Thomson Has Everything to Play for at Rally NZ
Waiuku’s Dylan Thomson heads to the final round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, Rally
New Zealand, with everything to play for as he currently leads the chase for three national titles.
Thomson and co-driver Amy Hudson currently lead the NZRC two-wheel drive class for front-wheel drive cars up to
two-litres, as well as the overall Motorsport New Zealand two-wheel drive championship chase. Thomson also currently
leads the Junior championship with only the Tauranga-based two-day event remaining.
Outside of the championship winning opportunities on the line, the chance to compete on some of the Rally New Zealand
roads is something of a dream for the 22-year old. The opening day sees teams travel across to Raglan for some of the
most recognisable stages in world rallying, including the infamous Whaanga Coast, while Sunday’s stages include
Manawahe, which passes through the infamous Helicopter corner. For someone who has grown up spectating New Zealand’s
round of the World Rally Championship, finally getting his chance to tackle the roads he grew up spectating is a special
feeling for Thomson.
“There’s certainly plenty to play for this weekend, I can’t wait to get into it. We’ve got to do our bit and hopefully
the rest will fall into place, there’s been so many people that have got us to this point. I’ve never spent so much time
under the car in my life,” says Thomson.
“Even without all of the championship excitement going on, it’s a bit of a dream come true to take on stages like
Whaanga Coast, Te Akau and Manawahe. These are stages I grew up watching the best in the world on and back then I could
only dream of competing on these roads. They’re pretty iconic roads, not only in New Zealand, but all over the world.”
Rally New Zealand gets underway with a ceremonial start on The Strand in Tauranga on Friday from 5pm, with the action
getting underway from Raglan the following morning. Crews will tackle six special stages totalling 146 kilometres of
special stages, before returning to Tauranga overnight. The following day, crews will tackle a further six stages and 80
kilometres before the finish at ASB Baypark Stadium from 4pm.
ENDS