Carter And Ulmer Go Head To Head – All For A Good Cause
Olympic gold medalists Hamish Carter and Sarah Ulmer will face off in a unique best of three match race over a 2.1km
circuit this Saturday but neither will enjoy the comfort of a bike or their normal surroundings.
Both Athens champions will this time be behind the wheel in the TSB Bank sponsored celebrity challenge at the Manukau
Super Special Stage of Propecia Rally New Zealand.
Carter and Ulmer will race three times around the circuit on Saturday night, before the big guns of world rallying take
to the course in special stages 15 and 16 of the World Rally Championship event and both are looking forward to their
stints behind the wheel.
Rally Drive New Zealand instructor Dale Perry assisted in driver training.
“This was something totally foreign to both Hamish and Sarah but they showed a willingness to learn and listen. I guess
this says something about their abilities as sportspeople of the highest order. The crowd will be in for a treat on
Saturday night and should be prepared to be surprised at the skill on display from both novice drivers, albeit they
should also be a little forgiving if they make the odd mistake or two!”
There is a serious side to the fun, with Ronald MacDonald House set to benefit from the efforts of the Olympians.
Through the generous support of TSB Bank, a considerable donation will be made to the charity on behalf of the winner of
the best of three race series.
Carter and Ulmer will have one final opportunity to familiarize themselves with the cars and the course when they
undertake reconnaissance of the Manukau Super Special Stage on Tuesday (tomorrow) from 3pm to 4pm. Media are welcome to
attend.
TSB BANK CELEBRITY CHALLENGE
Propecia Rally New Zealand
Manukau Super Special Stage
Reconnaissance
Tuesday 5th April from 3pm
TSB Bank Celebrity Challenge
Saturday 9th April
Race 1 6:20pm
Race 2 6:30pm
Race 3 6:40pm
Propecia Rally NZ first car 7:30pm
Other pre event entertainment at the Manukau Super Special Stage will include the supremely quick and entertaining quad
bikes, featuring Ian Fitch, five times winner of the Race to the Sky Super Quad category. Chasing Fitch hard will be the
other 2005 top five finishers in the same category in the Race to the Sky, Graeme Giles, Darcy Prendergast, Tim George
and Tony Etheridge.
To emphasise the speed of the Super Quads, Ian Fitch was fastest overall in the 2003 Ashley Forest Rally Sprint and won
the inaugural Possum Bourne Memorial Trophy at Queenstown this year.
The Propecia-sponsored event begins with a ceremonial start at Waitemata Plaza on the Viaduct on Thursday 7 April. Fans
can enjoy a Motorsport Show, driver autograph signings and an official Maori challenge before cars cross the ramp from
7.30pm.
The first full days on Friday and Saturday are in the Kaipara region before returning for two super special stages at
Manukau City on Saturday evening, with the last day in the Waikato region near Raglan. The final stage will be the
internationally acclaimed Whaanga Coast, with the ceremonial finish at Waitemata Plaza on the viaduct on Sunday
afternoon.
Propecia Rally New Zealand Hair Raising Statistic #10
Number of different Tread Patterns allowed on tyres during Propecia Rally New Zealand: Two
Propecia Rally NZ, April 7-10.
For further details visit http://www.rallynz.org.nz