Motorsport: WRC global expansion to help NZ's cause

Hayden Paddon during the Shakedown of the WRC Great Britain. Photo / Getty Images

Rally New Zealand organisers are hoping to take advantage of a push to expand the World Rally Championship over the coming years as they fight to be included in the 2018 season.

New Zealand, along with a number of other countries, has expressed an interest in getting on the WRC calendar in the coming years with Kenya's famous Safari Rally the latest to join that list this week. It hasn't featured on the WRC calendar since 2002.

WRC promoter Oliver Ciesla was in New Zealand last month for the Legends of Speed night and also got shown the plans for an event should it get the green light to return.

Rally New Zealand boss Peter Johnston tells herald.co.nz that there is a clear push from the German to take the WRC to a wider range of countries beyond Europe.

"Oliver is looking for new events - he wants to get the WRC name out there to new countries and make it exciting," Johnston says.

"We talked about a rotation process with Oliver - we think rotating events around the world is a good idea.

"We would like New Zealand to be in the rotation process where we could have the event for two or three years and then rotate it with Australia or one of these other countries that are trying to get on the calendar."

Only three events outside the European stronghold took place this year with Mexico, Argentina and Australia featuring as rounds.

The promoters are believed to be keen to see an Asian event on the calendar - China was originally included in the 2016 schedule but was canceled due to road damage and amidst claims of financial mismanagement - while an event in the Middle East would also make sense.

Brazil is pushing to be included as is Canada, which could bring a second snow event to the mix.

While capping the number of events at around 13 each year the WRC would look to implement a rotation with events swapping out each year.

It is thought that Ciesla is keen to see New Zealand take over from Australia in 2018.

"He hadn't been to New Zealand before and he was suitably impressed with New Zealand as a country," Johnston says.

"We took him down to Tauranga and showed him the facilities and infrastructure that we would use if the WRC came back to New Zealand. He met up with Tauranga council, the mayor and the MED body down there and it went very well.

"He was impressed with the facilities and he already knew our roads were good. He just wanted to make sure we were in position to run a world class event."

"We have asked him to be back on the calendar in 2018 and it would be May or June next year before we would get any indication if we have achieved that result.

"It is looking pretty positive.

"He has given us some financial figures that we would require to put on an event and now it is up to us to go a get that funding factor in order."

To begin that process Rally New Zealand got some money in the kitty to begin work thanks to the Legends of Speed night held late last month in Auckland.

"I was very proud of the Legends of Speed night," Johnston says. "To have all of those top drivers back made for a wonderful night and, for me, a very historic night.

"Mission accomplished - we raised around $250,000 that will go into the rally and also the academy to help young drivers come through."