Points scoring opportunity in Whangarei for Rising Stars

HaydenPaddon)HawkesBay09 LH Points scoring opportunity in Whangarei for Rising Stars

Hayden Paddon Rally of Hawkes Bay 2009. Photo Lance Hastie

Rally New Zealand

Media statement re Rising Stars driver development programme

4 June 2009

Points scoring opportunity in Whangarei for Rising Stars

This weekend’s NAC Insurance International Rally of Whangarei offers another points’ scoring opportunity for young rally drivers vying for two inaugural Rally New Zealand Rising Stars awards.

The driver development award programmes see competitors, aged 26 or younger, select four rallies in which to collect points towards either the International Award or the Development Award, explains Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr.

“We have the largest numbers of Rising Stars competitors in Whangarei with this event being one of two required events all competitors must enter,” says Carr.

The five Development Award drivers aiming to score Rising Stars points in Whangarei are: Ben Hunt, Dominick Unterberger and Daniel Harris from Nelson, Ben Jagger from Whangarei and Patrick Malley from Auckland. The five International Award contenders are Hayden Paddon from Geraldine, Kieran Hall from Nelson, Sloan Cox from Rotorua, and Josh Marston and Matthew Jansen from Christchurch.

“We met several of these drivers during the Rising Stars Scholarship competition earlier this year, when Ben Hunt became our inaugural Scholarship winner,” says Carr.

“We’re delighted to see two other Scholarship contenders Dominick Unterberger and Daniel Harris joining Ben to vie for the next tier of Rising Stars, the Development Award which provides the winner with expert support and funding of $50,000 towards their 2010 local rally campaign.

“We have observed these young drivers making continual improvements to the overall professionalism of their team, their presentation and their results, which is a pleasure to see.”

Jagger currently leads the Development Award competition with 19 points.

The International Award provides the winner with expert support and funding of $50,000 towards competing in a major international rally in 2010. Currently Paddon tops this points’ table.

At the Whangarei event, the entrants in the two Rising Stars fields are allocated points based on their finishing position in each stage relative to each other. The fastest receives three points, the second fastest two points and the third fastest one point. After the rally’s 16 competitive stages, these points are ranked and final points allocated.

The NAC Insurance International Rally of Whangarei runs 5 to 7 June on roads in the Whangarei and Kaipara districts. Full details about the event, which is also a round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and the Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship can be found on www.rallywhangarei.co.nz.

The current points for the 2009 Rally New Zealand Rising Stars programme can be found at http://www.chrissport.co.nz/points/2009/risingstar.htm, while the weekend’s Rising Star’s results can be tracked via the International Rally of Whangarei link on the left hand side of www.chrissport.co.nz.

ENDS/

BenJagger HawkesBay09 LH Points scoring opportunity in Whangarei for Rising Stars

Ben Jagger 2009 Rally Hawkes Bay. Photo: Lance Hastie

How the Rally New Zealand Rising Stars programme works

§ Drivers must be under 26 years of age on 1 January 2009, a member of a MotorSport New Zealand-affiliated car club, a New Zealand resident, and registered for the 2009 Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) to be eligible to register for the Rising Stars programme.

§ Drivers nominate two NZRC events in addition to two compulsory events in which to collect points towards either the Development or the International Award. The two compulsory events are June’s NAC Insurance International Rally of Whangarei and August’s Possum Bourne Memorial Rally.

§ To enter the Development Award, drivers must compete in the Group N N3 (front-wheel-drive production car) class.

§ To enter the International Award, drivers must compete in the Group N N4 (four-wheel-drive production car) class.