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Entries open for rally’s rising star awards
Media statement from Rally New Zealand
4 March 2009
Entries open for rally’s rising star awards
Rally New Zealand has opened applications for the next two, more advanced stages of their Rising Stars development programme.
With twelve candidates now selected to contest the first tier Rising Stars Scholarship shootout weekend on 7 and 8 March, the next two levels for more experienced drivers are the Rising Stars Development Award and Rising Stars International Award.
Like the Scholarship, both Awards carry a significant prize worth more than $50,000 for the two successful young drivers, with the entire Rising Stars programme designed to provide them with significant financial and expert assistance to help develop their professional rally careers.
Applicants for all three of the Rising Stars programmes must be under 26 years of age on 1 January 2009, a member of a MotorSport New Zealand-affiliated car club and a New Zealand resident.
In the Rally New Zealand Rising Stars Development Award, entrants compete in their own Group N front-wheel-drive (N3) rally cars to earn points during four qualifying rallies. Entrants must compete in the NAC Insurance International Rally of Whangarei and Rally New Zealand, and nominate two additional rounds of the 2009 Vantage Aluminium Joinery New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) in which points will be counted toward the development award, explains Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr.
“After the last NZRC round – Rally Nelson – in September, the top two Development Award points’ scorers and a wildcard entrant selected by Rally New Zealand from the other Development Award entrants will attend a final selection day in October,” says Carr. “This will incorporate elements similar to the scholarship shootout weekend, such as media interviews, sponsorship presentations, fitness and written assessments.”
The Development Award winner gets professional mentoring and a $50,000 support package to contest the N4, or four-wheel-drive production car class of Rally New Zealand in 2010 as well as the full 2010 New Zealand Rally Championship.
“The third component of the Rally New Zealand rising stars development programme is the International Award,” says Carr. “Competitors who register for the International Award compete in their own Group N four-wheel-drive (N4) cars to earn points four events, just like the development award competitors. The top two and a wildcard entry then attend the final selection day in October with the winner also benefiting from expert mentoring and a $50,000 package to contest an overseas World Rally Championship, Asia Pacific Rally Championship or Pirelli Star Driver final event in 2010.”
Applications for either the Development Award or the International Award can be completed as soon as competitors are ready. Applications must take into account the dates of each competitor’s nominated NZRC round. The last date for entry with Rally New Zealand is Friday 15 May. Full details and an application form are available at www.rallynz.org.nz There is no entry fee either award programme.
ENDS/
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