All the hard work that went into organising this year’s City of Auckland Rally and the Battle of Jack’s Ridge may not be for nothing.
At least as far as a round the World Rally Championship is concerned.
Both events were tremendous successes, particularly the short-format event on the Sunday, but for many, it didn’t make up for New Zealand missing out on a round of the WRC in September.
If you listen to the FIA’s Rally Director though, then things are looking promising.
In an interview with DirtFish, Yves Matton recently said that the championship could return to both New Zealand and Australia in 2022.
“I think it’s possible to have both in the same year,” Mattonsaid.
“When we come back to the normal situation with the number of events we will have to include in the calendar, it will not be an easy one.
“They are telling us they are not able to be part of the calendar [in 2021], then it’s clear – but they have to be there for 2022, for sure.”
Neither country is on the WRC calendar next year “Because the organizers are not able to commit with the promoter for next year due to local [COVID-19] restrictions and they don’t believe that the local restrictions will be taken away early enough,” Matton added.
“They still want to be part of the championship, but they don’t have any guarantee that they will be able to host an event [in 2021].”
That must be music to the ears of the Rally New Zealand organising team, who have spent months putting their hearts and souls into the event, and gathering enough funding to make it work.
It will likely be many, many, months before Matton’s words are confirmed or denied, but in the meantime, at least there is optimism for both RNZ organisers and the country’s thousands of rally fans.
And let’s be honest, with the state that Europe is currently in with COVID-19, who wouldn’t want to come Down Under for an extended break?
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Jack attack too good at Pukekohe
Meanwhile, young gun Jack Hawkeswood blitzed the field in the Pukekohe Car Club’s gravel hillclimb event on Sunday, taking a dominant victory.
The NZRC regular drove his Mazda2 AP4 with fellow driver, Tony McConachy, in the co-driver’s seat, with a fastest run nearly 14 seconds quicker than anyone else.
Second place went to Steve Goodare in a Datsun Sunny, with Andrew Elder third in a Lancer Evo 5.
The event was held in wet and slippery conditions, with a wide range of vehicles competing.
The field featured everything from Hawkeswood’s AP4, through to Ford Escort Mk 1s, open-wheel buggies and four-wheel drive rally cars, and just about everything else in between.
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