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.
Following a solid start to their New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC), young duo Dylan Thomson and Amy Hudson have suffered yet another devastating blow to their 2016 hopes.
Despite sitting in second in the rookie championship before the third round, Hudson’s home round at Canterbury, the pair have had two DNF’s [did-not-finish] due to a minor accident and electrical problem respectively, which they say are simply “the highs and lows of motorsport.”
With a good chance of finishing on the podium of the NZRC Rookie Championship, Thomson said their main goal was just to finish at the most recent round, Rally Gisborne, however that soon came to a grinding halt.
“We were really happy with our pace and actually a little bit surprised. We had a good recce [pre-rally reconnaissance], the notes were good and the first two stages were outstanding,” says Thomson.
“But an electrical problem at the start of stage three put us out. We managed to rejoin in stage four thanks to the Summerfields and Barney but by then, we’d already lost the chance to win championship points,” explains Thomson.
The electrical problem, caused by a faulty relay, pushed Thomson’s 2016 NZRC hopes further away but he is vowing to fight back at the final round, the Goldrush Rally of Coromandel, in a few short weeks where the team hopes to score a podium result in the rookie the two-wheel-drive NZRC championships.
“Amy [Hudson] and I are becoming a really good team. We set goals for each rally to improve our pace and that is working at the moment. We’ll keep pushing and making improvements,” says Thomson.
Thomson also says the team made some small changes to the Ford Fiesta he drives which “transformed the car” and means he is more comfortable in pushing.
The next rally, the Goldrush Rally of Coromandel, is only Dylan’s fifth rally though he says he hopes to do more over the off-season to continue his development, after competing in other motorsports throughout his life like dirt track speedway.
The final round of the NZRC is the Goldrush Rally of Coromandel held on August 20th where Thomson hopes to have a solid finish.
Dylan Thomson Rallysport’s campaign is supported by Total Lubricants, Riordan and West Transport Pukekohe, Drew + Accounting, Sign Wise, Mcfoto, Absolute Spray Painting, Waiuku ITM, Mark Rose Construction, NZRW, LJ Hooker, Fowler Homes, Waiuku Beaurepairs and Magnum Compliance.
Media release by Alana McIsaac (July 2016)
