Defending Rally of Whangarei winner Matt Summerfield is eager to put his new Mitsubishi Mirage rally car to the test on Northland’s unique roads this weekend.
The two-day international event is the only time this season that drivers get a two-pass reconnaissance of the roads they’ll tackle later at high speed, and for Summerfield this is a massive advantage.
As one of only a handful of drivers in the national championship who writes his own pacenotes, an accurate description of the rally route, the chance to write and then recheck his pace-notes allows for more accurate detail, and that means more speed.
“Unfortunately we normally have to write our notes on just one pass over the stages and that’s a lot more difficult for us than it is for most of the other drivers who simply adjust the instructions handed out to them by the organisers.
“Being an international rally and part of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship means they are required to offer drivers a double pass,” said Summerfield.
That all means Matt and his co-driving sister Nicole will have greater confidence to attack the course in their Andrew Simms Mitsubishi Mirage, in what will be just their second outing in the new generation car.
New Zealand is one of only a few countries which offer pre-prepared safety notes to competitors, but all leading international rally drivers – like Hayden Paddon – have to write their own, personalised descriptions. Summerfield has been perfecting this skill for quite a few years now, and admits he is still developing his pacenotes.
“It’s massive doing two passes. Our notes will be more accurate and that helps us to go faster and have more confidence. These roads you need to push really hard on. Hopefully this will help us show a bit more of the true speed we have in the new car,” he added.
The pair won the event last year in an older model Subaru Impreza and are now looking forward to the two days of competition this weekend to push harder in the Mirage.
With a stellar lineup of top drivers for the International Rally of Whangarei, the Summerfields know that repeating last year’s result will be a big ask, but they feel they’re up to the task.
“We’ve made a few subtle changes since we debuted the Andrew Simms Mitsubishi at [Rally] Otago last month. Nothing major, more about me feeling more comfortable in the car.”
The event kicks off tonight with two publicity stages near Whangarei before the rally proper heads onto the closed public roads on Saturday and Sunday.
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