BNT MASON MOTORSPORT 2nd AFTER FIRST DAY OF RALLY NEW ZEALAND

Another heady, measured drive in treacherous conditions has rewarded double New Zealand Rally Champion Richard Mason and Co-driver wife Sara, with second place after the first day of the 41st edition of Rally New Zealand.

Torrential overnight rain transformed the condition of the roads, and crews who had completed the pre-rally reconnaissance yesterday were shocked to find flowing water across sections of the opening stage and much softer surfaces on the others.

Tyre choices that had been made after the recce proved way off the mark for several teams and their stage times suffered accordingly.

The BNT Subaru was one of those, but the Masterton Flyers still returned to Hampton Downs at lunchtime in 3rd place.
A revised tyre choice and setup changes worked much better in the afternoon repeat of the morning tests, but in spite of that they dropped from 2nd to 3th after the penultimate stage with just the repeat of the Hampton Downs circuit (4.68kms) to run.

Richard and Sara snatched back 2nd with the fastest time of the Group N runners and will now overnight with another 27 points ‘in the bank’ as they chase down their third NZRC GoldStar title.

“It has been a tough day ‘in the office’ for us all,” said Richard, “and finding that standing water is pretty unnerving when you are fully committed to your [pace] notes.”

“But we have made it through and the BNT Subaru is definitely getting quicker and quicker – as our times for the repeat stages indicates, so we are looking forward to the Raglan stages tomorrow with a good deal of confidence.”

BNT Mason Motorsport are proud to welcome Hopper Construction and Geartech into their group of partners this year, and would also like to acknowledge their ongoing association with long time supporters BNT, Subaru, Dunlop, B.W.O’Brien, The PC Factory, ScottSpeed Performance Engines, MCA Suspension, Pagid, Randall & Associates, Quality Foods and Tom’s Auto Services, without whose invaluable assistance they would not have been able to embark on their tenth consecutive year as a leading contender in the NZRC.

Photo Credit: L.M Sports Photography