A little bit sideways Rallying in New Zealand, where we like to get A Little Bit Sideways! Up to date Rally News from teams around the country together with event reports.
Tauranga’s Phil Campbell heads to the third round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, the Joe’s Garage/Lonestar Rally Canterbury, keen to show some new found speed after a troubled start to his championship campaign.
Campbell endured the biggest crash of his career only five days prior to the opening round and although he finished fourth overall, spent most of the event and half of the following round at Whangarei chasing an ill handling car, something that was later traced to suspension settings that were too stiff. That problems was rectified for the second day at Whangarei and the stage times immediately reflected that until a rear diff failure ended his day.
Last year, Campbell and co-driver Venita Fabbro finished the event in third place, despite completing close to half the event with just two gears. This year, with The Roofing Store Mitsubishi now handling the way he likes it, Campbell is confident he can once again stand on the podium.
For Campbell, a strong result is definitely necessary, with the tough start to the season seeing him currently sit 12th in the championship, a far cry from the runner up spot last year.
“I’m really looking forward to Canterbury, it’s an event we’ve always gone well at and with the car handling just the way I like it again, I’m confident we can be fighting for a top result again,” says Campbell. “We really need a good points haul, but after not finishing at Whangarei, we also really need to make sure we finish the remaining rounds.”
The Joe’s Garage/Lonestar Rally Canterbury Rally Canterbury run on Sunday 5 July. After leaving the start at Rangiora at 7.40am, teams will cover nine special stages in the Ashley and Okuku Forests totalling 171km, before returning to the finish in Manchester St, Christchuch from 5.30pm.
Press Release by BB Media
