MOTORSPORT
The countdown has begun for a quality field of 62 cars getting ready to tackle the back roads around the mid North and Bay of Islands in the 2012 Rally of the North on Saturday.
Motorsport enthusiasts will have their work cut out for them in attempting to catch the front runners - contesting five divisions as well as the overall title - as they slip, slide and roar over 17 back roads throughout the region. The strong field represented one of the best supported rallies in the national series so far this year and was also the highest number of entries since 2007, prior to the well documented global recession which drastically affected competitor numbers.
Leading the field was Hawke's Bay's Stewart Taylor heading a list of the top 10 drivers in the D class (an open class for 4WDs). The class is traditionally dominated by Mitsubishis, with only the eighth-seeded Subaru of Carl Adnitt breaking the trend. However, past results have shown that less fancied runners can take out podium finishes, with only four of the top seeds taking out a top 10 finish at day's end.
Behind the top 10 is a strong line-up of two-wheel drive cars in the Class A (up to 1300cc), Class B (1300-1600cc) and Class C (1600cc) grades. These are led by the Toyota Corolla of Brent Taylor in the C class but the honour of the top two-wheel drive will likely be fought out between at least half a dozen contenders including last year's overall runner-up in his giant-killing Toyota Starlet, Justin Glavish. Top seed Taylor is one of three previous winners to enter this year, with defending champion Dylan Turner and Neil Allport also lining up (the outright and class D champion in 1999 driving a Mitsubishi Evo, although he will be driving two-wheel drive in class C this year).
Rally of the North takes off from Paihia this Saturday (October 13) and will cover four stages in the morning to the south-west before returning to the host city for a lunchtime service break. A further four stages to the north of Paihia rounds out the afternoon before cars return to the finish line in Paihia, after more than an estimated 10 hours on gravel and sealed Far North roads.
Plotting of the course was completed in May and the 17 back roads being used will be closed to ordinary vehicle traffic for periods on Saturday. There are more than 180km of flat-out special stages, with a comparatively low 260km of touring stages where competitors must obey all road rules. The event will also see service parks at the end of most stages rather than one central service park.
The event preview will continue Thursday's Age with an interview with Kerikeri resident Neil Simpson in his Toyota Corolla, one of the few truly local drivers among a large field lining up to tackle their first Rally of the North. Thursday's edition will also look at each of the eight stages in this year's event and what they offer to both driver and spectator.