In 2009 Rally New Zealand introduced the Rising Stars Scholarship. Twelve candidates contested a weekend shootout, all vying for a $50,000 prize package. Here’s Kate Gordon-Smith’s preview from early March 2009…..
Weekend shootout for young rally drivers(2009)
Today twelve young men have started an intense weekend shootout competition to determine who will win Rally New Zealand ’s inaugural Rising Stars Scholarship.
Competing in the Maramarua Forest south of Auckland , the young rally drivers are vying for a $50,000 prize package which includes professional mentoring and the use of a professionally-prepared rally car to contest the N3 category, or two-wheel-drive production car class, of the 2009 New Zealand Rally Championship, as well as Rally New Zealand 2009 from 21-23 August.
The twelve candidates are: Stephen Barker, age 20 from Hamilton; Adam Bligh, age 25 from Wellington; Brad Harris, age 24 from Rangiora; Daniel Harris, age 18 from Nelson; Ben Hunt, age 20 from Nelson; Lyndon Galbraith, age 24 from Timaru; Piran Pigneguy, age 23 from Lower Hutt; Michael Pittams, age 24 from Tauranga; David Scoles, age 22 from Foxton; Dominick Unterberger, age 24 from Nelson; Peter Weir, age 20 from Pahiatua; and Henry Wong, age 24 from Mt Eden in Auckland.
Speaking at Friday evening’s official welcome Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr expressed his delight to be able to meet the Rising Stars Scholarship contenders in person.
“You are all here because of the talent and enthusiasm you have demonstrated in your rally sport to date,” said Carr. “We don’t want to put any pressure on you, but there is obviously extreme pressure on you to perform this weekend. You’ll be marked on everything that you do and we hope to equip you with some of the skills you’ll need to succeed in this expensive and complex sport.
“Within Rally New Zealand as an organisation, there’s a huge depth of talent and knowledge. This weekend you’ll be surrounded by many of our most experienced and capable people, and this should be an incredibly good learning experience for you all.
“This is the best prize in New Zealand motorsport at present and there will be a huge responsibility for the winner. We expect the best, not just the best driver or the best speaker, but the person who offers the best package as a complete rally driver with the potential to take their career many levels higher. Good luck to you all. We’re delighted to have you twelve as our inaugural Rising Stars Scholarship contenders.”
The official welcome also saw each of the twelve Rising Stars Scholarship candidates asked to speak, without preparation, about themselves and their rally experience for three minutes to the assembled Rally New Zealand personnel. The candidates also completed a half hour test of their mental agility.
The weekend shootout programme includes on-road driving assessment with many-time New Zealand rally champion Neil Allport, physical fitness testing, interviews with media and a Rally New Zealand panel, and assessment of the candidates’ presentation of a sponsorship proposal.
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