Interview with Rotorua's rally driver Sloan Cox ahead of the Hyundai New Zealand Young Driver Shootout.
Rotorua's Sloan Cox is aiming for the top spot at the Hyundai New Zealand Young Driver Shootout.
The talented rally driver is hoping to take his career to a new level when he competes at the inaugural Hyundai NZ Young Driver Shootout tomorrow and Sunday.
Cox, 25, is one of five young rally drivers selected to contest the shootout - with the winning driver earning a spot on a mentoring programme developed by Kiwi world rally star Hayden Paddon, in partnership with Hyundai New Zealand and the Hyundai-backed Pinnacle Programme for talented teens.
The former Rotorua Car Club driver said he was "delighted" to be selected and explained how growing up in the area had greatly aided his career.
"It's pretty cool to be selected as one of the five young drivers from New Zealand. I can't believe it it's finally here. I've been waiting for the last couple of months for this to happen this weekend and now I can't wait to get started.
"Rotorua has helped me a lot - being a small, local community. A lot of people have got behind me from here and helped me especially the Rotorua Car Club, where I started out.
"There are also so many great forest and rally roads to get out there to drive and practice. I was able to do as much learning as I could at a young age."
The shootout winner will get a major step-up with their motorsport career aspirations and benefit from the opportunity to drive the Hyundai NZ AP4 i20 rally car run by Paddon Rallysport in two rounds of the 2017 New Zealand Rally Championship, testing and training with Paddon, plus the potential for an expanded programme in 2018.
Cox, who started his competitive rallying at 15, has already tasted success after winning the junior driver New Zealand Rally Championship title in 2010 aged 19 and, after a three-year break from national competition, finishing runner-up in this year's New Zealand Rally Championship and winning the junior national title for the second time.
Rotorua's Sloan Cox in action in his rally car. PHOTO/ SUPPLIED
But the Rotorua driver said he wanted to take his career to the "next level" and said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from New Zealand's best.
"I knew I had to enter ... The chance to working alongside Hayden is the main benefit," he said.
"Hayden is the New Zealand rally star to watch right now; he wants to find someone young he can train up to follow in his footsteps and I want that person to be me.
"I want to take away as much as I can to take my rally career to the next level with Hayden's help. To have the chance to work and learn from him is something you can't buy and will help me with incredible knowledge."
Running near Auckland, the Hyundai New Zealand Young Driver Shootout includes lessons and assessments on fitness, how to identify and look after sponsors, nutrition, media presence, career planning, writing pace notes and car set-up.
The finalists also get a day in the forest where they will be writing and driving to their own pace notes in the Hyundai AP4 car.
Cox will be joined by Sarah Coatsworth as his co-driver for the in-car session.
Cox joins four other finalists selected from more than 180 applicants: Max Bayley, 20, from Hawke's Bay, Waiuku's Dylan Thomson, 21, Job Quantock, 22, from Ashburton and Rangiora's Matt Summerfield, 24.
The Hyundai New Zealand Young Driver Shootout finalists will be assessed over the two days by Paddon, rally driver Reece Jones, talented teens Pinnacle Programme leader Bernice Mene, Newshub senior sports reporter Shaun Summerfield and former Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr.
Six more applicants - Jack Williamson, Max Tregilgas, Michael McLean, Chris McLean, Ari Pettigrew and Jack Hawkeswood - have been invited to participate in the classroom day.
The Hyundai New Zealand Young Driver Shootout and Scholarship winner will be named on December 11.
