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Tag: Rally of Whangarei
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Hayden Paddon, co-driver John Kennard win Rally of Whangarei: APRC Ro4
Whangarei, Sunday 14 May 2023: Cromwell’s Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard have won the 2023 International Rally of Whangārei in their Hyundai i20N Rally 2 car, finishing 3min35 ahead of Ben Hunt and Tony Rawstorn (Skoda) while Rana Horan and Michael Connor finished third (Skoda).
Indian businessman from Andhra Pradesh and former Promoter of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) has sponsored the Prize Money for the winners of the APRC segment for both Otago Rally and the International Rally of Whangarei.
The fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) it was also the final round for the sub-category Pacific Cup. Paddon’s successive point scoring reinstated him as champion and was awarded the FIA trophy by representative Mr Wayne Scott.
It’s Paddon’s eighth win in Whangārei – his first was in 2007.
“I’m really proud of our team and being able to take the Pacific Cup again – against strong competition like Ben and Rana,” said Paddon after the finish.
“The event has been nice to us over the years so are honoured to make it win number eight and we look forward to next year. It was a flawless effort from the team. The car ran perfectly, so is a credit to their performance from the workshop to the event.”
The disappointment continued for Shane van Gisbergen and co-driver Glen Weston when they went off the road on the third stage of the morning. Competing for the experience, van Gisbergen’s day started with a spin on the opening stage before setting second-fastest time on the second.
A faultless performance by Cromwell’s Hayden Paddon and John Kennard has rewarded the team with their eighth win at the International Rally of Whangārei on Sunday.
Photo by Geoff Ridder.Following heavy rain in the week leading up to the event the rally ran as scheduled – including the city-side Pohe Island publicity stage. The event covered eight stages to the north on the Saturday and six to the south on Sunday, totalling 707.99km – 225.80km being competitive sections. Attrition was high with 21 of the 48 missing from the finish.
Returning to Whangārei’s Pūtahi Park in the Town Basin, the city’s mayor Mr Vince Cocurullo was on hand to celebrate with the finishers. The top three also received
prize money provided by Indian businessman and promoter Vamcy Merla. Paddon’s team was awarded NZ$3,000 for the win, $2,000 for Hunt and $1,000 for Horan in third.
The Ken Block Memorial trophy was awarded to Auckland’s Rana Horan – for outstanding sportsman like attitude and performance.
“It didn’t all go his way on the Saturday and Rana demonstrated the type of attitude we knew of Ken – his ability to give, accept adversity and still deliver a 100% performance,” said Rally New Zealand representative Chris Carr.
When his name was called out, Horan was speechless: “Awesome. It’s off the hook. Unreal,” he said. “Ken Block is a legend – I was thinking what did I do to deserve this, so am blown away. It really means a lot and I’m so grateful to Rally New Zealand for putting this together.”
Dunlop tyres drive of the event was awarded to Pukekohe’s Zeal Jones – his first time on the Whangārei roads. The 18-year-old finished fifth overall.
First two-wheel drive was Christchurch’s Dylan Thompson (Ford Fiesta Rally 4), finishing just behind Jones in sixth place.
Also the second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC), the local teams now return to the South Island for the third round – the 17 June South Canterbury Rally. While Paddon leads the series, he will miss the next round.
The title deciding final round of the APRC will be held at Indonesia’s Danau Toba Rally – 24 to 26 November.
Top-ten overall: 2023 International Rally of Whangārei (provisional)
1 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard – Hyundai i20n Rally 2 2:04:03.0
2 Ben Hunt/Tony Rawstorn – Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo +3:35.6
3 Raana Horan/Michael Connor – Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo +1:08.4
4 Josh Marston/Andrew Graves – Holden Barina AP4 +6:54.8
5 Zeal Jones/Matt Sayers – Subaru Impreza +3:00.0
6 Dylan Thomson/Bayden Thomson – Ford Fiesta Rally 4 +0:00.5
7 Jackson Clendon/Tania Cresswell – Ford Fiesta Rally 4 +0:35.3
8 Jordan Grant/Glenn Goldring – Suzuki Swift Sport +3:12.4
9 Bryn Jones/Sean Lockyear – Ford Fiesta Rally 4 +0:20.4
10 Mike Young/Amy Hudson – Toyota C-HR +0:16.6
(Top-three are FIA APRC registered competitors).
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Vamcy Merla backs Rally of Whangarei, Pacific Cup winners: APRC
Whangarei (New Zealand), 11 May 2023: The 12-14 May running of the 2023 International Rally of Whangarei is underway with teams now doing pre-event reconnaissance.
“There is prize money of NZ$3,000 for the winning APRC entrant, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third, provided by Indian businessman and promoter Vamcy Merla,” said the organisers about the contribution of Merla, who is taking forward the legacy of his later father, Merla Chandrasekhar Rao of Kalyani Group in Andhra Pradesh.
Preparation for the return of the international level to the Whangārei region comes after numerous weather events and successive years hiatus through COVID-19 restrictions.
Organisers are now looking ahead following Tuesday’s rain downpour – focussing on delivering the event as planned, with currently only one minor alteration to the timetable.
Scheduled to be contested over 18 special sections of closed road, that has now been reduced to 16.
“On the Sunday we’ve removed the Tangihua road from the timetable – which was to be used twice,” said Mr Steve Foster, chairman of the organising committee.
“Following the weather front that passed through we’ve had to ask and been asked the question as to the usability of some roads. Inspection has confirmed It only affected one section of road where there have been slips that are yet to be cleared. While it’s expected to be open again this afternoon we’ve opted to remove it from our schedule.”
At 14.40km long it will reduce the overall competitive distance from 254.60km to 225.80km.
Foster says Pohe Island is now the current focus. The William Fraser Memorial Park is to host Saturday’s publicity section: “Current conditions make it marginal for hospitality to setup at Pohe Island – we’re working on an alternate option while remaining optimistic the clearer weather mean we can run as planned.”
With light rain expected during the Thursday, weather for the next few days is clear.
“It’s possible a few showers could pass through later on Sunday however that’s a few days out and unlikely to affect anything,” added Foster.
The event brings 48 teams to the region – 11 of them contesting the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) category. Top-seed drivers include Hayden Paddon and Shane van Gisbergen.
Seven cars are offshore entries, including the Cusco Toyota C-HR of Michael Young. Others include Eugene Creugent and Pierre-Henri Brunet from New Caledonia, Julien Lenglet and Nelson Law from Vanuatu, Stewart Reid and Glen Alcorn from Australia.
Activity starts from 1pm Friday with shakedown testing at William Fraser Memorial Park’s Pohe Island. Drivers will then be at the Cameron St Mall from 4:45pm for a signing session ahead of the 5:30pm ceremonial start.
The competitive section begins Saturday morning with four special stage tests to the north of Whangārei. They return from 11:42am for a service stop before repeating the journey in the afternoon. The day concludes with a double run of the Pohe Island 1.15km spectator stage.
Sunday uses four road stage sections to the south – repeated after the 10:39am service break. The remaining teams return for the ceremonial finish at the Pūtahi Park – Town Basin, Whangārei, from 3pm.
Spectator tickets start at $10 for the rural stages for the Saturday or Sunday, or $20 for the Pohe Island stage. Full ticketing information can be found on the website. https://www.rallywhangarei.co.nz/spectators/
