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.
Christchurch rally driver, Jeff Judd, is aiming to take out the historic class championship win, as part of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC), at this weekend’s final round held at Rally Wairarapa, near Masterton.
Judd has been leading the championship for the majority of the season but is under no illusion his compatriots Deane Buist and Marcus van Klink will be on a charge, making his rally a challenge.
“Those guys [Deane Buist and Marcus van Klink] are very quick and have been keeping me honest all year,” said Judd, “I’m sure they’ll both be trying to win so I’ll have to be on the pace from the first stage.”
“I have a pretty good chance of winning the championship here, so I still have to be smart about how I go about this weekend. We don’t want to throw away an entire championship simply to be fast.”
This weekend also sees the culmination of the Malcolm Stewart Memorial Trophy which both Judd and his rival Buist will be fighting for, which adds a whole new level of competition to the rally.
“That trophy is important to all of us, for obvious reasons. We all want it so we’ll all be fighting really hard to get that one, I’m sure.”
“I’ve managed to beat Deane [Buist] in most of the power-stages this year so that’s promising but we’ll still need too be careful.”
The BNT Ford Escort which Judd has piloted all year has undergone minor suspension and set up changes in preparation for the rally, after its setup was changed for the dual gravel and tarmac Possum Bourne Memorial Rally last month.
“The BNT Ford Escort has been great all season and it should suit the roads here in Masterton. It’s due for a freshen up now though, after doing the Silver Fern Rally [7-day-marathon-event] last year and the entire championship this year, so hopefully it’ll see me through this rally,” said Judd.
Rally Wairarapa will start at 7.00 on Saturday 5th October. Competing crews will then compete across 134 kilometers of closed special stages before finishing at the Copthorne Hotel in Solway at approximately 5.00pm. Rally Wairarapa also doubles as the final round of the NZRC, where crews will be rewarded with championship wins accordingly.
Judd’s 2013 NZRC campaign is supported by BNT, Magnum Compliance, Fuchs and Waimate Pharmacy.
Media Release: Alana McIsaac (October, 2013)
