2012 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally

Rally of New Zealand Ltd
Media release
Re: 2012 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother
26 April 2012

Kelsey takes on Gilmour, West and Mason in Wairarapa’s NZRC challenge
As the current rally championship leader, Coromandel’s Alex Kelsey has the honour – and the challenge – of starting first on the road when the Trusthouse Racetech Rally Wairarapa gets underway in Masterton this weekend.

Rally Wairarapa is the second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother, and runs 28 and 29 April on flowing rural roads primarily to the north and northeast of Masterton.

Kelsey, at age 19, made history when he won the opening NZRC round, Brother International Rally of Whangarei, at the beginning of April becoming the youngest-ever round winner in the 37-year history of the championship. This year, the overall championship title can be won by any competitor registered for the championship, regardless of the class of car they compete in. This makes Kelsey’s open class four-wheel-drive Subaru WRX eligible for the outright title up against former champions Chris West, from Timaru, and local Masterton hero Richard Mason.

As the championship leader and therefore top seed, Kelsey starts the first day of competition in Wairarapa first on the road and faces the possibility of having to sweep heavy gravel from the best lines, a position which can disadvantage the frontrunner compared to following competitors.

Fresh from winning the fourth round of the Northern Sprint Series held in Huntly over the weekend of 21 and 22 April, Kelsey admits starting first on the road is a new challenge.

“I haven’t started any rally first on the road, let alone a round of the New Zealand Rally Championship!” says Kelsey who is relishing the winning start to his 2012 season. Hard work that the teenager put into developing his modified open class Subaru last season is paying off with further sprint event victories to add to his Whangarei championship win. “After all the work and effort we’ve put into the car, it’s been like a dream start to the year.”

Masterton local and defending New Zealand rally champion Richard Mason says starting first on the road is a situation that all top rally drivers have to contend with.

“We’ve all been chucked in the deep end and had to deal with the experience of sweeping the worst of the gravel for following competitors,” says Mason. “It’s all part of the learning Alex will be going through.”

Mason, who is seeded third behind Timaru’s Mitsubishi driving Chris West, says he’s been working through his usual preparation for the event.

“The one new factor is that we have a new engine in our BNT Subaru. Our plan this year was to run Whangarei with the 2011 engine, which we did, and now we’re on schedule with the new engine for our home event.”

Seeded behind Mason in the starting order for Wairarapa is Dunedin’s Emma Gilmour. Currently second on the NZRC leader-board, just eight points behind Kelsey, Gilmour is out to take the championship lead this weekend.

“That should be an ideal position on the road to push for the championship lead and an outright round win,” says Gilmour, whose storming comeback drive after early problems was one of the talking points of last year’s Wairarapa event. Gilmour’s confidence for this weekend has been boosted after a successful debut with her new co-driver Anthony McLoughlin at Whangarei.

“It is always a bit of step into the unknown with a new co-driver, but we combined really well in the car first-time out: he is very thorough and professional in his approach, and delivers the pace notes really well,” she says. “That’s crucial in the Wairarapa, as the rally’s fantastic country roads demand high levels of commitment.”

This season all NZRC competitors have the opportunity to earn bonus championship points with the new power stage. For Rally Wairarapa, the power stage has been nominated by officials as the final stage on Saturday, stage eight, the 7.02 km Te Parae Rd with Kelsey as first car set to start at 4:40 pm. The fastest three drivers – both in the overall standings and in each class – through the power stage earn themselves three, two and one bonus points respectively.

The New Zealand Rally Championship classes being contested in the Wairarapa event comprise:
-- Group N 4WD, currently headed by Christchurch’s Matt Jansen after a steady, consistent run in Whangarei;
-- Group N 2WD with Christchurch’s Josh Marston leading;
-- Open 4WD, which Kelsey leads;
-- Open 2WD with the current sole competitor David Holder obviously leads;
-- Historic challenge with Kaiapoi’s Marcus van Klink topping the points.

This year’s Wairarapa event runs over 16 high-speed special stages, eight on the Saturday and a further eight on the Sunday. The first car is expected to reach the finishing ramp at Masterton’s Copthorne Solway Park Hotel soon after 3.30pm on Sunday.

News and information about the championship – including driver profiles and team news – can be found on the website www.nzrallychampionship.conz, or follow New Zealand Rally Championship on Facebook. Rally Wairarapa details, including a rally map, can be found on the website www.rallywairarapa.co.nz.

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Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother
Points for top five drivers overall
1, Alex Kelsey, Coromandel, 31
2, Emma Gilmour, Dunedin, 23
3, Matt Jansen, Christchurch, 22
4, Kingsley Thompson, Kerikeri, 17
5, Matt Summerfield, Rangiora, 11

Calendar: 2012 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother
Round 1 – 30 March to 1 April – Brother International Rally of Whangarei (NZRC / APRC)
Round 2 – 27 to 29 April – Trusthouse Racetech Rally Wairarapa (NZRC)
Round 3 – 25 to 27 May – DriveSouth Rally Otago (NZRC)
Round 4 – 21 to 24 June – Brother Rally New Zealand (NZRC / WRC and incorporating Possum Bourne Memorial Rally)
Round 5 – 25 to 26 August – Rally Gisborne (NZRC)

ENDS

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