MotorSport New Zealand RallyWeb

Attention sports editor - for immediate release Saturday 7th June 2008.

Media release: Round #3 of the Vantage Aluminium Joinery 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship, on behalf of The Motorsport Company

West dominates international rally

Flying in to the lead of the NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei today, Christchurch's Chris West tops the international competition in his Andrew Simms Mitsubishi.
Photo: Euan Cameron

Paddon takes rally championship lead

A dramatic opening day of the NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei has seen Mitsubishi’s Chris West top the time sheets while Hayden Paddon has taken the lead in the Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship.

Using eight stages south of Whangarei, clear sunny skies came as a welcome surprise as much as the international field struggled over the thickly gravelled roads that make up the third round in the 2008 championship season.

While Christchurch’s Chris West took first blood in the opening test, it was the deficit to the international front-runners that put them on the back-foot.

Then the field underwent a metamorphosis as off-road excursions re-shaped the championship ladder.

The significant 29 point lead enjoyed by pairing of Richard and Sara Mason evaporated one kilometre from the end of the second test when the BNT Subaru rolled heavily to put them out of contention for the event.

“We rode up a bank and it went over,” said Mason as he stood beside his stricken car. “Hey, these things happen,” he said philosophically.

Finishing second to West for the day, Geraldine’s Hayden Paddon was the benefactor to finish as the new championship leader. A mere 20 seconds behind after 159km of competition was a gap Paddon intends on reversing for the final seven tests on Sunday: “We’ve been getting second too much lately so I think its about time to change that and try go one higher. Our main focus is still the New Zealand championship and with Richard (Mason) not finishing, it’s pretty vital to get as many points we can this weekend and get the lead,” said the 21-year old.

Geraldine's Hayden Paddon has taken the lead in the Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship after leader Richard Mason crashed out of contention during the first day of the NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei.
Photo: Euan Cameron

Paddon is also the leading driver for the Pirelli Star Driver programme, taking a massive 11 point lead while the second scholarship position is now wide open following the retirement of Mark Tapper.

Third for the championship standings from the day of competition was a third Mitsubishi of Masterton’s Brett Martin, finishing fourth overall behind top-billed Australian driver Cody Crocker (Subaru).

The Kiwi-2 category was similarly decimated, Aaron Cook (Honda Jazz) and Sean Gray (Mitsubishi Mirage) the only survivors to significantly boost their points advantage.

Christchurch's Sean Gray was one of only two Kiwi-2 cars that finished the opening day of the NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei, third round of the Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship.
Photo: Euan Cameron

Starting Sunday at 7:30am, the teams will contest a further 97km of gravel south of Whangarei before returning to the Quayside Town Basin for a ceremonial finish at 3pm.

Ends.

Results – day one

NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei – (top ten)

Pos. Driver/Navigator Vehicle Total

1 Chris West/Garry Cowan Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX 1hr37m57.4

2 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX +0:20.2

3 Cody Crocker/Ben Atkinson SubaruImpreza WRX STi +1m31.5

4 Brett Martin/Grant Marra Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX +1m49.5

5 Dean Sumner/Paul Fallon Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX +1m54.8

6 Katsuhiko Taguchi/Mark Stacey Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX +3m07.9

7 Callum McInnes/David Calder Subaru Impreza WRX STi +3m30.1

8 Emma Gilmour/Jeff Judd Subaru Impreza WRX STi +3m46.1

9 Scott Pedder/Glen Weston Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX +4m22.5

10 Dean Herridge/Chris Murphy Subaru Impreza WRX STi +4m43.0

For full results: www.chrissport.co.nz - http://www.chrissport.co.nz/resultsDetail.php?id_event=62

Event information:

Event title: NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei.
Third of six rounds in the 2008 Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship.
Third of seven rounds in the 2008 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
Is a qualifying round of The Pirelli star driver contest (see website for more details).
First of two international category events used by the New Zealand championship.
Only Group N 4WD, Group N 2WD and Kiwi-2 fields will run for championship points.
Starts with a ceremonial opening at 5:30pm on the Friday evening at Cameron St Mall in Whangarei.
Uses roads in the Northland and Kaipara District roads from Saturday 7 June to Sunday 8 June.
Covers 15 gravel stages split over Saturday and Sunday.
First stage starts at 9:18am on the Saturday.
Uses roads previously used by Rally New Zealand: Bull, Cassidy, Waipu Caves.
Includes three runs around the Whangarei Super Special stage at Pohe Island.
The event was won outright last year by then 19-year old Hayden Paddon of Geraldine.
17 teams have entered for the Group N 4WD and 2WD championship round with four in the Kiwi-2 category.
Includes new championship entry of Brendan Reeves from Australia in a Ford Fiesta.
Television coverage of the event starts on Sunday 15th June, with the second day shown on Sunday 22nd June. Features and repeats will also be shown on Fujitsu Motorsport on Sky TV.
Special stage number and name:

1/5 Hella Wairere 18.92km

2/6 Bull 35.97km

3/7 Cassidy 23.17km

4/8/12 NAC Insurance Super Special Pohe Island 1.50km

9/13 Hella Brooks 16.15km

10/14 Millbrook 10.51km

11/15 Northtec Waipu Caves 21.19km

Event website: www.rallywhangarei.co.nz

VANTAGE ALUMINIUM JOINERY 2008 NEW ZEALAND RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

1.

12-13 April

Rally Wairarapa

2.

10-11 May

Rally Otago

3.

07-08 June

Rally of Whangarei *

4.

26-27 July

Rally of Hawke’s Bay

5.

28-31 August

Rally New Zealand **

6.

20-21 September

Rally Nelson

* FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship
** FIA World Rally Championship

For further information: www.motorsport.org.nz/Rally or www.vantage.co.nz
For any enquiries relating to the Vantage Aluminium Joinery 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship, please contact:

Laurie Brenssell

Championship Promotions Co-ordinator

0274 333 667

laurie.b@xtra.co.nz

Lance Hastie

Rally Publicist

021 329 909

lance@inspire.net.nz