Adams Takes Debut Victory At Rally of the North

Adams Takes Debut Victory At Rally of the North

Taranaki driver Nigel Adams has survived treacherous conditions to take a popular and well deserved victory in the Tanoa Paihia Hotel Rally of the North on Saturday.

Along with co-driver Tanya Gwynne, Adams won five of the day’s eight stages in his older Mitsubishi Evo 5 to take victory. The pair battled hard with 2011 event winners Dylan Turner and Malcolm Read until the pair left the road, leaving Adams with a comfortable gap across the afternoon, eventually coming home 37.5 seconds ahead of second placed Geof Argyle and Joelle Eyre. Third place went to Neil Marshall and Richy Carr, also of Taranaki.

The battle for top two-wheel drive honours was one of attrition. After two stages, Ian Wood held the lead in his Toyota Corolla, but retired after the stage with damaged suspension. That left Justin Glavish to take the lead, but he was soon overtaken by Tony McConachy’s motorcycle powered Toyota Starlet. McConachy retired at the start of stage six, handing the lead to veteran Grant Liston, but when he lost time on the penultimate stage with a puncture, Patrick Malley in his Ford Fiesta took the honours of top two-wheel drive.

As well as Adams (Class D) and Malley (Class C), class winners included Wayne Rowberry (Class E), Justin Glavish (Class A) and Eric Uhe (Class B). They lead home a field of 43 finishers, down on the 60 cars that took the start in Paihia earlier in the day.

As well as naming rights sponsor Tanoa Paihia Hotel, Rally of the North receives support from stage sponsors Suspension Direct, Hynds Pipe Systems, RCK Contractors, MRT Construction and LJ Hooker Manurewa.

ENDS

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