Rally NZ News

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Hirvonen wins in Australia after penalty for Loeb

Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen have taken victory in Repco Rally Australia following a technical decision that elevated them to first place after originally finishing second behind the Citroen of Sebastién Loeb and Daniel Elena.

Paddon wins world rally prize

Geraldine’s Hayden Paddon has become the second successive New Zealander to beat international competition in the Pirelli Star Driver regional award for the million dollar opportunity to contest select events in the 2010 World Rally Championship.

World rally returns down-under

The tenth round in the 2009 FIA World Rally Championship moves this elite competition to its second southern hemisphere location of the season with Repco Rally Australia taking place from 2 to 6 September.

The Australian event returns to the WRC calendar for the first time since it was last run in 2006 in Western Australia. The new location is the small resort of Kingscliff in the far north-east of New South Wales, close to the Queensland border. The brand-new roads remove any favourite status between current series leader Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) and defending champion Sebastién Loeb (Citroen).

Paddon takes on Pirelli Star Driver challenge in Australia

Top local rally driver Hayden Paddon, from Geraldine, will be attempting to win the Pirelli Star Driver title for the Asia Pacific region, a prize worth nearly one million New Zealand dollars, during next weekend’s Repco Rally Australia.

The inaugural Pirelli Star Driver title was won by fellow Kiwi rally driver Mark Tapper last year and Tapper is currently part-way through his Pirelli-backed season competing in six of the twelve World Rally Championship rounds.

Tapper charged for Rally Australia

Auckland’s Mark Tapper is fit and ready for the Australasian round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) – Repco Rally Australia – being run on roads in northern New South Wales from 2 to 6 September 2009.

The 28-year old from Brookby is contesting the Australian event outside his normal programme of competition as a Pirelli Star Driver, which takes in select rounds of this year’s WRC.

Being joined by his regular co-driver Christchurch’s Jeff Judd in Australia, Tapper will switch from the Pirelli-backed left-hand-drive Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X he’s using in the WRC events to an older model EVO 9 in right-hand-drive configuration run by Kiwi team Reece Jones Rallysport.

Auckland confirmed as host of 2010 Rally New Zealand

Rally New Zealand, the local round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will return to Auckland in 2010.
 
Organisers have confirmed an agreement with Auckland City Council, supported by Tourism Auckland, which sees the major event based in Auckland from 6 to 9 May, 2010.

“We’re delighted to bring Rally New Zealand back to Auckland with the largest population base in the country,” says Chris Carr, chairman of the rally organisation.

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