Motorsport: Hamilton slides into contention

With Rally Australia giving reputations Down Under a black eye, Rally New Zealand is reviewing its options for next year's round of the world championship.

Another change of date seems likely and indications are the headquarters could be moved from Auckland to Hamilton, using Mystery Creek as a service park and possibly the venue for a publicity stage.

The Australians gave notice of a change to the east coast for next year, then could not agree on a venue.

With the world championship authorities threatening to drop their round, the Aussies opted to stay another year in Perth.

It didn't seem to meet the approval of some long-standing residents on the stages: several prominent drivers had close encounters with kangaroos.

New Zealand rally supremo Morrie Chandler brought the mood of the teams and championship officialdom back home this week and, while he was reluctant to predict all the changes, he indicated that changes were likely.

The date is likely to shift to November 17-19, giving teams an extra week to make the journey to Perth. This is unlikely to be a problem.

For some time New Zealand has been excused from the requirement that there be only one service park. Recent rallies have used roads around Paparoa in the north and Raglan to the south, with Auckland as the headquarters and Manukau providing the superspecial publicity stage.

"We don't agree that one size fits all rallies and that our concept was wrong," said Chandler.

"But we've been pushing uphill with a pointed stick for three years, and maybe it's time to fall in line. We will do the timings and consider a number of options. Mystery Creek is certainly an option, but it comes with a price."

The general manager of Rally New Zealand, Gary Upson, is enthusiastic about the Hamilton venue, which some years ago provided a spectator stage for the world championship.

"It has covered areas for the teams, a grandstand, and could be a real focal point for spectators with cars coming and going during the day," he said. "There are roads close by which could be used for a stage, maybe with 30s intervals between the cars. "With a site like that you could also offer other entertainment when the cars were away on the stages."

Chandler believes next year's championship is likely to see four two-car works teams: Ford, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Skoda. , There may also be four second-level teams, two each from Ford and Citroen.

These second teams would be eligible for the championship, and world champion Sebastien Loeb has already signed with a Citroen-backed outfit as the French manufacturer takes a year out.

The 2006 cars will lose some of the more expensive mechanical aids, but Ford showed with their new Focus in Australia that they will have much the same speed.

Chandler believes the world body will be liberal in its interpretations to keep a strong field for the season.

Meanwhile, for those who like real rallying, the Marathon Rally Club has confirmed that its inaugural Silver Fern Rally in the South Island will run from October 7 to 14.

New Zealand's first week-long gravel marathon since the days of the Heatway and Motogard Rallies back in the 1970s and 1980s, looks likely to start and finish in Blenheim and will use up to 1500km of special stages as far south as Queenstown, including overnight stops in Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and Greymouth.