NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY DEDICATED RALLY MAGAZINE
Issue 21, March 2022
NZRC Season Preview
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WRC Monte Carlo WRC Sweden
$14.99
Peking to Paris Ben Nevis Golden 1200 Pukekohe Car Club’s Speed Weekend .....plus much more
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Editor’s NOTES Hi, As you’re all well aware, things have been far from normal over the last 12 months. I will be doing my best to stick to the usually routine for magazines (March, June, September and December), but please bear with me if this moves slightly in the year, which will all be dependant on events going ahead as planned, which we all know has been difficult to do. EDITORIAL
Editor: Jason Byrne Jase@alittlebitsideways.co.nz 021 02306894
Photo contributors:
Becky Ladbrook / Fast Exposure Craig McIntosh Geoff Ridder Graeme Fraser Jason Byrne Matt Smith Steve and Tracy Russell
Other Important Contributors: Blair Bartels Brett Maddren Conor Edwards Craig McIntosh John Carter Kate Gordon-Smith Rob Scott The Southern Correspondant
Advertisers:
Please support these companies wherever possible as they are supporting this publication At Work Safety Auckland Denture Clinic Cambridge Tyre & Alignment GT Oils Letts Construction LJ Hooker Manurewa, Karaka, Pukekohe Mount Bikes Palmside Semog Racing Products, New Zealand The Engine Room Automotive Winmax Brakes / Paddon Rallysport
We always acknowledge organisers / volunteers in our sport but I think they need a special mention given the extra work the current pandemic has added to planning and running events etc. It hasn’t been easy but its great to see clubs’ determination to try and get events running as normal as possible for everyone to enoy. So a huge thank you to all organisers / volunteers around New Zealand who are making it possible for rallying to continue as normal as possible within current pandemic rules. The 2022 NZRC is shaping up to be epic with new cars, and great events lined up - check out this years preview on page 10 from Blair Bartels. Some crews are planning to compete in an epic event in 2023 (it was meant to be this year but covid has delayed it) Check out Jayson Stringer’s article on page 26 for an awesome look into the preparation going into the Peking to Paris an event that Brent Taylor and Chris Ramsay (along with other kiwi crews) are going to take on. Hopefully the Central Region Sprint Series (CRSS), Northern Rally Sprint Series (NRSS), Mainland Rally Series and even the Top Half Rally series will all be running this year. I would love to hear from you if you’re keen to help out with these events with reports. As you will see I’ve now also included a WRC component to the magazine, with the build up towards Rally New Zealand. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I really cant thank the people and businesses listed at the side of this page enough. Without them, this magazine just wouldn’t be possible. If you would like to be part of this team, I would love to hear from you. I really do need all the help I can get. Here’s to a great year of Motorsport. Cheers Jase
Copyright: A Little Bit Sideways is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Neither editorial opinions expressed, nor facts stated in advertisements, are necessarily agreed to by the editor or the publisher of A Little Bit Sideways. And whilst all efforts are made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility will be taken by the publishers for inaccurate information, or for any consequences of reliance on this information.
ISSN 2537-7345 Printed By: Kale Print Front Cover Image: Matt Jensen at Jack’s Ridge Hillclimb - Photo by Geoff Ridder
NEWS
RALLY
CONTENTS
FEATURES 06 | Lloyd Owen Tribute 08 | Hayden Paddon enters WRC2 06
10 | NZRC Preview 14 | WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo 20 | WRC Rally Sweden 26 | Peking to Paris
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30 | Ben Nevis Golden 1200 36 | Top of the South Rally Sprint Series 40 | The other Side - Lawrence Rally 42 | The other Side - Rankleburn Rally
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44 | Jack’s Ridge Hillclimb Photo Gallery 46 | Top of The South 1300cc Challenge 48 | South Road Bent Sprint 52 | Pukekohe Car Club Speed Weekend
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56 | Road Open
52
5
RALLY
NEWS
Hyundai New Zealand enters WRC with Hayden Paddon
A 100 per cent New Zealand rally team returns to world rallying with confirmation that Hyundai New Zealand is backing Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon with an exciting new, international partnership. Under the Hyundai New Zealand Rally banner, Paddon and longtime co-driver John Kennard will compete in a Hyundai i20N Rally2 car in selected events of the WRC2 category of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship and undertake a full seven-event campaign the following year with the aim of winning the 2023 WRC2 Championship. The car will be run by Hyundai New Zealand Rally, with Paddon’s established team of engineers, technicians and team management joining Paddon and Kennard, from Cromwell and Blenheim respectively, at the international events. “We are delighted to work with Hyundai New Zealand as we embark on a two-year WRC2 campaign with the new Hyundai i20N Rally2 car,” says Paddon who is a brand ambassador for Hyundai New Zealand. “This year we have planned a campaign which allows us to get up to speed with the awesome i20N Rally2 car, the car’s development and team development, before undertaking a full seven-round campaign in 2023 with the sole goal of winning that championship title.” Paddon doesn’t underestimate the challenges ahead, not least with logistics and travel. “But we’re so proud to be taking a Kiwi team to these offshore events, along with some support in Europe and backed by an incredible line-up of New Zealand companies including Hyundai New Zealand to make this unique campaign possible.” The team’s WRC2 schedule gets underway at Rally Estonia which runs 14-17 July, followed by Rally Finland 4-7 August.
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“I’m really looking forward to rallying in Europe again!” says Paddon, having not competed outside New Zealand for more than two years with several possibilities interrupted by Covid. “We have been trying so hard over the past two years to get back to the WRC. It’s been tough with everything going on in the world. So together with Hyundai New Zealand we decided to take matters into our own hands, and launch a Kiwi team to take on the WRC2. “I am really excited about doing this campaign with our own team. Of course it’s going to be challenging but we have a clear target for this two-year programme and we will be putting our best foot forward to try and achieve that.” Chris Blair, General Manager of Hyundai New Zealand, is delighted to see Paddon make his long-awaited return to world rallying and praised Paddon’s never-give-up attitude. “Hayden is the epitome of what Hyundai New Zealand stands for,” says Blair. “He’s ambitious, innovative, committed and passionate about being Kiwi. We have never stopped believing in his potential and that of the team. Despite adversity in 2019, he bounced back more driven than ever. As a result, we’ve developed the world’s first electric rally car, and here we are again prepared to take on the world with an all-Kiwi rally team in WRC2.” After the two European events, the Rally2 car comes home to contest Rally New Zealand from 29 September to 2 October. “I can’t wait to compete on the awesome roads of Rally New Zealand again and show what the Rally2 car is capable of.” Other events may be added to the competition schedule as the season progresses to assist the team with their development, management and running of the car.
NEWS The announcement of Hyundai New Zealand and Paddon’s WRC2 campaign comes at the same time as Hyundai New Zealand announced its support of the 2022 running of Rally New Zealand when the iconic Kiwi rally will again be part of the World Rally Championship. Paddon adds: “Without the support of Hyundai New Zealand, both our WRC2 campaign and the general health of rallying in New Zealand would not be where it is today, so I am hugely humbled for their faith in us to attempt to bring home a world title. And, of course, the return of WRC Rally New Zealand will be exciting for everyone, being a key ‘must do’ sporting event in New Zealand this year.” Looking ahead to Rally New Zealand at the end of September, Chris Blair is looking forward to a stronger Hyundai presence at this iconic, world-class event. “This will be the first Rally New Zealand that Hyundai will compete in with not one, but two Hyundai teams – Hyundai Motorsport in WRC1 and Hyundai New Zealand Rally in WRC2 and AP4,” says Blair. “It’s set to be a really exciting year for Hyundai New Zealand with our announcement that we’re competing in a two-year WRC2 campaign with Hayden, John and the team, as well as sponsoring Rally New Zealand, an event we are so excited to see return to our shores.” Hyundai New Zealand has been committed to rallying in New Zealand for many years and Rally New Zealand organisers are thrilled to have their support, along with Paddon acting as an ambassador for the event and competing on his home turf. “The team at Hyundai New Zealand have been right behind us every step of the way as we’ve lobbied to bring the WRC back to New Zealand and we’re hugely grateful for their persistence and ongoing support through some challenging times,” says Michael Goldstein, CEO Rally New Zealand. “We are all hugely supportive and full of admiration for their ambition to create a kiwi team that will take on the world of rallying. We wish Hyundai New Zealand Rally Team and Hayden the very best of luck
RALLY
and hope they come into Rally New Zealand, Auckland with some great results under their belt.” The Hyundai New Zealand Rally WRC2 programme and New Zealand competition programmes are currently being finalised for the Hyundai AP4 and Kona EV cars are supported by Hyundai NZ, Mitre 10 Trade, Pirelli and Winmax Brake Pads. The team’s New Zealand programmes also benefit from the support Meridian Energy, ETCO, Gen Less, Bar’s Bugs, Z Energy, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Repco, Provident Insurance, Ben Nevis Station, TransDiesel, Highlands, Accessman, YHI Energy, Sign It Signs, OMP/Racer Products, Carter’s Tyres, Gravity Internet, Open Country, Makita and Pak’nSave. Keep up with news on Hayden Paddon, Paddon Rallysport and the Hyundai New Zealand Rally team by subscribing to Paddon’s Pack at www.paddonspack.co.nz ■ About the WRC2 Championship Every round of the WRC season features WRC2, but drivers and co-drivers can only nominate seven scoring rounds. Their best six results count. To be eligible for the Rally2 category, manufacturers must have made at least 2500 examples of the road-going version of their nominated vehicle model in the previous 12 months. Rally2 cars run 1.6-litre, fuel-injected, turbocharged 4-cylinder engines with a power output of around 285bhp (212kW). They run permanent 4WD and a 5-speed sequential gearbox. Minimum weight is 1230kg, or 1390kg with driver and co-driver. More info: https://www.wrc.com/en/championship/wrc-2/about/ Hyundai New Zealand Rally 2022 competition calendar
(With Hyundai EV rally car dates to be added) 5-6 March – Ben Nevis Station Golden 1200 Hillclimb (Hyundai AP4) 8-10 April – Rally of Otago (NZRC, Hyundai AP4) 13-15 May – International Rally of Whangarei (NZRC, Hyundai AP4) 18 June – South Canterbury Rally (NZRC, Hyundai AP4) 14-17 July – Rally Estonia (WRC, Hyundai i20N Rally2) 30 July – Rally Hawke’s Bay (NZRC, Hyundai AP4) 4-7 August – Rally Finland (WRC, Hyundai i20N Rally2) 29 September-2 October – Rally New Zealand (WRC, Hyundai i20N Rally2)
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Phil Macquaire / Marty Stevenson - South Road Bent Sprint