Double delight for rally fans
Rally New Zealand organisers have announced two new events, the City of Auckland Rally and the Battle of Jack’s Ridge, for November after the international competition was axed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stages that were planned to be used for this year’s FIA World Rally Championship event, which was due to be held in September, will now feature in the double-header of action.
The City of Auckland Rally will be held on Saturday, November 14, and include stages in the Kaipara Hills, Puhoi and Riverhead Forest before its conclusion at the purpose-built road “Jack’s Ridge” in Whitford.
The Battle of Jack’s Ridge will be a standalone rally sprint on Sunday, November 15 and it will feature an open category rally sprint over a section of the 6.2km Jack’s Ridge stage.
Peter Johnston, chairman of Rally New Zealand, says he looks forward to being able to showcase some of the new stages to drivers and motorsport fans.
“We were so pleased with the route that was coming together for Rally New Zealand, and now we want to share the Auckland-based stages with rally drivers and our fans,” he adds. “There are some incredible rally stages which are fan-friendly and on Auckland’s doorstep.”
Jack’s Ridge has been purpose-built by rally driver Andrew Hawkeswood, who describes it as “exciting and highly technical, incredibly spectator friendly and is easily accessible for fans”.
“It’s something that’s been bubbling away for a little while, but the World Rally Championship returning was the perfect motivation to make it happen,” Hawkeswood explains. “Building Jack’s Ridge was all about using the lay of the land to create a stage that drivers would love combined with safe and prime spectating opportunities.”
The two events follow the cancellation of Rally New Zealand from the 2020 World Rally Championship calendar, with organisers optimistic these routes will feature in the 2021 WRC schedule.
“We are taking this opportunity to shakedown Jack’s Ridge and the stages around Auckland to showcase our preparedness for hosting the 2021 WRC event,” Johnston says.
For more details about the November races, click here.
