The dust has now settled after a successful and enduring Rally Otago that created some of the highest attrition we have seen on a NZ rally in recent time. But despite this, the vibe around service park and stages is that everyone just loved to be back rallying again!
Us included, it was so good to be back at one of my favourite events for the first time in two years, and the event again didn’t disappoint. Perfect weather and road conditions helped towards faster times than we have seen before. It was also great to see the level of competition and closeness throughout many different classes, and certainly a few drivers that put their hands up to take notice of.
Our pre-season was very much focused around trying to make a step-up this year. Some may think we have it easy in NZ, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our whole team are working hard and my drive for perfection means we are always trying to find the next step – whether it be in the car or my driving.
A big part of that was to ensure we bettered our own stage records from the past which we successfully did, but also great to see the rest of the category 1 cars also take a good step up in speed.
We didn’t quite hit the nail on the head in terms of outright performance. The car was certainly working better, but we had delays on a few parts and we haven’t yet tuned the best out of some of the new components on the car. Likewise with the driving, it took several stages to get fully back into the groove. Again, our team was the difference, with relatively no problems throughout the two-day event.
Unfortunately two punctures during the second day put paid to any chance of a clean sweep of stage wins. When it is out of your control, it becomes a little frustrating, however the performance capabilities of the Pirelli, which now most Cat 1 competitors are using, make them an incredible tyre to drive on.
What made our punctures very strange this year, is that they were a pure delamination, with no real answer yet as to why. Otago has some of the fastest stages in the championship which could play a part.
In general however, the stages were relatively smooth and punctures were not a huge threat – other than the boney repeat run of the long forestry stage (SS8), where sometimes you have to hold your tongue the right way.
The difference between tyre brands can also play a part. The Pirelli is a consistent performing tyre from start to finish, while also being stronger. The other tyres can tend to sometimes be a little more prone to punctures, however performance between most of the brands in cooler conditions or short stages is relatively even. It’s when the tyres start wearing down a lot from getting hot, that tyres like Pirelli come into their own.
Otago Rally also announced the arrival of several young guns which is great to see and very promising for the future. We all the know the names Jack Hawkeswood, Robbie Stokes and Matt Sumemrfield that are the next future champions – in particular Robbie drove very well in Otago.
But also in the 2WD classes, it was particularly impressive to see the performances of Ari Pettigrew, and although short lived, Jackson Clendon. It will be very interesting to follow the progress of all these drivers along with many others as the season progresses and as they develop.
Now, it’s a quick turn around to Rally Whangarei, another favourite for most drivers and cant wait to attack the cambered rally roads of the North. See you there.
Comments