Timing bonus for rally
The dates for next year’s New Zealand Rally Championship have been released, writes David Thomson. And it’s good news for Otago fans.
ACONFIRMED midApril date and openingbill status for the 2019 New Zealand Rally Championship is good news for next year’s Otago Rally, and doubly so with the Rally of Whangarei scheduled to run just three weekends later.
That’s the inside word from the Otago Rally organisers, who reckon that the chances of the Dunedinbased event attracting a bumper international entry are boosted by this sequencing for the start of the national championship season.
As well as being round one of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC), the Otago Rally will include the popular International Otago Classic Rally, while the Rally of Whangarei will be the opening round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship as well as round two of the NZRC.
The short break between the two events provides a perfect opportunity for international competitors to bring their cars to New Zealand for backtoback world class rallies.
‘‘The 2019 Otago Rally is already looking great, with strong interest from international competitors and others wanting to travel to visit Dunedin,’’ event manager Norman
Oakley said.
‘‘Now that the date is confirmed in midApril, we will focus on the task of confirming our star international driver for next year. WRC [World Rally Championship] ace, Mads Ostberg, was a huge hit this year, and we’re hoping for a driver of similar status once again.’’
Along with the timing, the general route for the 2019 Otago Rally has been confirmed.
After a ceremonial start in Dunedin’s Octagon on Friday, April 12, day one of the event will head to North Otago. Day two will be based around Lake Waihola, with stages such as Whare Flat, Blackrock, Waipori Gorge, Berwick Forest and the international renowned Kuri Bush.
The event will offer competitors around 280km of special stages over the two days.