New Zealand WRC counter set to thrill

This month’s Brother Rally New Zealand, round seven of the FIA World Rally Championship, looks set to be a thriller with 14 World Rally Cars expected to do battle on the spectacular gravel tests in the country’s North Island.

Scheduled to run from 21-24 June, organisers have secured an exciting 44-car entry headed by world champion Sebastien Loeb of the factory Citroen team and including works Ford drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg plus leading MINI runner Dani Sordo and Ken Block from the Monster World Rally Team.

“The battle for victory in Brother Rally New Zealand will undoubtedly be intense,” said Willard Martin, the event’s clerk of the course. “Watching the first six rounds of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship we’ve seen fantastic action, challenges and super-heated competition between the leading drivers.”

The 42nd running of Rally New Zealand will be based in Auckland with stages running north and south of the country’s largest city. As well as counting for the main WRC, the event is a qualifying round of both the Super 2000 and Production Car world championships.

Local interest comes from SWRC pair Hayden Paddon and John Kennard, plus Jeff Judd, who will co-drive Subhan Aksa in the PWRC.