24th September 2008. Media Release:
The 2008 Turners Auctions Daybreaker Rally is shaping up to be a vintage event.
The Daybreaker is celebrating its 25th year, and while it is not the 25th running of the rally, it is a celebration of
the milestone for the club to maintain such a high profile event for this length of time. The Daybreaker Rally was named
for its once famous Midnight starts, traversing over the Central North Island travelling through the famous Waiouru Army
roads and finishing back in Palmerston North at 4pm that afternoon, a gruelling 16 hour event that was the highlight of
the rallying calendar.
The 2008 event uses some of those great rally roads, with 10 stages including 2 sealed stages, the infamous Saddle Road
and Manfeild Autocourse. The 2008 Turners Auctions Daybreaker has also been supported by Palmerston North City Council
to help raise the profile of the event’s ceremonial start in the square on Friday 10th October.
The Arena Big screen TV will be in the square on Friday night, and will be playing rally videos and highlights from the
world of rallying during the course of the evening. Supporting this will be a free BBQ, maps and giveaways for the
public.
A new innovation for this year will be the opportunity for people to pay for a ride in a rally car around a
predetermined route around Palmerston North. Motorsport Manager Julian Hardy is excited about this opportunity for the
public. “Going for rides in these cars is something the Motorsport fraternity takes for granted. The biggest kick you
could have as a kid, (young or old) is to go for a ride in any of these types of cars. There will be a small fee which
will go directly back to the drivers to help them reduce the costs of their rally.”
The rides will start from 5pm and run until 6.15pm, with the first car going over the start ramp at 7pm officially
starting the 2008 Turners Auctions Daybreaker Rally.
ends