2008 Rally Of Southland Cancelled

MEDIA RELEASE
12 MAY 2008

2008 Rally Of Southland Cancelled

One of Southland's most popular motorsport events, the Ascot Park Hotel Rally Of Southland will not be held in 2008.

While the rally is off the schedule for this year a replacement event, a dual rallysprint event at Pebbly Hills will be held on Saturday 28 June. The rallysprint will consist of a morning event on a 9.8 kilometre course followed by a 7 kilometre stage in the afternoon. Competitors will receive four runs on both events. A rallysprint is similar to a rally special stage and the winner is the competitor who takes the least amount of time to complete the stage on their fastest run. The rallysprint will be a round of the Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series.

The Ascot Park Hotel supported event has been cancelled due to the loss of some key members of the event's organising committee well into the planning stages of the event. The losses also included the sad passing of one longtime member of the committee which has left a gulf that has proved hard to fill in time for the 2008 event.

However rally organisers, the Southland Sports Car Club remain committed to holding a top class rally each season and will begin planning for the 2009 event in the coming months. In recent times the rally has brought together a top class field of drivers contesting three major championships - the NZ Rally Xtreme Championship, the Mainland Rally Series and the Laird Motorsport Southern Rally Series.

Full details of the rallysprint will be announced in the near future.

ENDS

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