There’s a bit of Kiwi pride at stake this weekend when round three of the New Zealand Rally Championship takes place in Canterbury.
With WRC star, Hayden Paddon, away preparing for Rally Sardinia, the door has been left wide open for New Zealand’s ‘next best’ to take victory in the Canterbury Rally.
Ben Hunt, Matt Summerfield, Emma Gilmour, Josh Marston and Phil Campbell will all fancy their chances, but there’s an interloper in the field in reigning Australian Rally Champion, Nathan Quinn.
For the past two years, Aussie driver Brendan Reeves has travelled across the ditch, armed himself with one of Force Motorsport’s Mazda 2s and taken home the chocolates at the Coromandel Rally.
Quinn, the laconic, easy-going driver from Coffs Harbour, is eager to do the same thing – despite what he may say publicly.
Armed with Richie Dalton’s as-yet-unproven, but blindingly fast Ford Fiesta Proto, this will be Quinn’s second consecutive NZRC event, after making his R5 debut in a Fiesta at Rally Whanagarei.
While he says his main goal is to get the car to the finish and not push for victory, any rally driver worth his salt knows that mantra will go out the window as soon as the first stage is underway.
Standing in Quinn’s way – first and foremost – is the red-hot Ben Hunt in his factory Subaru WRX STI.
The former national champion has been superb in both NZRC rounds run so far this year, and is surely the bookie’s favourite for victory.
Secondly, this event is being run in Ashley Forest – ‘Holy’ ground for New Zealand rallying and the place that not only do Kiwis want to win at, but a place that many of them know like the back of their hand.
In Quinn’s favour is that it’s primarily a forest event, which takes away much of the advantage the locals have on the fast, flowing back-country roads that were prevalent up north.
But will that be enough?
If you were to go out on a limb and pick a winner, Ben Hunt’s your man. But don’t write Nathan Quinn off just yet.
Talented, experienced, and with a reputation for getting cars to the finish in one piece, he could well upset the local applecart.
It’ll be an intriguing battle to watch.
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