New Zealand debut for Cusco Toyota C-HR

After missing last year’s WRC Rally of New Zealand due to shipping delays, Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson will finally to get to drive Cusco’s Toyota C-HR on home territory beginning with the Otago Rally that starts in Dunedin on 31st March and finishes 2nd April.

Otago will be followed by Northland’s Rally of Whangarei 12-14th May with both events qualifying rounds of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship as well as the New Zealand Rally Championship.

At a recent test day Young said, ” I have to say a big thanks to Cusco for sending the Toyota C-HR to New Zealand and trusting our team to run the car. After a few test days in the forests I’m certainly looking forward to driving the C-HR on New Zealand public roads. It was built for fast flowing gravel so I feel that Otago will be well suited to the car. In the right conditions the C-HR should be very fast on those stages”.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Rally Whangarei in May. It’s a rally I’ve done many times and had lots of success at. I’m quite familiar with the roads and have always enjoyed the big camber up there”.

Following the South Canterbury Rally in June, the Toyota C-HR will be packed up and returned to Japan. Plans for the car after that are still to be confirmed, however it’s possible the team will be at the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship final in Indonesia 24 – 26th November. “We’re entering the qualifying events here in New Zealand and I’m hoping we’ll be at the final, although a few things need to fall into place for it to happen”.

“The rally in Indonesia should be ok for me as I’ve had a lot of experience on those types of stages. It will take lots of preparation as it will be stinking hot and humid”, said Young.