With approx 185km of stages this year, a lunch break in Paihia and 2 new stages south of Paihia, it is gearing up for an exciting event. Add the fact it is the final round for both the Top Half Rally Series and Rally Xtreme Challenge series… 2012 is not going to be an event to be missed!

Stage Summary – 2012 [subject to council approvals]

MORE….

However, Saturday’s idyllic setting was the calm before what turned out to be an eventful rally, which headed west and then into the Far North backcountry.

The field started to dwindle as the lunch break in Kaitaia grew nearer and by the end of the day, 17 cars had retired due to off-road excursions as well as a few mechanical breakdowns.

That may have been what made the victory even sweeter for Auckland driver Dylan Turner and co-pilot Malcolm Read, who came out on top in their Mitsubishi Evolution 8. Turner said it was the first event he had won in eight years.

Justin Glavish and Michelle Brunt finished in second place – impressive considering they were competing in a two-wheel-drive Toyota Starlet with a 1300cc engine. The final two on the podium were Graham Featherston and Heather Wise who were in a Mitsubishi Evolution 3.

It was a rally to forget for No1 seeds and last year’s champions Ben Jagger and Ben Hawkins from Whangarei. Their rally came to an abrupt end when their Subaru Impreza Sti caught fire two kilometres from the end of the last stage (Special Stage Eight) forcing them to retire. No injuries occurred but Jagger’s car was extensively damaged.

Ben Haselden, another driver from Whangarei, finished sixth overall, and Kaitaia driver Jay Sharp finished in 10th place overall.

More @ the Northern Advocate

The weather was clear and the roads were dry which was going to be the ideal start for the 38 competitors entered into the competition.

Northland MP Mike Sabin arrived early to offically start the event with the first car leaving at 0700 hours.

The morning even seemed to be too early for the seasoned event officials who were citing “coffee” for quite a few hours.

So the field started out as 38 but the field was slightly smaller by the midday lunch break.

Driver Jonathan Walker and co-driver Ethan Mackwood-Smith of car number 27 simply went “a bit too fast into the corner, clipped the bank and rolled over about 3 or 4 times”.

Fortunately, they were both unhurt and are quite keen to compete again, even going as far to say “if it wasn’t for the camber of the back wheel we probably would have kept on racing!”

But it was Kerikeri local Kingsley Thompson who took the early lead.

While he had one close call with a wooden railing, Kingsley kept up a good pace and said the car was running well.

He wanted to go faster but said he needed to “grow some bigger ka-hoonies” in order to win The Valvoline Rally of the North.

And Kaitaia local Jay Sharp was doing very well and was placed an impressive 15th overall which was a huge improvement on last year where his rally ended in the first stage.

He said he was “flat out” in a few spots and that the “car finally feels like it’s mine” so everything is “feeling great”.

He also said the stages were “absolutely beautiful” which was echoed by many of the competitors in the lunch service.

However, Whangarei local Ben Haselden was having a few problems with the ECU and the car was just “cutting out” and he was just “hoping it doesn’t rear its head up again” for the next few stages to follow.

With a bit of rain setting in around the area, the following stages could get interesting.

Meet the competitors down at the Williams Street carpark in Paihia at 5.27pm where The Valvoline Rally of the North will officially finish.

Also, we have introduced a ceremonial start on Friday night, on Williams Street, so the public can see the cars and drivers pre-event and to bring the event to the public.

Then why not BECOME A VOLUNTEER!! The Rally of the North is run with over 100 volunteers from the local communities and surrounding areas. Volunteers roles include committee members, stage marshalling, timing, safety and rally headquarters. Many of our volunteers have many years of service to rallying. If you are interested in volunteering for Rally of the North, please complete the 2011ROTN_VolunteerForm.

Once completed please send the form to Rally of the North, Rally Secretary, PO Box 104-161, Lincoln North, AUCKLAND.