SNOW PODIUM FOR KIWIS

Kicking off their 2019 rally season, Mike Young and Malcolm Read claimed a solid third-place podium finish at the International Rally of Tsumagoi in Gunma Prefecture, north-west of Tokyo, Japan.

The 18-stage rally, which kicked off the 2019 Japan Super Rally Series, was a three-day affair with 83.65km of stages. The pairing traded in record summer temps for a winter wonderland in Japan’s mountains, where temperatures were plummeting to –20°C at night. It was the first time on snow for both Young and Read, and they faced up against Asia-Pacific Rally Championship regulars such as Mitsuhiro Aoki and fellow Cusco team driver Yasushi Aoyama. The Kiwi pair banked a series of solid times and several stage wins, all while shaking down their development AP4 Cusco TRD Yaris in preparation for the 2019 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

“It was a new experience driving on the snow; [I’m] happy to come home in third place and on the podium. You need a bit of knowledge on how to drive on the snow, and this was my first ever time.” explains Young. “Driving on the ice was particularly challenging; there’s just no grip — an interesting experience for sure.”

2019 INTERNATIONAL RALLY OF TSUMAGOI 1. Y Aoyama / N Takeshita, Mitsubishi Lancer — 1h 5m 46.7s 2. M Kuroiwa / T Takahashi, Subaru Impreza WRX — 1h 6m 17.2s 3. M Young / M Read, Toyota Yaris AP4 — 1h 7m 15.5s