Strategy to play part for top-runners

International Rally of Whangarei 15 – 17 July 2011

Media statement

15 July 2011

Strategy to play part for top-runners in International Rally of Whangarei

Five of the top-runners in this weekend’s International Rally of Whangarei – including Kiwi star Hayden Paddon and current Asia Pacific Rally Championship points-leader Chris Atkinson from Australia – have varying objectives for the two day event.

The International Rally of Whangarei, which runs from 15 to 17 July, is the fourth round of both the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC).

During the pre-event media conference, Atkinson expressed his desire to win the event outright, but tempered that with his need to think about the championship standings for his Proton team. After three APRC events and two APRC and outright wins, Atkinson has 70 points putting him ahead of Team MRF driver Gaurav Gill, from India, and Proton team-mate Alister McRae, from Great Britain, who each have 60 points.

“I think we will play it a bit smart, watch where the guys are around us, where Gaurav is, and Alister as well, as they’re only ten points behind – so that’s the main thought,” says Atkinson. “We’d still like to win the event outright, but with a lot of quick locals and the competition out there, we’ll try our best and play it as it comes.”

Atkinson and McRae each drive a Super 2000 category Malaysian-made Proton Satria Neo, with the cars hampered by mechanical reliability last season. Now, says Atkinson, the team “has been working on the reliability of the engine and hopefully that’s made a big step forward so then we can work on performance increases as well. So it’s looking better and hopefully we have no problems this weekend and can keep scoring points in the championship.”

Three-time winner of the Whangarei event Hayden Paddon, from Geraldine, has a different goal.

“We will be focusing on our own performance again this weekend, similar to last year really, but we are still trying to get our heads around the car,” says Paddon who switched from Mitsubishi to Subaru at the start of the year. “We’ve only done a few events [in our New Zealand-based Subaru]. In terms of driving, it’s not a problem; it’s learning how to get the best out of it, so we’re working on that and keeping one eye on heading to Finland [Paddon’s next event in the Production World Rally Championship, which he presently leads]. From my own point-of-view I have to get back in that mode of driving flat-out, but also to find something with the car that will help us more in Finland.”

Defending APRC champion Katsuhiko Taguchi starts first on the road for day one of the event, which takes competitors south from Whangarei through a series of competitive stages around Waipu Cove.

Taguchi says: “I think being first car on the road will be better tomorrow than when it’s dry [as the roads are wet after recent heavy rain]. In the wet it won’t be so much of a problem. So far we have not had good points in the championship with two retirements so I have to drive more consistently and to check the car that everything’s good before I go for a better position.”

MRF team-mate Gill comments: “Well it’s a long rally; it’s going to be wet so it’s definitely going to be a lottery. It’s going to be important to see where you are after the first few stages, or maybe after the first loop. Because we are tied up (on points) with Alister, and Chris is about ten points up, we have to play it smart and play a waiting game while being as fast as we can.”

Richard Mason leads the New Zealand Rally Championship standings, so has this competition to consider as well as earning APRC team points for SouEast Motor Kumho Team.

“The New Zealand championship part of it is not too difficult,” says the two-time New Zealand rally champion. “We’ve got a reasonable lead in the championship and the points’ structure doesn’t really reward winning rallies, so for us it’s about going home with a result from here, which should put us in a good position heading in to the final NZRC round in Hawke’s Bay.

“As far as the team is concerned obviously they’d like to get a good points’ haul here and we’d be looking at the overall result as opposed to each day, to come home with a good result for the Soueast Motor Kumho Team.

“Absolutely we want to go fast but I’m in a new car for us as I’ve been driving Subaru for a number of years and this is the first time I’ve been in a Mitsubishi Evo X. So there is a relative amount of learning has to go on. I would expect after the first day I could get the car to a point where we can start setting some good stage times and if we have to push through to the end of the rally to come away with the required result then we can do so.”

Paddon commented on road conditions, saying he thought they were really good. “If it stays a little bit damp it’ll be great, particularly if you’re in those first four or five cars on the road. Last year we were setting stage records [at the front of the field] even when it rained heavily on the Sunday. You find the road surface here it binds a lot when you get it wet, but obviously there is a fine line between it being wet and too wet. If it starts drying out a bit it’ll be perfect.”

The official start order has Taguchi heading off first, followed by Paddon, then Atkinson, Gill and McRae. With a FIA B seeding young Australian Brendan Reeves is away in sixth ahead of Mason, NZRC contender and APRC team points-scorer Emma Gilmour, Australian Nathan Quinn, Indonesian Rifat Sungkar and Kiwi Sloan Cox in tenth.

The rally itself starts on Saturday morning, taking competitors as far south as Maungaturoto and back to Whangarei for the super special stage at Pohe Island. The event wraps up with the ceremonial finish at Quayside Town Basin 3:30pm on Sunday afternoon.

Prime spectator viewing areas are shown on the official rally map available from the event website, www.rallywhangarei.co.nz, or from rally headquarters at Whangarei’s Quayside Town Basin. Tickets are available to the Saturday rural stages, Saturday Pohe Island special stage or all stages on Sunday – each ticket is $10 per adult, or $30 for a gold pass to access all stages. Children under 15 are free with a paying adult. Tickets can be purchased on the day from spectator points or at rally HQ. A share of ticket revenue goes to the local community groups that help run the spectator viewing areas.

ENDS/

2011 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
Malaysian Rally (April 1-3)
International Rally of Queensland (May 13-15)
Rally de Nouvelle Caledonie (June 17-19)
Rally of Whangarei (July 16-17)
Rally Hokkaido (September 30-October 2)
China Rally Longyou (November 4-6)

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