M-Sport Rally Team.