The wait was worth it. It was everything that we’d been hoping for, and then some. That was Rally New Zealand 2022.
It had been 10 excruciating years in the making, but when Kalle Rovanpera blasted into the shakedown stage north of Auckland at 9am on Thursday morning, Rally New Zealand was back!
What followed were four very long days that produced everything from howling winds, teeming rain and thick mud, through to picture-perfect views and the best rally action anywhere on the planet.
As well as being an accredited media photographer at the event, my job was to escort a tour group of 45 Aussies and Kiwis to some of the best viewing locations in the World Rally Championship.
We saw the incredible Rally1 hybrids eight times over the four days of competition, and witnessed famed New Zealand stages like the Auckland Domain, Whaanga Coast, Te Akau North and the new spectator benchmark, Jack’s Ridge.
Through it all we battled the elements as the weather gods did their best to put a dampener on the rally, but as stated earlier, this was 10 years in the making and nothing was going to dull our spirits.
The much-predicted road sweeping didn’t play as big a part on the rally as we might have expected, and the world’s best needed to push much closer to the limit than they planned. In several instances, it was a risk they couldn’t conquer.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta rolled out of the rally on Saturday afternoon, as did M-Sport’s Gus Greensmith in spectacular fashion on stage 10.
As the rally progressed it became a battle between the young upstart and the old master. Kalle Rovanpera vs Sebastien Ogier. Toyota vs Toyota. Finland vs France.
In the end it was the young gun who conquered Rally New Zealand from first car on the road, taking with it the 2022 World Rally Championship title.
The 22-year old became the youngest ever winner of the WRC, eclipsing Colin McRae, who won his one and only title, in 1995, at the age of 27.
Rally New Zealand was, without doubt, an unmitigated success. Of course, there were some organisational challenges and things that need to be improved for the future, but for a first time back it was a stellar success.
Large crowds at the Auckland Domain on Thursday evening brought the WRC to the city centre, while Sunday’s Jack’s Ridge stage attracted an incredible crowd of over 13,000 fans.
They battled mud, mud and more mud in the spectator areas, but the action on track was of the highest quality and made it all worthwhile.
In the demonstrations prior to the WRC stage there were massive jumps and cross karts end-for-ending down the stage, plenty of food and beverages to keep the fans happy, and knowledgeable commentary to keep everyone in the loop.
Then there was the WRC action which was nothing short of sublime.
In particular, watching Ott Tanak and Kalle Rovanpera over the final 6.77km stage was nothing short of breathtaking; Tanak trying to keep his title hopes alive, and Rovanpera putting it all on the line for that first WRC crown.
In the end only 0.6 of a second separated them in the final stanza, but it was enough to give the Finn the prize he’d been dreaming of since he was a small boy.
Kalle might have been the overall winner, but it was New Zealand and the rallying community who should be most proud. Amid plenty of obstacles and heartache, Rally New Zealand returned and was every bit as good as we’d remembered. There might be a two-year wait until it returns again in 2024 (we hope), but like those 10 years between 2012 and 2022, it will be very much worth the wait.
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