West claims international rally victory

Christchurch’s Chris West has taken the overall round win at the NAC Insurance Hella International Rally of Whangarei, narrowly defeating new series leader Hayden Paddon during the two-day event.

Held over fifteen stages south of Whangarei, West finished one point ahead of Paddon after a time count-back pipped the 2007 event winner who headed the Sunday set of time sheets.

Overnight third place sitter Brett Martin (Mitsubishi Lancer) was overhauled during the day by Rotorua’s Dean Sumner (Mitsubishi Lancer).

Following heavy overnight rain in the Kaipra region, predominantly clear skies during the day afforded better road grip as the gravel surface started to bind.

Mixed in with the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship field, West’s outright victory has again kept the international drivers at arm’s length of the title – Australia’s Cody Crocker coming closest in third overall*.

“It’s fantastic; it’s a good result for the whole Simms rally team, credit and payback for all the hard work.  Personally for me it’s a good boost of confidence and that’s what we wanted – to set out to put some good stage times on the board and that’s what we’ve done,” said Chris West, in the Lancer EVO 9.

Edging out West for the championship points awarded on the Sunday, the total has put Hayden Paddon in to the Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship lead by 23 points.  Elevated to second, West is 19 points ahead of Masterton’s Richard Mason who crashed out of contention early on the Saturday.

“It’s been a good day – quite exciting and good being so close,” said Paddon.  “I said it was going to be down to tyres and it was a lot drier than what I was hoping it would be – we still pushed and the tyres held in there really well.  It’s good for our championship so I think we’re heading in the right direction for the rest of the year.”

Paddon clean-swept the inaugural Pirelli Star Driver award points table, earning €5,000 toward contesting the Malaysian rally event later in the season.

On-track to battle for the second of two positions awarded in the international scholarship programme, Rotorua’s Sloan Cox (Mitsubishi) rolled from contention in the opening stage this morning.  Re-entering after rolling on Saturday, Northland’s Kirsty Nelson (Subaru) scored a number of points during the day.  However it was consistency from Brad Ayling (Subaru) who came on form during the Sunday to take the second placing of €5,000.

The two-wheel drive campaigners had a day of mixed results after Australian entry Brendan Reeves suffered a battery fault in his Ford Fiesta to lose his points advantage: “…we got back to service, the boys changed the battery and it fired straight up,” he said after enduring a frustrating road-side halt.  “So it just seems like a tiny little problem and it has ruined our weekend.  We were pretty quick this morning; the first stage we did out in the forest this morning Rhianon (co-driver) and I said that was probably the best stage we had ever done.  It was a perfect stage and we are just loving the roads and it’s just awesome fun,” he said of his first even outside his homeland.

Taking the two-wheel points advantage for the weekend, Wellington’s Aaron Cook (Honda Jazz) completed a consistent run to head Northland local Ben Jagger (Ford Fiesta) by one point.  The result puts Cook 49 points ahead of second placed Dave Strong (Honda Civic).

Patrick Malley (Ford Fiesta) was the only two-wheel entry to score a point in the Pirelli Star Driver award table.

With a six week break to the fourth round of the championship, the teams again head east for the Tomoana Warehousing Rally Hawke’s Bay (26-27 July).

 

Ends.

 

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

Championship points: http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Rally/nzrc/points.htm

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